42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2024
production team quickly adjusted the printer
settings. is platform provided the data
needed and offered a way to clearly visualize
the trends, making detailed historical analysis
both efficient and effective.
Real-Time Monitoring
to Mitigate Unplanned Downtime
One of my personal favorite stories is this
next example highlighting the rather comi-
cal surprises real-time monitoring can some-
times reveal. A European-based electronics
manufacturer got quite a shocker one morning
when they were alerted by the platform's real-
time monitoring that line one's availability had
plummeted unexpectedly. Concerned about
a possible equipment failure, the production
manager ran out to the floor.
Upon arrival, he found that, while nothing
was thankfully on fire or catastrophically down,
a significant number of technicians were tem-
porarily distracted by a major football (soccer)
rivalry game. e real-time data from the so-
ware allowed the production manager to catch
this anomaly quickly and address the situation
by scheduling a short break to coincide with
the end of the match (reiterating, of course,
the importance of maintaining focus during
production hours).
Empowered With Actionable Intelligence
In the relentless pursuit to improve both effi-
ciency and quality, data analytics has emerged
as an indispensable tool for electronics manu-
facturers. As seen in the examples highlighted
above, advanced analytics platforms offer a
way for manufacturers to view operations with
clarity and depth. By leveraging the power of
normalized and enriched data, decision-mak-
ers at all levels can identify areas for improve-
ment, anticipate challenges, and adapt to the
ever-evolving demands of both the industry,
end-users, and the occasional sports rivalry.
Put frankly, embracing (accurate) data ana-
lytics is not just about gaining a competitive
advantage—nowadays it's about staying rele-
vant and resilient in a field where the only con-
stant is change. SMT007
Julie Cliche-Dubois is a product
manager at Cogiscan. Read
Julie's book, The Printed Circuit
Assembler's Guide to… Factory
Analytics, and listen to her pod-
cast episode on the subject here.
Figure 4: Using the platform helps clearly visualize the trends.
