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JULY 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 tribute negatively to employee health and wel- fare, potentially driving up health care costs? As I thought about these "diseases and obstacles," all the circles on the Venn diagram of sustainability and continuous improvement shied toward the center. We can talk about environmental sustainability, but continuous improvement methods are business sustain- ability. at's the convergence of all these mar- ket dynamics, and where we must think more strategically than ever before. e onus is on leadership and vision. Continuous improvement, in other words, never goes out of style. And it starts with lead- ership. In this issue, we explore how TQM spe- cifically has entered the DNA of continuous improvement disciplines, and the role lead- ership plays in transformation. If you've ever competed against a TQM company, you under- stand their advantage. ere are so many exciting dynamics in motion right now in our industry. Recently a laminate materials CEO commented, "Our cur- rent market is the most dynamic we've seen since the 1970s." He's got a point. ere are sto- ries to tell and conversations to have about how we all move this industry forward. Let us know what's on your mind; you might just open a con- versation on yet another dynamic inside our industry. I look forward to your email with your thoughts, perspectives, and topic ideas. PCB007 References 1. "Electronic Design and Manufacturing Sus- tainability, a White Paper from IPC Industry Intell- igence," ipc.org. 2. Seven Deadly Diseases of Management," dem- ing.org. In Chapter 3, "Diseases and Obstacles," of his book, Out of the Crisis, organizational strategist Dr. Edwards Deming shares his Seven Deadly Diseases of Management 2 : 1. Lack of constancy of purpose to plan product and service that will have a market and keep the company in business, and provide jobs. 2. Emphasis on short-term profits: short- term thinking (just the opposite from con- stancy of purpose to stay in business), fed by fear of unfriendly takeover, and by push from bankers and owners for dividends. 3. Evaluation of performance, merit rating, or annual review. 4. Mobility of management; job hopping. 5. Management by use only of visible figures, with little or no consideration of figures that are unknown or unknowable. 6. Excessive medical costs. As reported by Dr. Deming in Out of the Crisis, executives shared with him that the cost of medical care for their employees was amongst their largest overall expenses, not to mention the cost of medical care embedded in the purchase price of what they purchased from their suppliers. 7. Excessive costs of liability, swelled by lawyers that work on contingency fees. His list furthers the point: While still mind- ing today's business, leadership must think long-term, beyond this quarter's results. I find it interesting how Deming's seven points inter- relate with not only continuous improvement, but also sustainability and strategy. How much might the decision not to upgrade an old, under-performing piece of capital equipment, for example, have knock-on effects? Delaying that purchase may protect some profits this quarter, but at what expense down the road? Does it contribute too much to line downtime? Does it require more human labor to operate and maintain than a replacement? Does it con- Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine and co-managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To read other columns or to contact Johnson, click here.