104 The PCB Magazine • June 2016
was on time, but unacceptable. While excep-
tional service was measured in speed, product
quality was sacrificed. Customer retention, trust
and preference were largely diminished.
Exceptional service should never sacrifice
the quality of the product. Customers should
never have to ask for exceptional service from
their supplier as the extra toppings should be
part of that supplier's culture and the way in
which they conduct business.
References
1. Launch Communications Blog.
Barry Cohen is president and
managing director of Launch
Communications. He can be
reached by clicking here.
EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE—EXTRA TOPPINGS WITHOUT SACRIFICE
by Karl Dietz
It is great to see the ven-
erable tradition of Clyde
Coombs' Printed Circuits
Handbook continued in its
recently published 7
th
Edition,
assisted by the highly quali-
fied effort of Co-Editor-in-
Chief, Happy Holden.
The Printed Circuits Hand-
book has been a classic refer-
ence to the industry for many
years, and the new edition will
assure its place for years to
come. The 7
th
Edition features
71 chapters, four more than
the last edition, structured in
12 parts, and authored by 38
contributors—a list of accomplished authors that
could double as a who's who in the world of circuit
boards.
It had also been my privilege and pleasure to
write book reviews on the 5
th
and 6
th
editions of
the Handbook. The ~1600 page 7
th
edition makes
a worthy addition to the collection. There is always
the challenge of adding pertinent, new informa-
tion while curtailing older, less relevant informa-
tion.
New is the "Supply Chain" section, acknowl-
edging the commercial reality of an industry that
has largely lost vertical integration. While the ma-
terial and equipment supply
base for PCB fabrication has
largely gravitated to Asia,
design is widely scattered
throughout countries where
OEMs, fabricators and end-
users reside, often leaving un-
met needs in design for man-
ufacturability and reliability.
The "Imaging" chapter of
the 7
th
edition has been com-
petently updated by Gareth
Parry, and is about the same
size as the one of the 6
th
edi-
tion.
Enlarged is the "Design"
section, while the "Fabrica-
tion" and "Assembly/Test"
sections are basically updated, with some added
material to the Quality section. Reza Gaffarian did
an admirable job in a major rewrite of the "Reli-
ability" section, expanding the bare PCB chapters
with new information and explanations. All in all,
the 7
th
Edition feels more like a new book rather
than an update of an old version.
In summary, the latest edition of the Printed
Circuits Handbook is a great reference book for
the PCB engineer and anyone who wants to gain
in-depth knowledge of PCB technology.
To read this book review in its entirety, click
here.
BOOK REVIEW: Printed Circuits Handbook,
7th Edition, 2016 (McGraw-Hill)
