MAY 2022 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 77
New product introductions
(NPIs) and customization have
been increasing rapidly over
the past few years—with the
results that the already-small
profit margins in electronics assembly are shrink-
ing even further. Fifteen years ago, the PCB was
the product. Today, most products are a system,
with multiple PCBs, cables, and enclosures.
There's no getting around having to send
chips overseas for packaging. But how
many trips around the globe does a chip
need to make before it's ready? And can
our defense suppliers rely on such supply
chain methods?
LITE-ON Technology reported its March
consolidated revenue of NT$15.15 bil-
lion, up 31% M-o-M and 14% YOY, hitting a
record high of the same period in 4 years.
Thanks to continuous optimization of
product mix and the stable demand from
its core business, cumulative sales for
January to March totaled NT$41.23 bil-
lion, up 9% YOY.
In this edition, I would like
to "close the loop" on the
lean digital thread and
discuss closed-loop man-
ufacturing. In closed-loop
manufacturing, the
systems and business
processes used to design, plan, manufacture,
and use a product are connected, thus enabling
continuous improvement and self-organization
of production processes.
When we visited Rocket EMS in 2013
to observe a DIY 4.0 factory data col-
lection and management system in
action, we were very impressed. This
was clearly a factory of the future, even
then. We recently followed up with
Rocket's president, Michael Kottke, to
discuss how this work has given the
company a huge advantage over the
competition.
For the latest news and information, visit SMT007.com
How to Minimize Quoting Time and
Increase Accuracy in EMS Production
The Future is Driven by Data
Lean Digital Thread:
Closing the Loop on Manufacturing
LITE-ON Technology Reports
Consolidated March Sales of
NT$15.15 Billion
Nicholas Huffer of
Acuity Electron-
ics discusses with
Nolan Johnson
the use of IoT for
material traceabil-
ity for automotive and aerospace compliance.
He explains how Acuity provides solutions,
when used in tandem, represent a unified
platform for electronics manufacturers.
Real Time with...
IPC APEX EXPO 2022: Material
Technology for Automotive
Nolan's Notes:
The Legislative Chokepoint
