Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1361971
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 es, such as emergency or overnight deliveries. For example, look at the order book for com- panies that routinely place orders for next-day delivery. If it's almost always full for months in a row, then knowing such information makes it possible to set up an efficient schedule that en- sures the required components are delivered at the time they are needed, minimizing the po- tential for mistakes and avoiding expensive ex- press deliveries. Now, post-COVID, is the perfect time to take a fresh approach to reinvigorate the manufac- turing infrastructure! e ideal situation would be for the planning and purchasing systems on both sides of the customer-supplier relation- ship to communicate the necessary information automatically on a machine-to-machine basis, by letting the customer's ERP inform the sup- plier's systems of upcoming orders and activi- ties that will affect volume demand and deliv- ery timing. Alternatively, we can make human communication networks as efficient as possi- ble, beginning by ensuring the right people are talking to each other. On the customer side it may be the planning team, rather than the pur- chasing department, that has the clearest un- derstanding of forthcoming requirements. Vendor-managed inventory is an approach that has proved to work well in the automotive industry. Lean practices like this are well suit- ed to automotive, where demand patterns are well communicated and quality requirements and volume demand are high—although others can benefit, especially with a few tweaks to suit their own business model. e global nature of today's supply chains means they can be somewhat long, so we need to move away from solely efficiency-driven transactional models if we are to make our sup- ply chains agile enough to adapt to events out- side our control. Focusing instead on meeting the needs of individual customers is a more ef- fective approach, although discovering exact- ly those needs may not be easy. Even custom- ers themselves sometimes do not fully under- stand their own needs. It takes trust and close collaboration, in- volving studying the requirements and capa- bilities on both sides of the partnership. Suc- cess can mean the supplier benefits from long- term revenue, which also should grow with the customer's business, while the customer benefits from being able to trust their supplier to deliver the right materials in the right place at the right time, avoiding mistakes that can lose production. It's harder for either to walk away from such a carefully set up and effective partnership. At Ventec, we own the complete supply chain of PCB materials including laminates and prepregs from end to end, which enables us to keep lines of communication short and eliminates the clashes that can occur when dif- ferent businesses have competing interests. It's also possible to maintain carefully managed in- ventory in various locations worldwide, which gives us the flexibility to very quickly adapt in the event of situations outside normal control, such as global pandemics and natural disasters. By emphasizing a cooperative approach and building trust with a future-oriented, two-way communication strategy, we're on the right path to reinvigorating our manufacturing in- frastructure post-COVID. PCB007 Mark Goodwin is COO Americas and EMEA, Ventec International Group. Now, post-COVID, is the perfect time to take a fresh approach to reinvigo- rate the manufacturing infrastructure!