Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/310350
18 The PCB Design Magazine • May 2014 many issues originating in design that result in re-spins, delays, cost, and call-backs. This an- noys the designer who, at the time a particular design hits manufacturing, is already working to a deadline for the next design, or even the one after. For Wang Electronics, the NPI process starts with an over-enthusiastic sales team member bringing a USB stick of files, a physical folder full of drawings, and sometimes a sample prod- uct, often just a prototype which very roughly illustrates what the product is. The race then starts with the sales team pushing for an "immediate" response as to how much the production costs would be and when pro- duction could start. Opening up the files on the USB stick quickly reveals what information is avail- able: Gerber files normally, a graphical representation of the product, but no actual data. Other files contain parts lists, a simple bill of materi- als. With luck, it will include placement locations. There can be some form of native CAD data included, which would be a pain to have to translate, but normally, just the drawings provided will serve to illustrate the layout of the PCB. Significant work is required to piece together all of the different pieces of in- formation, to work out what can be understood, and then to start filling in the gaps, ei- ther by looking at the proto- type, or asking the customer some questions. Going back to the customer is discouraged by the sales team, as they want to maintain their "we can do anything" stance. With the intense time pressure, it invari- ably means that significant guess-work is done for a reply made back to the sales team. Wang has a significant success rate to win deals. The bloated engineering team, however, with many specialists to cover the various dif- ferent types of machines from different vendors have to spend significant amounts of time to complete the preparation of the data for man- ufacturing, during which significant data re- construction and trial and error will take place before the designated production line can start work. Often, unforeseen issues come up, too late to be addressed with the customer or with the sales team, that simply have to be managed. Many additional production operators are ready to deal with any situation. Quality and reliabil- ity of delivery is often threatened, with very high scrap rates and barely acceptable quality lev- els. The Compelling Event The people at ABC Elec- tronics know they have to embrace new market de- mands. They will introduce more products with higher technology, at a greater mix, with shorter lead times. Qual- ity and pricing will be more critical than ever. There is no room in the NPI flow now for so many design re-spins or costs due to issues in manu- facturing originating from design. A high-tech vertical OEM has the opportunity to link much more closely the design and manufacturing, and this must be the key dif- ferentiator to retain and grow the business. All information in the flow must be available to everyone at any time. The Lean NPI flow tools are cho- sen to make that happen. For Wang Electronics, the compelling event was a series of disastrous orders which caused the company significant loss. Top management be- came very concerned that overall growth was being slowed because the sales team lost con- fidence, as did their customers. The company's reputation was suffering. The engineering team THE LEAN NPI FLOW continues feature Significant work is required to piece together all of the different pieces of information, to work out what can be under- stood, and then to start filling in the gaps, either by looking at the prototype, or asking the customer some questions. Going back to the customer is discouraged by the sales team, as they want to maintain their "we can do anything" stance. " "