Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/634491
76 SMT Magazine • February 2016 by barry Matties i-coNNEcT007 In this interview, I sit down with Mentor Graphics Valor Division's Dan Hoz, general manager, and Ofer Lavi Ben David, product line director, to discuss where Industry 4.0 is tak- ing the industry, and the changes it will bring to both large and small companies, customers, and the supply chain, including how Mentor connects different machines on the shop floor to provide universal Industry 4.0 visibility. Barry Matties: Please start by telling me about your positions at Mentor Graphics and what you're responsible for. Ofer Lavi Ben David: I'm responsible for the shop floor products from the Valor division of Mentor Graphics. Dan Hoz: I'm the general manager of the Valor division. Matties: Good, so what does that mean? I will start with you Ofer. Lavi Ben David: I look after everything from product development and marketing activi- ties, to sales and business responsibilities for the products within the division. I work with our sales department, our marketing department, and of course our factory R&D resources. Hoz: Mentor Graphics acquired us six years ago. I was the CEO and the President of Valor Computerized systems. It was a listed compa- ny. The goal or the strategy for Mentor was to get into an adjacent market and expand their solutions—not just within the design mar- ket and the design space, but also into other spaces and markets. They found the design for manufacturing flow to be a very interesting one, and so far it has proven to be a successful one. That was Valor's strength. Today, we are still a division within Mentor. I'm responsible for both R&D and marketing. We have a direct sales channel, which is the FPO. We also sell through our World Trade Sales Organization, which is the largest sales department within Mentor. We also have customer support and a legal depart- InDustRy 4.0: Creating a standard Featu re