Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1522641
8 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 Marcy's Musings by Marcy LaRont, I-CONNECT007 All Things Material It wasn't until I had been around the business block a bit that I truly understood the impact of inventory on one's P&L. How a company man- ages its inventory has a tremendous effect on its financials. I saw many situations where "fix- ers" were hired to get an organization finan- cially back on track. e companies then expe- rienced some of their greatest gains in the first year by simply getting their inventory under control. is is materials management at its most base level for a business, and in this June issue, we are talking about all things "material," a popular and ever-evolving topic for PCB fab- ricators. "Materials management is the process of planning and controlling material flows. It includes planning and procuring materials, supplier evaluation and selection, purchas- ing, expenditure, shipping, receipt processes for materials (including quality control), ware- housing and inventory, and materials distribu- tion." 1 Traditionally, the inventory piece of materi- als management is discussed through a more commercial, retail-esque lens. Eighty percent of your sales will be from 20% of your prod- ucts. You'll stock more of what you sell and less of what you don't sell. e base laminate on which a printed circuit board is manufac- tured is the most significant supply cost within a completed PCB. ough the 80/20 rule does not translate precisely to a manufacturing environment, it still holds a general truth for the PCB fabricator—storing large amounts of standard FR-4 material vs. smaller amounts of more exotic RF material types, for example. Yet, like anything regarding PCB manufac- turing, nothing is as simple as in other business