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OCTOBER 2026 I I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE 91 with execution dependent on operator experience and onsite management. Delton instead digitizes those requirements, turning CP and IP into rules that are systematically enforced throughout production. The value of this system lies not in the volume of data it generates, but in its quality. Poor data simply creates more noise, while reliable data depends on consistent connectivity across the factory. In this sense, a smart factory is more than a collection of automated equipment; it is a manufacturing system in which machines operate according to embedded process knowledge and rules. That distinction becomes particularly important for server and AI PCBs. Manufacturing complex products with high layer counts, large board sizes, high aspect ratios, back drilling, and advanced HDI cannot be reduced to a fixed set of equipment parameters. Success depends on accumulated engineering knowledge of the relationships among materials, equipment, processes, and production anomalies, which is predicated upon good data. Talent Is Still Key Compared with equipment parameters, the skills and experience of engineers and frontline manufacturing personnel are the most difficult to replicate. The abil- ity of onsite personnel to understand critical control points, identify abnormalities, and make the right judg- ments can only be developed gradually through con- tinuous training and hands-on production experience. To address this, Delton's Guangzhou R&D center brings together resources from across the group to develop key technologies and tackle specific technical challenges. R&D and process engineers in Guangzhou and Thailand then communicate directly on a one-to- one basis, transferring process routes, critical control points, and validation experience to the factory in Thai- land while keeping the chain of information exchange and technology transfer as short as possible. In addition, the engineering team in Thailand develops its own specific process flows and param- eter windows based on customer product require- ments and local equipment and process configura- tions. At the same time, the Guangzhou and Thai facilities share the same process database, quality- control standards, and core processes, ensuring that the same product meets identical requirements for impedance, back-drill stub length, via copper thickness, reliability, and batch-to-batch consis- tency. Zeng Zhijun said, "The two sites may differ in their equipment and process configurations, but there is no compromise on quality standards." Meanwhile, the factory in Thailand is gradually building up its own independent capabilities in R&D, testing, new product introduction, and basic failure analysis, enabling it to respond quickly to overseas customers. Projects that require substan- tial resources or involve major new technologies or complex failure mechanisms, however, will continue to be developed centrally in Guangzhou, with the resulting mature technologies and solutions subse- quently transferred to Thailand. When manufacturing knowledge can flow contin- uously between Guangzhou and Thailand and be executed consistently through digital systems, indi- vidual expertise is transformed into an organiza- tional capability that can be replicated, validated, and continuously improved. People make mistakes, so reducing reliance on human intervention has been a central objective in building the factory's management system. But that does not mean the factory no longer needs people. Rather, it means that the role they play is changing. Operators are no longer the primary agents whose manual actions directly determine product quality; instead, their roles are increasingly focused on equipment maintenance, recovery from production anomalies, and executing system instructions. Engi- neers, meanwhile, are moving away from creating and compiling data toward analyzing it and solving problems more quickly. This model is particularly important in Thailand. There is no shortage of local talent with experi- ence in conventional double-sided PCBs, four-layer boards, or automotive PCBs, but technical and managerial professionals with expertise in high-end server PCBs remain scarce. Delton is working with universities to develop targeted training programs that build a local talent pipeline. In the short term, digitalization lowers the experience threshold for operational roles. Though Thai nationals already account for more than 70% of frontline employees—meeting the Board of Investment target number for lower-level skilled