PCB + ASSEMBLY No longer
PCB + ASSEMBLY No longer just an option The need for traceability in electronics manufacturing Complete and accurate traceability is no longer optional in electronics manufacturing. The nature of this ever-changing, fast paced, reactive environment requires a robust traceability solution to help manufacturers better manage the production environment by making detailed material, product and process information readily available. Electronics manufacturing requires a traceability solution to help companies better manage the production environment. Up: Uartonica area under Clean-Room ISO8. Source: Uartronica Electronica While a thorough traceability system should be required for every electronics manufacturer, it’s not something regulated industry wide. Rather, these requirements are currently customerdriven or specific to certain safety-critical markets such as products for the automotive, aerospace or medical sectors. Why traceability in Europe? With billions of dollars of goods in the electronics manufacturing supply chain alone crossing the oceans and skies daily, we’re in a world where visibility and quality tracking is a necessity. As consumers in day to day purchasing, tracking and visibility of online purchases is automatically expected. So, why shouldn’t these expectations be held as well for circuit board manufacturing? It’s only a matter of time before more and more end customers are requiring detailed traceability analysis of their product’s entire production process. In the European region, most electronics manufacturing is geared toward building high-quality goods for automotive, medical, consumer, and telecommunications industries. Many of these products cannot afford to go out into the field with a single defect – a minor issue in an automotive or medical product could have dire consequences to its end-user. Because of these stringent quality requirements, many European-based electronics manufacturers must offer a robust traceability system in order to beat the competition and keep customers. Generally speaking, Europe is a bit ahead of the curve in terms of technological advancements, specifically related to Industry 4.0 and IIoT initiatives for manufacturing. Industry 4.0 was born in Germany, so early adoption of Smart Factory principles organically spread in nearby European countries. Even culturally, European-made products are associated with a better reputation than those manufactured elsewhere. Whether or not this perception is valid can be argued, but the fact remains, European-made products typically garner a higher price tag. Thanks to this technologically centric mindset, automotive manufacturers are naturally drawn to have their goods assembled in this region. Not only do OEMs seek out EMS providers with the appropriate quality certifications, but they also need a manufacturer leveraging the latest traceability technology. Within the high-tech regions of Western Europe, electronics manufacturers have the added burden of a highly competitive labor market. Labor doesn’t come affordably in most European countries, and 50 EPP EUROPE April 2020
these manufacturers typically have to spend more in order to both recruit and retain a proficient workforce. With a higher spend on wages, these same manufacturers need to find other ways to help reduce cost and remain competitive. Additionally, many European based manufacturers also rely on a higher level of automation throughout the manufacturing process. With more of an emphasis on automation, these manufacturers lean on their traceability solution to ensure quality and optimize both efficiency and cost. “… European-based manufacturers deal with higher labor costs and struggle to reduce operational costs; so, either by helping in reducing the universe of potentially defective product or by helping in finding the root cause for the defect itself, traceability is a fundamental tool to keep costs low and remain competitive,” commented Rui Vidal, Technical Advisor at Uartronica Electronica, a Portugese EMS provider specializing in electronics manufacturing for the automotive and telecommunications industries. What is traceability? A misconception in our industry has focused on material traceability alone. But material traceability isn’t all that’s required when we talk about traceability in SMT manufacturing. Without also verifying detailed process and product information, material traceability is a small Band-Aid when a more rigorous healing regiment of a full cast and physical therapy is needed. A proven traceability solution will equip manufacturers with detailed reporting of the complete production process – who touched the product and when it was in process, what operations and equipment it went through and how that process transpired, what materials were used and where they came from – showing end-customers why they can trust in the quality produced. Anything less isn’t a complete traceability solution. A robust traceability application proves a thorough quality management system – allowing end-users to trust that the products they receive will work correctly. Additionally, in the case of an unforeseen Smart Support during Corona Crisis Remote Support 24/7 - even in challenging times IPTE remains available to you, even in these particularly uncertain times. The IPTE service hotline is open for you at all times 24/7. Personal service assignments of IPTE service on site are still possible, if this is still allowed by the local authorities. However, if it is not allowed to appear in person, we support you intensively with remote maintenance systems. We can log-in into your machines at any time via remote maintenance systems such as TeamViewer. We have also the option to support you with the new IPTE Smart Support app. Only your smartphone or tablet is required and downloading the app takes only one minute. Zusammenfassung In der heutigen, sich schnell wandelnden Welt der Elektronikfertigung ist eine vollständige Traceabilitylösung mit detaillierter Rückverfolgbarkeit des kompletten Produktionsprozesses einschließlich Material-, Produkt- und Prozessinformationen unabdingbar. Résumé Au vu des évolutions rapides auxquelles est confronté actuellement le secteur de la fabrication de composants électroniques, il est indispensable de disposer d’une solution complète offrant un suivi détaillé de l’ensemble du processus de production ainsi que des informations sur les matériaux, les produits et les processus. Резюме В современном быстро меняющемся мире электронного производства важное значение имеет полная прослеживаемость всего производственного процесса, в т. ч. информации о материале, продукте и технологическом процессе. IPTE service available 24/7 Personal Service Assignments Remote Maintenance Login IPTE Smart Support App Contact Us 24/7 Service Hotline: Tel: +32 89 623 100 For all new service package requests send an inquiry to: tibor.pagacs@ipte.com Tel: +49 152 04763879 You can find all contact details on our website www.ipte.com EPP EUROPE April 2020 51
