Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1372612
MAY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 45 years. While we focus heavily on optimization, we rely heavily on what's in the toolset—run- ning our Valor NPI. at also coincides with being able to capture the latest and greatest ERR files from the PCB houses so that when we're doing our Valor checks, we're doing one- to-ones. We're not running our Valor check based on eight- or 10-year-old data. As fast as the in- dustry moves—capital equipment, and the ef- ficiencies within the PCB house—we have to keep up. We can dial this thing in and think it's good based on what our recipe says it is, but then we send it over and get back a list of TQs because all the nuances in the processes have changed. It's just really critical to stay on top of the supply base to back-feed us the latest infor- mation so that we're keeping up with the de- sign curve, or the acceleration of the technolo- gy within the design. Johnson: Have you gained capacity in what you're able to do with your current staff due to the communication? Vaughan: Absolutely. One of the main issues was what I would call a bottleneck. For exam- ple, our drasman was required to analyze and create panelization drawings and that commu- nication loop wasn't strong between him and the guys on the floor. Now, for our customers for whom we would assemble, we gave more attention because every CM has a different process and how they like to analyze things. So, it's not advantageous from a labor perspec- tive to bury a bunch of time into something that I already know is going to assembly house XYZ—they will just throw it in the trash and create what they want. But for our internal customers, we have opened that communication path where my drasman can walk out with the drawings, sit right there in front of the SMT engineer and the manufacturing engineers, and say, "Here's what we got; here's my concept." ey don't have to start from scratch. You can start with a concept and they can say, "Yes, no, move this here, make a cavity for these connectors," that kind of thing—instead of you kicking it out to the fab house and waiting until it comes back for an array approval and the board is just sit- ting on hold. ey have to stop everything they were do- ing, take a look at it, but for us, we are already a third of the way there. We just bring it to them to get their blessing. And now when it gets to the house, it's not on hold anymore for array approval because the array has already been approved. We created it on the front end and that process adds up over time, especially for anything that's in a quick turn and an NPI en- vironment. Johnson: Right. You get a faster process through there and, simultaneously, you're saving time on the design side. You're saving in the trans- fer into manufacturing because that goes sim- pler and easier. And it sounds like you've rear- ranged some of the steps so that it's more ef- ficient. Undoubtedly, you're saving labor time and effort once it hits the floor through this process. Vaughan: Yes, because they've signed off on it already. ey are building so many different part numbers on a day-to-day basis. Say you got something on a 20-day turn and it comes in 25 days later. It's kind of like the windshield wiper effect. e fact that they don't have to go back in and dig back into that—they've already signed it and they just know they can throw it on the line—it gives them a bit of ease. ey don't have to think about it because it's already been thought about and signed off: "Yes, we know that we approved that with Tewodros and Jesse; it's good to go, no need to take a sec- ond look." Johnson: Having a close relationship with the entire chain is a huge advantage. How can an organization that isn't that closely tied achieve the same sorts of benefits? Is that possible?