Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1500520
JUNE 2023 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 35 change, such as a scope change within a prod- uct. e soware tools now allow you to adapt to those changes on the fly, in many cases, without the need to manipulate spreadsheets. Matties: It's amazing that people are still using spreadsheets for this. It is amazing. e more sophisticated company will automate as much as they can using so- ware-type tools, whereas many smaller com- panies are now starting to realize that add- ing automation means they can better utilize their employees elsewhere vs. spending their time creating spreadsheets. Trying to mod- ify a production schedule is not easy. Some companies, even the larger ones, are a bit reluc- tant to jump into these new soware tools, but there are companies successfully utiliz- ing them. It's just getting past the idea that you need a person to get involved with the sched- ule to make it run correctly. ese days there is automation soware that completes these tasks. Ultimately, it is about making the commitment to uti- lize these tools in the operation, understand- ing that they will increase the efficiency and productivity with limited personnel interven- tion once implemented. Matties: I've heard fabricators say they're a quick-turn facility, processes are dynamic, and they might need to change on the fly, so a software tool can't manage that. Are they just not fully aware of the tools' capability? ere are third-party soware packages that do programming for lines and equipment, but they're not as dynamic as others where you input the update into the production plan- ning soware, and it spits out a new produc- tion plan—for that line, for the factory, the day, the hour, whatever makes sense. Even more, these production planning tools are very adaptable. For instance, companies frequently get a new product, or a contract manufacturer has a company that needs to produce a board for delivery the following day. ese tools are adaptable enough to reschedule the factory or the line to build that new product on the same or next day. Additionally, some soware tools are intelligent to the point where they are man- aging their parts material inventory and auto- matically managing the ordering of the mate- rials to meet the ongoing changes in demand. Matties: Are they just not aware of these tools? I believe they're aware, but there's still some hesitation. Folks have been doing these types of tasks manually for so long that it's hard to break these habits. ere's also the cost component of the so- ware tools. However, if you're paying someone just to do production planning using a spreadsheet, you can easily justify a factory level automa- tion soware tool based on the time taken to manually create one and manu- ally manage the continual changes. Matties: When is the right time to bring in automation? What's the motivation? I'd say the motivation comes from two things. One is cost, where companies don't want to add another person for a particular task, whether it be through soware or through pick-and-place on a line. For example, instead of adding a per- son on a line, they may decide to look at spe- cial tooling/nozzles on their existing pick-and- place tool to automate the placement or inser- tion of a component. ey look at the burden rates of those employees and whether it would be more advantageous to use them elsewhere Folks have been doing these types of tasks manually for so long that it's hard to break these habits.