60 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2025
H A PPY ' S T EC H TA L K #4 5
by H a p py H o l d e n , I- C o n n ect0 07
Designing the Smart Factory
Automation and computers have been my passion
for the last 55 years, even when I was a student. The
methodologies that have served me over the years
in automating electronics manufacturing include
highlights from several free resources with impor-
tant characteristics of the smart factory.
The late, great Michael Ford and I created a free
nine-hour online seminar, "Automation Basics and
the Journey to the Smart Factory," for the Institute
of Circuit Technology (ICT), organized into nine one-
hour modules using the following free resources:
• 24 Essential Skills for Engineers
• Engineering Statistics Handbook, NIST
• Automation and Advanced PCB Fabrication
• Advanced Manufacturing in the Digital Age
by Orin Manor
• Your Company's Favorite PLC Book,
AutomationDirect.com
• Additional Sensor Introduction and
Advanced Sensors, Keysight
