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88 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 about new trends and developments so that systems can be designed with both current and future needs in mind. I believe these advanced technologies come into use as part of a wave theory; new technol- ogy is first picked up by a small group of initia- tors, the risk-takers, who make up 2–5% of the industry. Between the second and fourth year of this technology, the companies with reputa- tions of being progressive have assimilated this technology into their operations; this group encompasses 15–18% of the industry. The re- maining 80% of the industry will integrate this technology over the next five to 14 years. By this time, if the technology is still viable, it will be common practice and knowledge. Re- member, the printed circuit complexity factor will increase by 10 times every 13 years. This is one of the major driving forces behind the technology turnover and is a significant con- sideration in the automation planning cycle. A person can place themselves with respect to the waves by checking how many years a given technology has been out and using this as part of their technology acquisition targets. 4. Compatibility: Automation Must Evolve From and Coexist With Manual Techniques One truth in automation is that if you cannot do something manually, what makes you think you can do it through automation? Automating for quality is a myth; automating for consisten- cy either results in consistent quality or consis- tent scrap. The automated system must share the same heritage as the manual systems. The most suitable manual technique for automa- tion is Lean or the continuous-pull production technique. It focuses on many of these prob- lems in a conventional material flow system: • Excess inventories • Queues and safety buffers • Extensive repairs and reworks Lean Manufacturing Lean (synchronized) manufacturing is a logistics approach designed to result in mini- mum inventory by having material arrive at each operation just in time (JIT) to be used. Figure 7 shows the "alligators" when you low- er the level of the swamp with JIT. Orders in a Figure 7: Lowering inventories through the practice of Lean and JIT uncovers many hidden problems.