86 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2022
and regulatory requirements are used to identi-
fy how to implement a data management plan/
process to support your company's products.
e day-to-day tactical ins and outs of product
data management should be executed per plan
and in faith to the strategy.
Sparton's Bill Toti Retires; Tracy Howard
Tapped as Next President & CEO E
Sparton President and Chief Executive Officer
Bill Toti has retired aer leading the compa-
ny for three years, including through the com-
pany's transition to Elbit Systems of America
during 2021.
Siemens Reconfirms Commitment to
Shipbuilding 4.0 with CESENA Opening E
Siemens has inaugurated the Center of Excel-
lence of the Naval Sector (CESENA) in Fer-
rol, Spain, where state-of-the-art facilities are
equipped with the latest technologies to im-
prove all phases of the ship design and con-
struction process with the aim of transforming
the entire value chain of the shipbuilding in-
dustry and boosting its competitiveness.
Zulki's PCB Nuggets: Cleanliness is
Next to Reliability E
Today's PCBs are highly populated with in-
creasingly smaller device packaging. As a re-
sult, these advanced device packages are ex-
tremely difficult to clean due to tight densi-
ties and configurations, especially with bottom
terminated components. Current OEM system
designs and those on the drawing board are
driving these newer technologies, which are
the foundation of advanced PCB assembly and
manufacturing.
iMUGS Consortium Demonstrates
Unmanned Systems E
e iMUGS Consortium, in charge of a 32,6
MEUR project developing the European stan-
dard unmanned ground system (UGS), dem-
onstrated how defense forces can use tactical
4G/5G communications networks and UGS'
equipped with ISR and signal intelligence pay-
loads, jammers, acoustic sensors, and various
other technology to conduct missions.
DoD Faces Growing Risks from
Reliance on Lead in Electronics E
e U.S. defense community is facing a small
but growing problem that is increasingly un-
dermining U.S. military readiness and techno-
logical dominance. e problem is lead—spe-
cifically, the lead-alloy solders that traditional-
ly have been used to attach electronic compo-
nents to printed circuit boards. Over the last 15
years, the commercial electronics industry has
shied to lead-free solders, prompted by en-
vironmental health regulations in Europe and
elsewhere. However, the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) and its contractors never made
the switch and are still heavily reliant on lead-
ed solders. Now, leaded electronics are becom-
ing harder to find and more outdated.
Adventures in Engineering:
Data Management Not Just
Checking the Boxes E
Good product data management is rooted in
the thoughtful strategy, process, and execution
of preserving your company's product data. A
robust data management strategy is key to giv-
ing direction to your company's data manage-
ment processes. Product portfolio, pedigree,
