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90 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 Lean system are pulled through the system by demand. They are often triggered by a reorder point system called Kanban. Every time a con- tainer of material parts is issued, the item is immediately ordered. Lean applies to job shop, batch, and assem- bly line manufacturing, but is most common in high-volume, repetitive processes where a com- mon product is being manufactured. The Lean approach reduces inventory and buffers of all kinds to a point where problems like unsuit- able materials, late deliveries, or inconsistent processes cannot be hidden. Lean forces busi- nesses to stop the line and fix the problem be- fore rework is created. Lean implies changing the physical process and plant layout to reduce transit time, and therefore, costs and buffers. Again, this shares a common philosophy with grouped-flow manufacturing cells and TQC. TQC should exist within any business consider - ing implementing Lean. The TQC methodology must be applied everywhere by top manage- ment, even to develop a strong supplier rela- tionship and maintenance program (Figure 8). The payback of a TQC/Lean program in- cludes real savings. Higher quality is achieved, lower inventories are required, work-in-pro- cess inventory tracking is no longer essen- tial, space is reduced, equipment utilization is higher, and direct/indirect labor is lower. Automation Methodology Automation methodology is a formal proce- dure for planning, designing, and implement- ing automation. It is particularly important when you want to start integrating several pre- viously independent production tasks into one or more automated systems. The automation program can consist of six phases (Table 1). Phase 4—detailed design and requirements/ specifications—is the most important phase (Figure 9). The methodology stems from the previously defined automation matrix (Figure 1). Addi- tional axes are added to the matrix to cover ma- terial handling (mechanization) and network communication (systematization) between cells or work centers. A simplified diagram is illustrated in Figure 10. The actual methodol- ogy will take up several drawings and utilize a number of worksheets to analyze and plan the data (Figure 11). 5. Manufacturability: Automation Must Be Supported by Product Evolution The majority of PCBs are not designed and fabricated by the same group; different teams are in charge of the two functions. As a re- sult, it is very difficult to change the design of a printed circuit. Feedback for printed circuit Figure 8: Automation fits with systems other than Lean/JIT such as TQC, DFM, SQC, FMS, CAM tooling, and others. Automated Manufacturing (CIM) Total Quality Commitment LEAN/JIT Manufacturing Flexible Manufacturing Systems Computer-Aided Design/Tooling v Statistical quality control v Statistical design of experiments v Flow processes v Balanced schedules (MRP III) v Manufacturing automation v Resource/capacity planning (MRP/CRP) v Balanced work cells v Design for manufacturing (DFM)