Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1088168
62 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 better image registration capabilities for outer layer. If you do predictive modeling on your IL scaling factors, then this works better and faster. From deburr all the way through the finish panel plate, no one touches the panels; it's ful- ly robotic. We cut the cycle time here as well as a lot of the process cost. The whole cycle time is around 60–70 minutes from start to finish. If you look at a traditional board shop between staging, rinsing, drying, racking, and queuing up, this could take about two full shifts. Matties: And how are you managing all of the data? Dudnikov: The data goes into a central server where the smart software is working right now. We have a dedicated software team writing custom code. Although the full software sys- tem is still under development, we have cer- tain modules already in operation. This gives the process and production control people all the information they need. Every lot is tracked using either barcode readers or RFID. The plant manager can look in real time and see yield and production throughput for every process, department, and job. We see what the entire process is and our efficiency—all of the pro- duction metrics. At the same time, this track- ing system also provides improved product traceability. Monitoring sensors alert engineers or technicians if a process has a prob- lem. With multiple processing lines, the intelligent software will also plan for scheduled maintenance downtime. When fully implemented, the software will collect, analyze, judge, and plan, which optimizes factory efficiency and reduces cost. Final Conversations After our factory tour, we sat down for a conversation with Mr. Zhou and Mr. Chen Yong, managing director of VGT. Mr. Zhou, COO, has been with VGT for 15 years and has a lead role in the company's operations, expansion, and the implementation of the smart factory. When he joined the company, it only had 2,000 employees and one facility; today, VGT has over 4,000 employees and multiple facilities. Barry: Mr. Zhou, when organizing a smart fac- tory, what is the most critical consideration that you must make? Zhou: The communication protocol. We have gathered over 100 suppliers to negotiate a com- mon communication protocol in the beginning. We made sure that all our lines and systems were communicating with each other with the same protocol. We had a meeting with all our suppliers—including software and equip- ment suppliers—to unify one single common protocol. Barry: What lessons have you learned in this fac- tory that you will improve in the next factory? Zhou: The first is that if one machine is down, it will bring the whole line down with it, so the requirement for machine quality, reliabil- ity, and maintenance needs to be higher. Barry: With this type of facility, it seems to me that you are also looking for different type of employees—maybe at a process engineering level and fewer operators. What is your em- ployee strategy? Automated visual inspection line.