90 SMT Magazine • March 2016
1
The road Less Traveled
(Part 1): contract
manufacturing Differentiators
The word "differentia-
tor" is tossed around a
lot these days in the
electronics industry—
especially within the
contract manufactur-
ing (CM) community.
When evaluating a new potential CM partner,
decision makers frequently ask: "What would you
say differentiates your organization from other
contract manufacturers?" This article talks about
three powerful and very real difference-makers
that would set a CM apart from the competition.
2
Doug Pauls Explains Ion
chromatography
Doug Pauls, principal ma-
terials and process engi-
neer at rockwell Collins
and chair of the IPC Clean-
ing and Coating Com-
mittee, drew upon his 25
years' experience in the
use of ion chromatography
for electronics assembly improvement to discuss
roSE techniques, how ion chromatography can
be used to determine electronic cleanliness, what
specifications exist and how they were derived,
and how ion chromatography can be used for pro-
cess troubleshooting and optimization.
3
IPc: Slight Upturn in Salary
Increases in Electronics
assembly Industry for 2016
IPC's recently published
biennial wage and salary
study for the electron-
ics assembly industry
shows a nominal upturn
in salary increases from
2015 to 2016.
4
Newbury Electronics Invests
in Latest X-ray machine
Technology
Newbury Electronics has
enhanced its production
capabilities by investing
in a new, highly accu-
rate x-ray reference hole
drilling machine.
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