Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1372612
MAY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 • Smart processes in fabrication • Getting Lean • Materials-pricing drivers • Continuous improvement and technical topics from IPC APEX EXPO • Process survivability and reliability • E-mobility requirements • Process benchmarking • Reinvigorating your manufacturing infrastructure at makes for quite a lot of valuable food for thought in continuous improvement and opti- mization. At this point in our industry's histo- ry, the value of process optimization and con- tinuous improvement cannot be overstressed. Like my mechanic, whose business is buried in opportunity and thereby throttled by his inef- fective processes, we're all finding more work than ever before in our pipelines; continuous improvement becomes so much more impor- tant now. Constant attention to our process efficiencies is critical, lest we end up like my poor mechanic. Naturally, many of these topics are more widely applicable than just with the readers of the magazine in which they appeared. We en- courage you to pop over to magazine titles you may not normally read and dive into some of the information there. Cross-pollinate your ideas a little. And share with us your personal experienc- es with continuous improvement! Your stories and techniques are of value to the rest of us in the industry. Talk to us about your experienc- es. Help us continue to improve the content we deliver on this topic for the second half of the year. PCB007 that interval, so it wasn't an inconvenience to me this time. ere have been other times in my life where that would have been 27.5 days too long. In the future, I'll be switching to an- other mechanic I know who already has cre- ated a more systematic approach to his work- load. He's not as convenient geographically, and he's more expensive, but he would have finished the work in a half-day, giving me back 27 more days on the road. And that is what continuous improvement is all about: increasing capacity, quality, custom- er satisfaction, your margins, and your profit. Here, somewhere near the middle of the year, it's worth taking a step back to see what we've learned so far. is year in SMT007 Magazine, we have dis- cussed: • Continuous improvement overview • Five keys to smart process success • Key technical and management topics for process improvement from IPC APEX EXPO • Process engineering • Control theory • Smart processes • Continuous improvement in your supply chain • Key traits for a supply chain manager e Design007 Magazine readers have ex- plored the following ways to reduce iterations: • Reducing re-spins by one • e journey to a single-spin PCB • ere's no excuse for bad DFM practices • Design teams must own the stackup • Stackup planning • Best practices for footprint design and CAD library management • Managing footprints with integrated EDA tools • Using simulation to assist with PCB design • Simulation stackup and signal integrity And, of course, here in PCB007 Magazine, we have reported on: Nolan Johnson is managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here.