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APRIL 2019 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 19 Further, the direct correlation of data from each specific manufacturing fragment back to design revision enables the dis- covery of factors that affect re- al-world product performance, which can be influenced by de- sign. Examples include the consideration of different materials that may be used, including control and re- striction of materials, as well as the knowledge of differing process strengths and chal- lenges to ensure a greater degree of testability and re- duction of failure opportunity. Variation and change rep- resent both cost and risk to assembly manufacturing, yet the trend is firmly estab- lished in this direction. The vis- ibility of fragmented manufacturing needs to be clearly understood as it happens. There is no longer the opportunity to spend days and weeks of industrial engineering activity, opti- mizing the operation of a long-term, high-vol- ume line. It is not beyond human ability to op- timize defragmented production; we just need a little help. Using IPC standards, having a direct digital path for data flow from design through digital MES and then back to design has eliminated the variability of unknown, drawn-out events. In turn, we are creating an improvement op- portunity for design, planning, and engineer- ing for Industry 4.0 to operate effectively in a highly fragmented and volatile manufacturing operation. The gap between design and man- ufacturing is an order of magnitude narrower and clearer now, leading the way for the op- portunity to optimize design for easier and quicker manufacturing with greatly enhanced quality and reliability. Design is a key part of— and benefits from—Industry 4.0. The use of IPC standards means that the tra- ditional barriers to advancement are removed. These include barriers caused by system and machine incompatibility that bring the need for manual intervention and associated loss of data integrity. If you are not utilizing the lat- est generation of digital IPC standards togeth- er with a modern digital MES solution within manufacturing, then you are missing the value from the technologies and best practices that they represent. It's time to revisit the IPC-2581 digital prod- uct mode as well as the new IPC CFX and start to discuss the real business opportunities that they represent in terms of the whole breadth of the design and assembly business. These technologies are analogous to the move from a mechanical hard disk to a solid-state drive (SSD), and in the near future, choosing to do your shopping online. Gotta keep up! DESIGN007 Michael Ford is the senior director of emerging industry strategy for Aegis Software. To read past columns or contact Ford, click here.