Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1440051
34 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022 real standards. It is almost impossible, without very serious investment, to combine trace- ability datasets together, ensuring that all the right detail is connected and consistent. Sec- ond, and perhaps more importantly, facto- ries do not want to share their traceability data with others due to the risk of loss of privacy and exposure of operational IP. Finally, there is the issue of the size of traceability data. Even with a hierarchical structure that IPC-1782 represents, many terabytes of data will be created each week, month, or year depending on the scale of the manufactur- ing operation. Multiply that by all the man- ufacturing and assembly sites that work ev- ery day as part of the supply chain and it is enough to trigger a cloudburst. e costs of data storage, as well as access to such data, is rather extreme. As part of the IPC-1783 CLA standard, a so- lution to these three issues is being developed, utilizing the principle of "verifiable creden- tials." is approach is also being pioneered for public sharing of private information, such as that related to COVID. Where access is re- stricted for people, such as to a bar, restau- rant, or crowded event, the COVID passport allows venues to assess the eligibility for entry based on a question made to a trusted central entity that simply returns permission to enter or not. e decision is made based on private data submitted to the trusted entity issuing the passport, but none of that private data is shared with the venue, only the result. Whether per- mission was denied due to a positive test re- sult, lack of vaccination, age, or any other rea- son, is not disclosed. Privacy assured. e def- inition of what is needed in the supply chain, derived from local traceability, together with the set of "questions" or "challenges" that may be asked about that information, are being de- fined as part of the IPC-1783 standard. A trust- ed industry organization, likely distributed in nature, similar to blockchain and using such technology, will provide a "supply chain au- thentication passport" for products and mate- rials as they move throughout the supply chain, and indeed, throughout the life of the product, as it is serviced and repaired, etc. is process enables the value of MES traceability to be re- tained locally, and key requirements for the elimination of counterfeit activity in the sup- ply chain fulfilled, in a cost-effective and prac- tical way that assures privacy. Conclusion We all must face the fact that some change is needed, as we cannot continue to suffer es- calating material quality and counterfeit risk. We also cannot tolerate the exposure of our IP and we must address something that oth- er parties are threatening. To make the break- through, however, requires that all parties in the industry acknowledge the problem, and start to play their role. Suggesting changes with new procedures and technologies is nev- er the easy option, but the consequence of not doing so multiples the magnitude; even worse, it is just not felt immediately. As with climate change, the future of the supply chain is in our hands. SMT007 Michael Ford is the senior director of emerging indus- try strategy for Aegis Software and an I-Connect007 colum- nist. To read past columns or contact Ford, click here. Each factory uses its own choice of traceability solutions.