Circuits Assembly - September 2008 - (Page 28)

problem with hiring experienced manufacturing engineers. There is none available. Automotive electronics in non-union states is another exception, as companies in the south supply players such as Toyota, Hyundai and some of the European carmakers such as BMW and Mercedes. VW recently announced a new plant in Tennessee and Ford still has a plant in Mexico. For many automotive companies, production close to the end-customer is important. A nearby supply infrastructure is also imperative. CircuitWorks Ad:Khaki Fields_CA 8/19/08 10:59 AM Page 1 Another emerging exception may be photo- On the Forefront voltaic energy systems, which often have bulky optical collectors. While some components may be sourced in Asia, final system assembly of these bulky systems is done locally or onsite to minimize shipping costs. While many electronics manufacturers have shifted volume production offshore, the pendulum has slowed, as many companies wait longer before moving production to Asia. There is better definition of the product and its manufacturing; more issues have been raised before moving to China. The issue in outsourcing is less about cost per part and more about the strategic view considering overseas support cost, IP and quality risk, time-to-market, customer proximity, etc. Time-to-market has become a critical factor. According to Dick Otte, president of Promex, a semiconductor-packaging foundry based in the Silicon Valley, business is up. “US companies respond to time-to-market demands by using increased local engineering support through the early design, prototype, and pilot production and move to Asia when the product design is robust and their volume needs will justify the costs of sourcing in Asia.” IP issues are also a concern for some companies. Many Japanese electronics companies already learned lessons and have recalled manufacturing to Japan (no cheap labor there!). Less R&D Even with a potential slowing of the rush to outsource in Asia, the flattening of the U.S. manufacturing base continues. With the loss of manufacturing expertise in North America, there begins to be less demand for R&D in these companies. Flextronics recently laid off more than 80% of its advanced packaging R&D group in California. Some 20-plus years ago, when University of California, Berkeley professors Stephen S. Cohen and John Zysman wrote Manufacturing Matters, the response was the US economy would just live on the growth of the service sector. Oops, that has now been outsourced, too. If America’s strength is innovation and creativity, is the hollowing out of the manufacturing base in the electronics industry a threat to our very future? In an election year, maybe these are the topics to discuss, rather than the trivial topics often “covered” by today’s media circus. n CircuitWorks Benchtop Repair and Prototype Solutions ® CircuitWorks® conveniently packaged and precision dispensing products makes your circuit board repair and prototyping faster, easier and more accurate. Conductive Adhesives • Flux Dispensing Pens • Precision Cleaning Pens Conductive Lubricants • Lead-Free Solutions • Precision Contact Lubricants Conductive Ink Pens • Heat Sink Compounds • Protective Overcoats Contact ITW Chemtronics today for more information about the complete CircuitWorks® product line. Call our technical hotline at 770-832-4401, or email us at askchemtronics@chemtronics.com. CALL NOW! Nothing Cleans Like Chemtronics 800-645-5244 / 770-424-4888 • www.chemtronics.com Chemtronics®, CircuitWorks® and Nothing Cleans Like Chemtronics™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of ITW Chemtronics. ©2008 All rights reserved. 28 Circuits Assembly SEPTEMBER 2008 circuitsassembly.com http://www.chemtronics.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - September 2008

Circuits Assembly - September 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business Global Sourcing On the Forefront Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Reflow Soldering with a SnCu Eutectic Pb-Free Alloy Improving OEE in High Mix Facilities Effectively Managing RF Design in Utility Metering Applications Solder Joint Reliability of Different BGAs Reworked Using Low Melting Point Pb-Free Alloys Tech Tips Wave Soldering Pb-Free Lessons Learned Materials World Process Doctor Equipment Advances Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.