Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1483130
16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 What are the current challenges in manag- ing workflow on a manufacturing floor? e I-Connect007 Editorial Team breaks down the process with Jason Sciberras, president of Saline Lectronics Inc., who shares insight into how his team has responded to the chal- lenges faced across the industry. Jason says his key strategy has been the willingness to invest in technology, step back and look at the prob- lems, and be bold enough to take risks. e payoff ? A company that's growing and cus- tomers that keep coming back. Nolan Johnson: We have focused quite a bit on supply chain this year. I'm sure this environ- ment is even more challenging as you plan the work on and through the manufacturing floor. What has that been like? Jason Sciberras: "Crazy" is a great start. It's the biggest challenge we've had in my 20 years in this industry. Many of our customers have been with us for decades and we've built a reputa- tion, so it's even more challenging. We use a master scheduler to plan out what our produc- tion floor will look like for the next four weeks and it's very difficult with all the decommits we've had this year from suppliers and manu- facturers. You oen don't find those surprises until the parts are past due. We've had to create a position at Saline, a person who just calls every one of our major distributors with the pur- chase orders that are coming in the next two weeks to ask, "Are we still on track? Do we still have these parts coming in?" Even with that piece, sometimes we don't find out that the parts aren't coming until there's no tracking number. We're being flexible and moving jobs around to not have equipment downtime and then suddenly when the parts do come in, you cre- Laying It on the Line Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team