Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1305670
24 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 To this end, the company's Pre-Production Engineering and Reliability Department is one of the busiest and most important in the building. From conducting simple temperature and pressure tests to using its HALT cham- bers to perform highly accelerated life testing, the quality team is deliberate in its attempt to find manufacturing flaws that could ultimately compromise a product. While several test technicians enjoy the prac- tice of "blowing things up," they do so for much more than their own enjoyment. We want to ensure that controls "fail safely" when under duress. The company uses the internal data it collects to improve upon product designs that can help its branded products gain a competi- tive edge in the marketplace. It's all part of its Six-Sigma "lessons learned" approach. Additionally, the team performs load test- ing and has an EMC chamber with a capacitive clamp, and even a salt spray chamber to rep- licate environmental extremes. Quality uses a standard design, validation, plan, and report (DVP&R) method for selecting the appropriate tests for each of our products. Only when reli- ability and quality sign off on a product is it released into production. The quality team has already undergone Six Sigma training with several members holding Black or Green Belts, and it is Smith's goal to have everyone at ICM Controls trained to at least a Yellow Belt level. Additionally, Smith invokes the Japanese term "Gemba" (meaning "the actual place") and encourages his peers and colleagues to join him on a "Gemba walk" of the production floor to see and learn first- hand where quality begins. We continue to grow. As the company becomes more entrenched in the world of con- tract manufacturing, we will continue to invest in the tools and personnel that will cement our reputation as a manufacturer of products that are backed by American-made quality and reliability. SMT007 Kevin Jobsky is a senior marketing manager at ICM Controls Corporation. With the optical video probe (OVP), Operator Julio Placeres gathers detailed full-color images.