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NOVEMBER 2022 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 e one film that served as the crux for the course was Chaplin's 1931 film "City Lights," a dystopian and indeterminate industrial set- ting for our anti-hero. It's easy to say that "City Lights" presents an Orwellian world, a precur- sor to the one created by George Orwell 18 years later. e film centers around the Tramp's work in a factory, where the Tramp is both contrary to established processes, but highly competent in his own way. e dystopian future is repre- sented by a company boss who can use a two- way television to micromanage his employ- ees, the Tramp in particular. (Interestingly, electronic television had only been demon- strated two years prior to this movie.) Perhaps the pinnacle of the movie is the famous scene in which the Tramp gets pulled through the machinery itself. Where he should meet with a bone-crunching death in all the gears, he instead comes out unscathed (as the Tramp always does) and even tightens bolts with a wrench as he moves down the path. It was the type of scene I would see played out repeatedly over the years in other comedies. For some rea- son, it just always works. While we may have to keep a light heart about the challenges we face today, we also realize the constantly shiing, chaotic supply chain has wreaked havoc on workflow man- agement. We reached out to several EMS com- panies and found common threads of struggle and confusion. Planning the workflow onto the manufacturing floor must simply feel like a trip through the machine with the Tramp every single day. Maybe you feel more like the masterful Lucille Ball in her infamous conveyor belt scene in the candy factory, or C3PO having parts switched out as he narrowly escapes get- ting clobbered by the robotic arms. Maybe you're more like "e Flintstones," scrambling down a belt the opposite way as quickly as you can. It's a fast-paced world that never stops, but it's how we approach our situations that makes the difference. In our interview with Jason Sciberras of Saline Lectronics, he details some of his "conveyor belt" moments and how these chal- lenges led to innovation, new soware, and a company that is thriving. He's finding his way out of the chaos by using smart tools, smart people, and a level head. We learned about some new best practices for supply chain monitoring and how that increased awareness has trickled down to the scheduling department. We followed up with CalcuQuote and Cogis- can, two business organizations that provide soware options now critical to stability in the supply chain for EMS companies. e ever- thought-provoking Michael Ford contributes two pieces to this issue as he explores both best practices in worst-case scenarios, and modern inventory management. I'm also excited to share with you a series of interviews from last month's IPC Advanced Packaging Symposium, a two-day forward- looking event in Washington, D.C. You've probably already heard of substrates, inter- posers, and chiplets, and I promise there will be much more to discuss in coming months. But here's a workflow management spoiler: Advanced packages will require a higher level of assembly precision and will add complexity to your workflow. Chaplin's "City Lights" was his first "talkie." He saw the future of cinema with soundtracks as a dystopian world for his particular art form. In the closing scene, the Tramp walks off into the "sunset," living life on his terms. But so many others embraced the new technology and thrived. Here's to hoping no one chooses to exit the business rather than adapt to the new world order. SMT007 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here.