Printed Circuit Design & Fab - October 2008 - (Page 41)

FRONT END EnGinEErinG and production systems are essential, given the complexity of today’s PCB designs and requirements. Suppliers in the same geographic region should have a built-in advantage in customer service. Free from language, time-zone and cultural boundaries, local suppliers should be able to better understand requirements and needs, offer products and services tailored to the needs of local markets and respond quickly with quotes and production to meet or to exceed expectations. Offering an expanded range of products and services, including engineering, local suppliers should endeavor to become partners with key customers, assisting in the design and the application of the latest technologies and techniques to produce boards that elevate the functionality and utility of the products. High value-adding suppliers can ensure quality, quick on-time delivery and fewer errors through engineering services and direct transfer of Gerber files, adding a high level of automation and quality control in the plant. Fortunately, information technology continues to evolve by delivering more capabilities that address the growing needs of manufacturers. The most important characteristics of information systems today are breadth and integration. The suite of software needed to support the quest for quality, responsiveness, cost control and customer service must address the full range of business activities–engineering, sales, quoting, production, shipping, quality and accounting/finance–and be fully integrated to provide speed, accuracy and coordination throughout the enterprise and across the supply chain. Many PCB manufacturers are multi-site and engage in close partnerships with other suppliers around the world. Comprehensive and well-integrated information systems allow these companies to appear and to respond as a single resource for the customer, thus providing a full range of products and services that, to the customer, appear to come from one entity. Engineering can be the most time-consuming part of the job, especially when targeting some of the more complex board types. And oftentimes, these jobs are prototypes or first-runs with severe time constraints. Non-integrated systems can add to the problem by requiring redundant data entry and by not supporting collaboration or seamless transfer of information between engineering, production, sales, the customer and quality control. With an integrated system, specifications can be transferred electronically from the customer into the engineering system. After validation and detailed engineering, the information moves electronically to the quoting system (or the two are, in fact, parts of the same system) to ensure accuracy and completeness of the quote and pricing. After customer sign-off, the data can move directly into the production and quality systems with no risk of keying errors. Late changes, quality measurements and actual costs are captured and stored along with the complete history of the design and the order information. (FiGurE 2). Customers for high-tech, complex boards seem to always be in a hurry. They want immediate response when requesting a quote, and they expect the final product engineering information to be complete and accurate. They must be able to apply costing/pricing logic to generate customer quotes and to build engineering and business information that will be used to initiate manufacturing once the contract is awarded. Automated workflows manage the process and supervise distribution and coordination between all participating parties – engineering, sales, production, materials/procurement, quality, management and the prospective customer. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applys company resources most effectively and efficiently to meet customer expectations, minimize costs and maximize profits. But one-size-fits-all ERP will not deliver these benefits in a PCB plant. Specialized ERP, developed specifically for the PCB industry, recognizes the high engineering content, continuous nature of processes, stringent quality requirements and the need for agility. Circuit board manufacturers in the West cannot compete successfully with lower-cost offshore suppliers in the higher-volume and simpler-board markets. And, increasingly, offshore competitors are entering the complex board market. Western manufacturers must focus on those areas where they offer unique advantages – in high value-added products and services (highly engineered) and short turn-around business. By staying ahead of offshore competitors’ capabilities and by delivering superior customer service, especially quick turn, domestic board producers can carve out a healthy, profitable business. Integrated engineering and production systems provide the tools to quickly and to accurately respond to customer requests, to produce high-quality boards and to deliver on time. pCd&f MEhul davE is VP of international operations at Consona Corporation and can be reached at mdave@consona. com. printEd CirCuit dESign & fAB 41 FiGurE 2. Front-end systems handle data entry and the transfer of information between engineering, production, sales, the customer and quality control. OCTOBER 2008

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

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - October 2008 Contents Our Line Market Watch Around the World Happenings Test and Inspection ROI Tip Jar Interconnect Strategies Final Finish Forum The New Wave in High-Speed Modeling The PCB Design Library Mixed Signal Design Considerations Modeling Conductor Surface Roughness Copper Erosion: The Influence of Metallurgy on Copper Dissolution The Wave of the Future Ad Index Building a Profitable Niche Marketplace Off the Shelf BGA Bulletin

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - October 2008

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