Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/564614
96 SMT Magazine • September 2015 Tan: So far, right now, it's the only technology that we know of that can allow the car to sense what is going to happen around its surround- ings. Las Marias: is that the reason why you have been adding manufacturing lines for automotive cam- eras? Tan: Yes, because what started off as an option for high-end cars is now becoming to be a stan- dard safety device in all cars. And that's when the volumes kick in. Las Marias: what is your outlook for the automo- tive electronics industry? Tan: Very bullish—I still think that the percent- age of the value of the vehicle that is going to become the automotive electronics base is go- ing to happen. Las Marias: Definitely there is always room for im- provement when it comes to electronics manufac- turing and assembly. From your perspective, how could the assembly process be improved? Tan: The automation itself is going to be a very key component of that. Companies that are able to then not only use automation, but actu- ally build cost-effective solutions in their own factories will be clearly at an advantage, and that's where we have put in our engineering re- sources in. Las Marias: what can you say about the electron- ics manufacturing landscape in the Philippines? Tan: In terms of productivity, it still has one of the highest productivity indexes among all the different manufacturing sites we have globally. So that's a good point. The logistics and sup- ply chain needs to be improved; that's some- thing that not only IMI has to deal with, but as a country we'll have to deal with in order to expand our electronics manufacturing segment. That's the challenge that I have in the Philip- pines. Advantages: we have a very diverse work- force; they are young, literate and educated, and English speaking. So there are some levels of advantages that we can bring to offset some of the issues that we have as far as the country is concerned. Overall, I am still very bullish on the Philippine electronics manufacturing—not just electronics, but manufacturing in general— to find the Philippines as a plausible haven for what companies can do in the future. Las Marias: what are the opportunities for growth here? Tan: It's still very good. Especially now that the Philippines has finally got into the radar screen as a possible location hub for manufacturing in order to serve the ASEAN market. I am very bullish about that part. Las Marias: You mentioned asEan. Come the end of 2015, we will be having the asEan economic in- tegration (aEC). how does that work for the com- pany? Tan: It works very well for us. I see it more of an opportunity rather than a problem, because for one, I am already integrated globally, so we are not one of those that are domestically-centric, and worried about everybody coming here. I am already out there with everybody, and them coming here would just be fine. Las Marias: one of the things that are help- ing manufacturers cope up with the high rate of change is by automating processes in their manu- facturing lines. From your perspective, which pro- cesses in the electronics manufacturing can easily be automated? Tan: Anything that requires such high levels of repetition and precision is a candidate for au- tomation. So the moment that there is a small batch, or quite a bit of adjustments and judg- ment and all of these that have to be done on a product, this doesn't lend itself well to the au- tomation. So what I see is that the evolution is going to be a very hybrid model, where certain parts of the manufacturing flow would be auto- mated, and certain parts would still require high- ly skilled workers—and this is where the advan- tage comes from because in the Philippines, we have built up a workforce that's highly skilled. FeAture interview DrIvING INNOvAtION continues