Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1216587
74 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2020 from us. It was a time- and energy-consum- ing process that involved many highly techni- cal and detailed problems. Because many of these things are beyond the customer's exper- tise, they hope for a trustworthy third-party expert to do it for them. IPC QML validation is that third party. European experts also use IPC standards, so everybody is on the same channel of commu- nication; hence, the trust is enhanced because no one understands their own standard better than themselves. As a result, this is very helpful for promoting the business. Now, after years of development, the indus- try is more familiar with QML, and many cus- tomers immediately ask if we have passed any validation, such as QML. The industry is gradually accepting it, too. QML is not a compulsory standard at pres- ent, but I think it will become similar to ISO 9000 in that it will be a must for the electron- ics assembly industry. It is an obvious trend. Many manufacturers still haven't received such validation yet, but perspective changes gradually. First, it is very helpful for business promotion, and second, it is beneficial to the improvement of internal quality management. Managers, like us, all wish for an effective mechanism with which to understand how our management is measured within the industry. Yu: Is QML validation conducted for individual factory floors? Zhang: Yes. Currently, the Wujiang plant is our focus. In 2014, it was our main produc- tion base. In light of the outstanding effect of implementation, we are planning to spread into other plants globally. We have three fac- tory floors in the Wujiang plant, each for a spe- cific type of product, such as network products, automobile electronics, etc. Different products require different validations at various levels, so we intended for separate sites, staff, equip- ment, and processes. Different types of prod- ucts tucked into the same plant site with vari- ous industrial standards in place would distract the workers and make them hard to concen- trate. Therefore, total independence must be achieved in personnel and equipment manage- ment. Yu: Do you have statistics on efficiency improvement? Zhang: Through the IPC platform and our learn- ing of IPC standards, we now understand the technology information and can use it for self- improvement. For example, under the prem- ise of stable quality, we calibrate production parameters on the production equipment, opti- mize line layout, and made a straight SMT assembly line into a U-shaped line for shorter turnaround distance for the carrier (Figure 2). A single shift now requires 46% less manpower, and space is preserved for the intelligent link- age of equipment, and, therefore, greater flex- ibility for production. To be specific, before the introduction of IPC QML, a production line might have some pro- cesses that consumed a lot of time and effort. For example, we may need time-consuming Figure 2: (a) Straight assembly line before optimization and (b) U-shaped line after optimization. (a) (b)