Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1463464
16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 Matties: Tier two manufacturers, wherever they happen to be, are probably the group with the most room to move into digital. As you're pointing out, the big multinationals who are manufacturing are already automated. Kelly: I first saw the signs of real commercial smart manufacturing in 2016 in Shenzhen. Matties: We have some examples of it, too. One of the companies I toured four or five years ago was in Santa Clara. ey had built their own communications throughout the entire fac- tory. At that point, it was probably the best DIY that I've seen in the industry. e results they were getting back then were quite con- vincing. [Editor's note: See 'The Evolution of Data at Rocket EMS' on page 24.] If you're looking to bring in sensors and dig- itize your factory—the data part of it—is this something that is more knowledge-based or cost-based? Kelly: ere's absolutely a cost, and that's why we need this kind of ROI discussion. Matties: Where are they spending the money? Kelly: Capital equipment. ere's capital being spent on robots, cobots, and machinery. CFX (Connected Factory Exchange) can be used as an example: the adoption rate of CFX is growing; CFX connectivity is native in many new machines as is CFX integration with leg- acy equipment. e industry is now looking at new ways to activate CFX with legacy equip- ment as well. Of course, there's development and cost to do that. But there's also a need for data scientists like Dave was talking about—statistical process control, gathering that data, making insights. ere are data science functions that need to be activated much better than they are today. Naturally, all these activities have a cost. e question oen asked is, "What does it do for me?" It always comes back to an operational improvement. It must come out in better yields, faster delivery, and faster NPI cycles. It doesn't have to be a revenue stream necessar- ily, but it's either that or a cost advantage. Hillman: Cost is the easier way to do it. It doesn't have to save me money if my on-time satisfac- tion with my customer, or my on-time delivery goes through the roof to 99.9%, and you show