Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1228683
APRIL 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electron- ics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. ble and quick responses, is the key to success in these times, as well as with digital factory implementations—this month's theme. During our interview with Andy Kadah and Kevin Jobsky from ICM Controls in Syracuse, New York, about their factory automation work, the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders across the nation were being announced. The situation for ICM was fluid indeed. The company's recent fac- tory automation upgrades put them in place to have many more options with which to respond to changing conditions—an unexpected conse- quence of their automation upgrades. Then, we bring you Part 2 of Sagi Reuven's interview on "Business Practices Drive the Smart Factory, Not the Other Way Around," as well as a paper from Ranjan Chatterjee and Dan Gamota, discussing the convergence of standards across the industry. Happy Holden also shares Part 1 of his series on "The Journey to an eSmart Factory." In this issue, we look at the idea of imple- menting smart changes from some unexpected angles. John Watson talks with Barry Matties, Andy Shaughnessy, and Happy Holden about "When Your Fabricator Is Late." This conversa- tion proposes some creative and out-of-the-box ways of looking at pricing models for the PCB fabrication portion of the supply chain. We proudly bring you an extended interview with an engineering superhero: Burt Rutan. This year's IPC APEX EXPO keynote speaker, Rutan graciously sat down with the I-Con- nect007 team after his presentation. What emerged—in addition to some great insights for airplane geeks like me—was a philosophy of keeping it simple. Rutan's career hinged on finding simple solutions to complex engineer- ing challenges. Rutan's keynote (summarized by Pete Starkey) stressed solutions that were daring precisely for being so simple, and his conversation with us continued to drive that point home. After all, Rutan envisioned—and then realized—an amaz- ingly simple system to put humans into sub- orbital space and bring them home again with a fully reusable vehicle in the form of Space- ShipOne. The lesson for our current set of chal- lenges is this: When faced with an onslaught of constraints, tend toward simple-but-daring solutions, and don't be afraid to fail, learn, and revise rapidly. I found inspiration and solace in Rutan's interview; I hope you do as well. In the meantime, stay safe, healthy, and above all, nimble. Electronics manufacturing is widely considered an essential industry dur- ing these times, and we'll continue to be here, bringing you the latest on all of us engaged in this pursuit. There is much to report on these days; we'll keep you informed, and we hope you do the same. SMT007