Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1481876
60 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2022 Stefanescu: For almost 20 years, we have delivered equipment for PCB man- ufacturing with our con- trol soware that allows our customers to operate and run our equipment in pro- duction. is enables our customers to run their pro- duction as best as possible. Our visualization and con- trol system (VCS) is embed- ded and delivered when a customer receives our equipment, and the Digital Factory Suite is an add-on, which works with our VCS to bring a suite of values around the equipment. It helps to see it in steps. I like to start with understanding our motivation, and there are four key areas of focus. First, our products are developed with a customer focus. We see digi- talization as a tool to bring this focus to higher levels, reduce friction and response time, and help the customer solve problems faster. Sec- ond, we see digitalization and industrial digital solution as a tool to increase productivity and especially help our customers operate their production more smoothly. It also touches on sustainability, an important topic for our cus- tomers and the whole ecosystem. ird, digitalization helps us with our R&D processes to bring products to the market faster. us, we have adjusted our procedures and planning. Finally, we look at how our cus- tomers are doing production today. Some are already looking at what a smart factory means and how to do it. ey have started with basic solutions such as a manufacturing execution system (MES), but much more can be done. We see our solutions as enabling our custom- ers to begin this smart factory journey. It's something that needs to be done together with the suppliers of equipment and other solutions and with the customer, because a smart fac- tory is an ecosystem, not just one system. Johnson: Stefan, when transition and significant change finally happens in an organization, it's usually because there was some compelling event. Over- all pressures will push you toward change, but finally something seems to force your hand. Is there a theme for what's triggering PCB fabricators to move to a digital environment? Stefanescu: Yes, we see that quite a bit. e things that happened due to the pandemic accelerated digitaliza- tion. at's a fact. But to summarize the need for digitalization and the drive from our cus- tomer's side, there are three important factors. First is compliance in the form of traceability and sustainability. ere are requirements for reporting, warranties, and having the proper tools to understand how "green" the produc- tion is. Second is the demand of production, reduced downtime, improved yield, and so on. Customers understand that digitalization is no longer the buzzword it was five years ago, where maintenance now can be done better. ere are solutions to decrease the downtime. ird, they understand that digitalization is not even a choice anymore because you're working with companies upstream and down- stream that already have digital tools and solu- tions. You are being pushed to connect your processes in a digital world. For instance, in the basic solutions of doing end-to-end pro- curement, which is basically system based, the process is optimized to operate more effi- ciently and with less friction. If you don't have your own systems to do that, you cannot be part of that ecosystem. ere is a lot of pressure coming from your ecosystems of customers, partners, and sup- pliers who have digital solutions to achieve the Stefan Stefanescu