SMT007 Magazine

SMT007-July2022

Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1472190

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 69 of 103

70 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2022 Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Ron Preston, vice president of supply chain at Green Circuits, outlines the company's spe- cific challenges with high-mix work. While the company excels at turning around boards in just a few days, difficulties in supply chain, materials, and staffing remain ever-present. What is to be done and how is Green Circuits working its way through these issues? e answers might surprise you. Nolan Johnson: Ron, we're investigating the challenges of high density, and while we expected pick-and-place to be one of the chal- lenges, we've heard a lot about unreliable con- sistency for component packaging and feeder technology, especially for the smaller com- ponents in combination with high-density boards. Do those two challenges line up with what you see? Ron Preston: We're dealing with a lot of quick turns and small, short runs. One of our prob- lems is obviously with the supply being a chal- lenge. We're getting broker buys and going wherever we can to find parts. We don't have the normal source of supply that you would expect. A year or two ago we would place orders with franchise distributors, and pack- aging would be very consistent. at's not so much the case now. Johnson: When it gets down to the manufacturing floor, you still have to get the boards put together and the components placed in the proper orien- tation regardless of what they were packaged in or how they're oriented. In a short run environ- ment, that adds to the challenge because there's proportionally more setup that goes on. How do you respond to those challenges? Balancing Talent and Procurement Challenges

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of SMT007 Magazine - SMT007-July2022