Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/579391
60 SMT Magazine • October 2015 have recently conducted at i-Connect007 concerns cycle time reduction in the production line. Does automated equipment help reduce cycle times in the assembly process? Liu: That will take time, because there's no 100% solution. You'll have to think about the capabil- ity or flexibility that you have to compromise to get something else. For instance, you can combine the speed and flexibility together, but the price will be very high. So we are looking at the middle point. Las Marias: how does Cencorp automation keep ahead of the competition? Liu: We stay ahead through innovation. We're trying to make some interesting machines. That's what we believe in. We want to make a machine we are proud of. Las Marias: Can you tell us about the future of your industry? Liu: It's more automated. Eventually, there will only be a few people in the production line be- cause SMT, printing and AOI, SPI and router, in- sertion, testing, laser, and dispensing will all be automated. You don't need people anymore. But the key point to fi- nalizing that is software. We have a strong soft- ware team to combine all the processes together. Software is very impor- tant, such as the man- ufacturing execution system (MES) as well as traceability throughout the whole process. Las Marias: industry 4.0: what is your comment on it? Liu: It is going to hap- pen, and it's already hap- pened for our customers. One of our lines in Denmark is using the con- cept exactly. We have five odd-form (OF) ma- chines. We are using the feeder, covering—all the components they need—and when the dif- ferent boards come in, we just scan their bar- code, and our production line will know what components need to be inserted into it right away. So, zero changeover time, no matter how many boards they want to make. Las Marias: Finally, what are the benefits of hav- ing an automated production line for your custom- ers? Liu: They will no longer need to worry about labor cost overhead. Especially in China, they need to worry about how to recruit and manage skilled workers. Sometimes, if you have a rush order and workers are on leave for some reason, that's really a problem. Las Marias: thank you very much for your time, george. Liu: Thank you. SMt FeATure inTerview george liu, cencorp automation IS AutoMAtIon the AnSWer to cycLe tIMe reductIon?