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44 SMT Magazine • September 2014 One example of a technology-enabled pro- duction line is the plastic injection molding operations at our factory in Guadalajara, Mex- ico (Figure 2). We developed a dual-robot han- dler to automatically stamp pin inserts from a reel, insert the pins in multiple cavities in the injection molding machine with high accu- racy, remove the finished parts, inspect them and finally sort them. Without automation, it would have been impossible to attain the tight tolerance in the insertion process, the high re- peatability in the cycle time, and the high up- time of the injection machine. In addition, the unique system is designed with a minimum of mechanical hardware in order to decrease setup time, maximize reliability and minimize main- tenance costs. An additional source of revenue for an EMS provider could also be the automated equip- ment itself. The design, supply and support of customized assembly and test equipment could be a valuable revenue stream for any manufac- turer. We have a group dedicated to the devel- opment of customized equipment, with teams present in all geographies in which we operate. Together with our design and development and advanced manufacturing engineering groups, we are able to provide a wide range of engineer- ing services beyond just standard manufactur- ing. The market for industrial automation equipment (IAE) is growing. It is set to grow 7% in 2014 to approximately US$185 billion from $173 billion in 2013, due in part to the recovery of global manufacturing, according to IHS. I am excited to note that the use of indus- trial robots in electronics manufacturing is on the rise. Traditionally, there have existed two types of automation: 1) hard automation, with fast hardware-heavy machines optimized for the assembly of one type of product; and 2) flex- ible automation, with slower, reconfigurable cells designed to assemble a wider range of figure 2: robot handler for injection molding machine. feATure reDUCING tOtAL mANUFACtUrING COSt WIth AUtOmAtION continues