Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1486199
80 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 Aer dinner, they reconvened in one of the factory's offices to make a game plan. "Let's see if we can summarize, at a high level, what things Castellanos Electronics is doing well and what might help them improve," Chuck suggested. Chuck went to a white board to write down the conclusions. He drew two columns, titling the first "Strengths," and the second "Oppor- tunities for Improvement (OFIs)." Aer some discussion, the trio produced Table 1. Aer completing the Strengths/OFI table, Sue commented, "We forgot to give the quiz to the operators and technicians and it's close to closing time." "Well, I think we know what the results would be," Chuck said. As they prepared to leave the facility, there were a few workers near the front door. ey were holding notepads and pens. Chuck and Andy were confused, but Sue figured out what the workers were waiting for. "ey want our autographs," Sue said. Sure enough, as they approached the door, several workers approached them. One said, "Gracias por venir aquí para ayudarnos a mejo- rar la calidad de nuestro trabajo." ("ank you for coming here to help us improve the quality of our work.") ere were tears in the woman's eyes as she said these words… Epilogue: With the good report from Chuck, Andy, and Sue, Maggie and John decided to buy Castellanos Electronics. Since Sue and Andy had a few months' time until classes started in the fall at Ivy University, Maggie and John asked if they would stay in Mexico to help José and his team initiate the improvement plan. Sue and Andy focused on improving uptime, addressing the defects plotted in the Pareto Chart, starting a training program, and working with José to identify a few future leaders. José agreed to stay on for at least six months to help with the transition. Stay tuned to hear about their progress. SMT007 Dr. Ron notes: e events in the episode represent a compilation of experiences that I have had touring factories. Ronald C. Lasky is an instructional professor of engineering for the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, and senior technologist at Indium Corporation. To read past columns, click here. Download The Printed Circuit Assembler's Guide to… Solder Defects by Christopher Nash and Dr. Ronald C. Lasky. You can also view other titles in our full I-007eBooks library.