Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1010078
AUGUST 2018 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 19 know they need this on top of this and this and check these three boxes and everything's fine—which, contractually they are obligated to do—but if people will think more ownership, the quality manager, the production floor guys, if they really take more ownership in what they are doing, I think it will create a much higher quality product because you put that common sense thing back in the forefront instead of just checking a box. When we look at the brain drain from when they let go of the operators that make all the money and have all the experience, now they have to reset their learning curve. They hire new operators who weren't there when the old crew was there, so they are going to make the same mistakes many times. Paco and I have been in the same facilities working on the exact same failures three, four, or five years apart, with 100% different people. So that knowledge gets taken with the people as they are turned over to save money—I assume that would be the impetus of letting some of these people go—and then they don't always leave behind the things that are important to remember when it comes to either processing or cleaning their process. I think there's a lot of different things that play together. Solis: Tribal knowledge is a factor. Matties: Right. Unless you are documenting the process, that is all you're left with. Camden: Right, if it's not a work instruction, then you may not ever know that information. Solis: You also must document your errata as much as documenting the process. Every time it goes wrong, that has to be part of your causal analysis. If something goes wrong in this line, can it go wrong on the other line? Matties: Is there something that we haven't talked about that you think we should be discussing? Camden: If I could just go back to what we were saying earlier—the designing for cleanability—I know there was a document that covers that. I was part of the task group that put together a lot of standalone documents, the IPC-CH-65B cleaning handbook. If you reference CH-65B Section 4, Designing Assemblies for Cleaning, there is some good information there from some of the leaders in the industry that are cleaning and are designing for cleaning. That's a good reference point. Las Marias: Thank you. Our readers will find that interesting. Do you have any final comments? Solis: I've got a couple. One thing that hasn't been done in the industry much right now is people really working with suppliers and having the technology relationship. I see a lot less collaboration between the production line and the suppliers. And I think a lot of it is education, and a lot of it is tribal knowledge, that could be caught if manufacturers have a better relationship with the supplier. They can circumvent some of these issues from happening if they really take time to understand what they are buying and what they are working with, and just talk to their suppliers. Patty Goldman: Sounds easy! Camden: Don't let industry standards and documents and tests keep you from making a quality product. Understand what you are doing and why you are doing it, especially when it comes to cleaning, because you know, cleanliness is really a hallmark to reliability depending on the end-user environment. So, understanding where your products are being used, and owning your own product, and not relying only on industry standards, will help you make that reliability. Las Marias: Gentlemen, thank you very much for your time today. Paco: Absolutely, thank you for having us. SMT007