Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1335241
FEBRUARY 2021 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 Nolan Johnson is manag- ing editor of SMT007 Maga- zine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. of the Assembly Line" that was by James May. e teaser shows video of an assembly line for the Mini, with a voiceover inviting us to "jour- ney into the secret world of the car factory." What? James May, Minis, and factories? How could I possibly turn that down? e miniseries is a lot of fun to watch—at least, it was for me—but it got serious for a few moments there, as well. Just past the halfway point (episode 2, starting at about 43 minutes elapsed), May takes us on a six-minute side- trip to a UK Toyota factory to learn about … get this, Kaizen! I- Connect007 is explor ing continuous improvement in 2021, but that doesn't auto- matically mean automation or Industry 4.0 hot topics. Instead, we've been having a conversa- tion about how to make processes smarter, so that automation is not just faster, but even more effective. at's what's so interesting about May's Toyota Kaizen segment: the examples are not automation, so much as optimization. In one example, the Kaizen of a worker's task of applying stickers to the vehicle resulted in 0.6 seconds per sticker saved. No big deal until we factor in that each vehicle gets 96 of these stickers. at sums up to 57.6 seconds. Multi- ply that by the 1,000 vehicle per day produc- tion, and that rolls up to 16 hours per day (two full-time employees worth of effort) saved on the manufacturing floor. I don't need to tell you that these principles are valuable to the ongoing success of your business, but I will ask if you're taking real steps to implement the principles. Take opti- mized processes, automate them, and now the efficiencies will emerge in the form of higher output, lower costs, and higher quality. e digital future's success depends upon smart processes, not just automated ones. In this issue, we showcase two key trade shows: a preview of IPC APEX EXPO 2021 and reports on the recent CES 2021 show. While I could wax on about IPC APEX EXPO (believe me, there is much to talk about) you'll want to focus on our published content, where the commentary is much more effective than mine at previewing IPC APEX EXPO for you: Dr John Mitchell, Alicia Balonek, Matt Kelly, Chris Jorgensen, Eric Camden, Gene Weiner, and more. In the spirit of optimizing your time, I encourage you to turn directly to the APEX coverage for the details. I will say, though, IPC APEX EXPO looks to be one of the more inter- esting and forward-looking events in some time. e Factory of the Future initiative will not only be present at the virtual show, but also influences the technical programs (read the interview with Kelly and Jorgensen to see what I mean). We also bring you highlights from CES 2021. Traditionally, two of the I-Connect007 edi- torial staff travels to Las Vegas to cover this candy-land of consumer electronics—and some of the primary output of our emerging digital manufacturing ecosystem. is year, as you would expect, we covered the CES news from our home offices. e benefit to a virtual CES, however, is that we were able to send twice as many staffers to cover the show. As a result, this year you'll be able to enjoy the show perspective from Dan Feinberg, Happy Holden, Pete Starkey, and yours truly. Some of our reporting will be here in the magazine, with more content available only on our web- site newsfeeds; check both locations to get all the CES-related news. We're sure you have your own stories and experiences in continuous improvement, and we'd love to hear about them. We're inviting our readers to share with us your X = X c – 1 victories with the industry. Get in touch and we'll be delighted to help share your lessons learned with the industry. SMT007