Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1181966
26 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2019 the ODM partner to figure it out. We're going to give them what we want, tell them what we want on the backend, and let them figure out all of the issues and how to resolve them. We'll pressure them for time, and they'll be under the gun to get it done on time and budget. And they do, but in some cases, corners are cut that nobody pays attention to until the customer has it in their hands. I think that you must have a company that looks at a program and says, "We're going to run this program differently. We're going to change the milestones of our development pro- cess so that we front-load the majority of what we need to do. And we're going to communi- cate more heavily in the front end so that we can develop a model that says, 'This is a new way of doing it, and we have proven that it works. Therefore, we can start to run that new model on a more regular cadence.'" Some programs, again, are more about just turning the crank; that's the last version, and there's not enough of a change to warrant a pro - cess change. But there are new products where you have to look at it and say, "We want to do this a little differently to prepare for the future state where we're going to have a lot size of one; low-mix, high-volume; or high-mix, low- volume." You're going to have lots of versions but not much volume with any "one" version, and you're going to have to be nimble from a manufacturing perspective to achieve that. Holden: With 35 years of experience, you're a member of the older guard like Nolan and me, who are used to hands-on learning. I teach a printed circuit course up at Michigan Tech, and the young engineers I teach often don't know how to hand solder. I believe that if you can't do it manually, why do you think you can do it with automation? Meyers: I agree; I consider it the lost art of design intent, and a lot of the new kids don't understand. One day, I hope to write a book about it because it has frustrated me over the years to see that people create things in CAD and automatically think it is manufactur- able without considering cost, quality, or time to market, but there's no such thing as per- fection. So, how much imperfection can you accept before it doesn't do what it's supposed to do? Just because you can build it in the CAD world perfectly doesn't mean that the manu- facturing world can build it exactly like that. Holden: One of my favorite images is a CAD slide and a mechanical engineering slide of an Escher diagram; it says, "Guess what? The computer thinks this is perfectly manufactur- able. You realize it's an optical illusion as an 'Escher,' but the computer doesn't." Again, just because you can do it by computer, doesn't mean that you can in real life. Johnson: David, thanks so much for your time today. We look forward to having future con- versations with you. Meyers: My pleasure. SMT007 Bring your manufacturing practices into the digital age with The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to… Advanced Manufacturing in the Digital Age—the latest title in I-Connect007's growing library. Author Oren Manor explores the most important steps to consider when building a digital manufacturing company. Industry 4.0 has the power to drive quantifiable industry change and transform how companies work, collaborate, and serve their customers. According to Farid Anani, VP, operations at Computrol Inc., "This book is a must-read for those embarking on their IIoT journey; it provides a very accurate description of preparation require - ments and risks to consider and avoid, not just technologically, but also organizationally." Download your free copy today and start your transformation now! New Book Details Important Steps to Make Industry 4.0 a Reality