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52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 running each process, but it is being upgrad- ed to support higher mix, lower volume, and higher-tech products. Factory two is a good example of what au- tomation can do to reduce manpower. Built in 2007, and realizing a 30% reduction in labor, VGT determined that costs could be reduced further with a smart factory. That brought us to factory three—the smartest factory of all. Designed specifically as a smart factory, this facility removes virtually all of the operators by using software and sensors to manage processes. Though the factory is not entirely optimized as a smart factory yet, work con- tinues to that end. VGT's COO Mr. Zhou Dingzhong describes it this way, "Compared to our original factory, productivity has in- creased by 40%, and labor is reduced by 70%. Also, the turnover time has decreased from six to seven days to two days due to the highly automated continuous process." He continues, "Also, our original factory uses manual han- dling of materials, which could increase the chance of scratches and defects. We designed our new factory with zero manual handling in mind, which made our yield go up by 5%." With three plants running strong, VGT's ongoing expansion is very evident with con- struction crews building factory four. This new facility dedicated to HDI will be eight stories and measure around 1 million square feet; it should be operational in May of 2019. To support all four factories, a new drill cen- ter was built, which will house 1,000 drills and be in addition to what they already have in place. There is also a new R&D center, which is under construction. This building will house the large amount of engineering and R&D staff. VGT has dedicated technical staff for R&D projects and a dedicated NPI staff for assisting customers in bringing their new designs to market. The new center will focus on developing new materials and pro- cesses to support 5G wireless, 100 Gbps net- working, and automo- tive markets. Increasing density and improving signal integrity while reducing cost will also be prime focuses. In addition to all of that construction, a new five-star hotel is being built on location for vis- iting guests. The property is very impressive with beautiful hills and mountains in the back- drop. When asked how VGT manages all of their major construction projects, EVP and CTO George Dudnikov said, "We have an internal project manager. Also, our founder [Mr. Chen Tao] has provided a lot of target goal input to every factory here and does a lot of the layout." 'Andy' Zhou Dingzhong George Dudnikov