Assembly - November 2008 - (Page 27) is custom-built and crammed full of powerful microprocessors, memory cards and other electronic components based on unique specifications ordered by customers. There are approximately 5,000 billof-material structures that reflect various options on the configured machines. “These options further decompose into thousands of part numbers,” explains King. “The complexity comes with the fact that there are an infinite amount of permutations associated with each of the feature codes. Each machine we ship out of Poughkeepsie is built to exact customer specifications, reflecting a unique DNA. If you were to explode each of the bills of materials, it would [reveal] literally hundreds of thousands of discrete components.” Despite the complexity of the product, the simplicity of the production process allows the plant to excel. “The assembly team takes great pride in meeting customer expectations,” says King. “We base our efforts and discussions on business value and customer focus. And, all improvements are driven by one or more of our business values: cycle time, quality, culture, inventory and cost.” The Poughkeepsie plant also includes a large panel assembly and test (LPAT) operation, which represents the heart of the technology used in IBM’s high-end server offerings. These operations take raw components, such as transistors and resistors, along with the IBM Multilayer Ceramic Module, and populate them onto highly complex printed circuit boards using highspeed placement tools. The panels then proceed through compliant pin and pin-hole inspections, including X-ray processes, and then they are subsequently tested. Most of the chips are made 10 miles away at IBM’s state-of-the-art 300-millimeter semiconductor plant in Fishkill, NY. The LPAT operation is strategically located in a separate building near the box-line factory. “IBM’s ownership of these critical up-stream processes is a Sentinel Leak Test Instruments Cincinnati Test Systems’ line of leak test instruments can handle virtually any product leak testing requirement. From simple to complex, CTS has the right test solution to fit your testing need. Automatic or manual, single or multiple station, CTS instruments provide rugged and reliable operation in the toughest manufacturing environments. Test us with your toughest product testing requirements! Pressure Decay Pressure Gain Vacuum Decay Differential Pressure Mass Flow Multi-Channel Sequential Tests Tooling Control Ethernet, USB A TASI Group Company 513.367.6699 providi n g w or l d- c l as s l e a k t e s t an d as s em bl y v e r i f i c at i on s ol u t i on s s a l e s @ cincinna t i-t est . com All machines are tested multiple times to ensure reliability. cincinna t i-t est . co m www.assemblymag.com November 2008 / ASSE M B LY 27 http://www.cincinnati-test.com http://www.assemblymag.com
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