Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1406534
SEPTEMBER 2021 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 69 ued function specifically during the current times of part and supply shortages. e fact that information on parts is changing daily in- creases the need for communication and align- ments among all players of the value chain. Lu- miQuote replaces some of these phone calls by automatically updating availability of parts through the APIs with suppliers and thereby allows for earlier alignments on alternatives with clients. We ultimately want to come to a place where the OEM, especially the designer, can do some self-quotes. Some custom prototype shops have tried this already, but it's still always de- coupled from the actual series production. We want to have a space where the customer can upload their BOMs themselves, have first con- versations and, where our system already talks to the customer, replace the first involvement from the EMS. In case of a lack of clarity in the data, for example, we know this is something that the OEM must give input on. ey could click through it themselves and do a self-quote to save everyone some time. I think that's the end goal for this EMS product, where we're bending toward the OEM side. Now, with this stage, we're curing the symptoms. How can we make sure the disease never breaks out? Matties: As you're talking, you're keying on ex- actly what my thought is. is tool ultimately resides with the EMS. ey can sit there and do their own quote with this tool, answer all the questions, and then upload it to their pre- ferred vendor. Is that how you see this ulti- mately working? Schaal: at's the nail-biter. We don't want to be a marketplace where we say, "We are acting as a virtual EMS where you're just uploading this stuff, and we're just treating them as man- ufacturing sites." is is something we delib- erately decided against. But of course, there's an opportunity for us to help the designer or the OEM in making a good selection of whom they should talk to, who's their perfect part- ner. Even if this quote engine has been shied over to the OEM so that they can already as- sess a bit beforehand who they should talk to, maybe there's a way that we can bridge this gap and make sure that people spend time on val- ue-adding things and not trying to cut the pie in pieces instead of enlarging it. Matties: But is this tool something where an EMS will say, "You're my customer," and give it to their OEM exclusively? So anytime you want to do business, you use this tool exclusively through that window, and not the others. Schaal: e virtual residence engineer, where this tool comes with all the manufacturing id- iosyncrasies, comes with a preferred part li- brary. If you're using this, we are making sure that the process is smooth. is is something we're currently exploring. Matties: at would streamline the whole BOM issue because it's not going to come to your EMS until all those questions are an- swered. e onus isn't back on the EMS to go back and have qualifying questions, it is now just with the OEM, and once it's complete it sends it back over, or when they're satisfied with what's there. Schaal: Yes, exactly. e most exciting part is that there is a lot of opportunity in the indus- try, there's a lot of room for us to innovate, and, We don't want to be a marketplace where we say, "We are acting as a virtual EMS where you're just uploading this stuff, and we're just treating them as manufacturing sites."