Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1542458
JANUARY 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 47 redraw, recalibrate, and retest the harness; now, it's all done in the digital environment. Ng: OEMs provide shops with information in different formats. Some of them get a spreadsheet. Sometimes it's a PDF drawing of boxes and lines. We've started seeing some shops receive full 3D models to extract the infor- mation directly. Harness shops often require a design engineer to convert that information into something suitable for the techni- cians on the floor. With the Zuken Harness Builder, you can import the spreadsheet. Does the customer send a parts list? Just import the parts list. Got a 3D model? Import it; Zuken tools will flatten it for you. Zuken aims to support all types of workflows. Harvell: Model-based system design stuff is new to the industry. We're being asked for things like the 3D formboard, which we're pushing forward for things like satellites, where weight is critical. We have a tool called GENESYS that can completely model everything. One of those requirements might be weight, so designers can make the harness to that requirement and know what it will weigh before building it. Not only can we obtain costing informa- tion, but we can also obtain the weight. Our goal Screenshot of Zuken's Harness Builder software. ▼ is to provide a product for harness manufacturers, regardless of the sophistication of their operations. What's cooking in R&D? Harvell: We have our biggest exhibition at EWPTE in Milwaukee, and we're working on a manage- rial dashboard to debut at that show. You'll be able to see where you are inside the manufacturing process. It gives managers at slightly larger compa- nies an idea of how long it will take to put a panel together or to make a harness. It is almost like an MES, a form of an execution system. If we want to drive directly to the various machines—labeling, taping, wire cutting, and testing machines—there are numerous levels of automation we can utilize. Once you fully understand the bill of materials and have a sense of your customer demand, it's simple math to determine how much material to order through your MES. Will you be connecting to the wider MES? Harvell: We work with the differ- ent ERP systems as well. We like to call it our connected manufactur- ing ecosystem, the network of all our partners in the manufacturing space. And it just keeps growing. Just recently, Zuken announced the Panel Builder product. Is this where the harness tools and ERP/ MES integration come together? Example of model-based system design. ▼