Printed Circuit Design & Fab - August 2008 - (Page 24)

GLOBAL EntErPriSE Product Development Challenges in a GlobAl MArkeT Leveraging globalization allows electronics companies to meet business goals of improved time-to-market and lower development costs. by John ISAAC Globalization seems to be the buzzword of the electronics industry. The question is: what effects does this have on the electronic product development process? Can electronics companies still afford to use simple PCB systems design solutions, or are there better design solutions that must be adopted to maintain competitive parity? What new technologies and processes do designers have to learn? And how does the infrastructure of a company adapt to this changing world? These are critical questions in the face of globalization. When we think of globalization, most of us immediately focus on the continuing move of manufacturing away from the US, Japan and Europe and into the Asia-Pacific and other low-cost manufacturing countries. But globalization is more than manufacturing. Many large electronics companies are not only using manufacturing in the PacRim but are also establishing significant facilities in these countries to capitalize on the low-cost engineering talent that is available. They are also outsourcing design of all or parts of their products to ODMs (original design manufacturers). We now have a situation where the development and delivery process for a product may be spread across a number of locations around the world (fiGurE 1). Another aspect of globalization is the necessity to market a product on a global basis. Companies need to design a product globally and then sell it to a global audience. This all adds new meaning (and words) to an old adage: “Design Everywhere – Build Anywhere – Sell Globally.” For a change, let’s work backward through the process. ent versions of the same design. Examples might include different operating voltages for a product, different electromagnetic emissions regulations or different communication protocols for a wireless device depending on location. The less efficient and most risky way to meet these goals is to: design a specific product for each region, estimate the number of units to be sold in each region, and then manufacture and stockpile the correct number of units to be sold. The risk is you can produce more than enough for one region and not enough for another, thus wasting stock and missing market opportunity respectively. Another option is to slow down manufacturing and only produce versions as needed in the marketplace; again risking maximum sales due to the time required to re-kindle a manufacturing line to high volume. The best option is to use the method of “variant design.” Using this method, a single design is produced that will accommodate all of the possible variations required Sell Globally When a company produces a product for sale in various regions around the world, it often has to produce differ24 fiGurE 1. electronics companies can have the product development process dispersed around the globe. AUGUST 2008 printEd circuit dEsign & faB

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Printed Circuit Design & Fab - August 2008

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - July 2008 Contents Our Line Market Watch Around the World Happenings ROI Tip Jar Software Performance Interconnect Strategies Final Finish Forum Product Development Challenges in a Global Market Innovative Modeling Supports Co-Design of the Power Supply Chain, Part 2 Low-Loss Fluoropolymer Copper Clad Laminate Qualifying PCBs Outsourced in Asia Copper Plating and Microvia Fill for Advanced PCBs Off the Shelf Marketplace Ad Index BGA Bulletin

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - August 2008

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