Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/713934
66 The PCB Design Magazine • August 2016 Matties: Could be, but this is one of the things that we hear repeatedly. Creeden: You're going to hear that claim against anyone who uses a CAD tool to layout a board, regardless if they're a designer or an engineer. Matties: We just did an interview with Mentor, and they're coming out with their new tools, and it seems like they're bringing a lot more intelligence into the tools for the designers. I don't know what all the finer features are, but seems like we're see- ing more of that embedded in the tools to assist the designers. Creeden: I've occasionally gotten a raised eye- brow from some of the software manufacturers, because there are a lot of verification tools to find the errors that are out there. I would put to you, how about you do it correct by construc- tion and not make the errors, and minimize the need for it? Thus I get a raised eyebrow at that, because they want to sell software, and God bless them, they need to sell software, but my point is that a good designer who's pursued their IPC certification does understand the manufac- turing criteria. If you haven't pursued that, you should step away from the CAD tool, because there are a lot of people who are just connecting the dots, and whether they're a EE doing that or a designer doing it, you still have connected dots but you've not routed the circuit. Matties: Now, back to another point that you're raising, and one that we've heard, is there are other paths that young people want to take besides de- signing circuit boards. Designers are becoming an aging population, and there's no funnel of young designers coming in. What can you say to attract bright young people to a career in PCB design? Creeden: I had the privilege at one point to write an article concerning that subject. As a de- mographic, a lot of baby boomers were brought into it, and so the average age of the PCB de- signer is the mid-50s. There is a lot of new blood being brought in, if you went through my staff right here, more than half of them are under 40. We are bringing them in, but what the industry has neglected for a decade or more is the con- cept of bringing somebody in and giving them the on-the-job training. We've gone through several economic downturns, and so what they do is they cut their department, and they don't develop people and bring them in. Matties: Which could be good news for your busi- ness. Creeden: Which is one of the reasons I created this business, because they are coming to SD- PCB, and I consider myself to be grateful! Matties: You've adopted that philosophy of train- ing and mentoring. Creeden: Absolutely! Matties: Yes, I saw the youth here. Creeden: I have several designers who have 10 to 15 years in the business, and they're some of the best I've ever seen, and it's because we do operate as a team, so no one designer's ever on their own. Everyone is always mentoring or being mentored, and that's kind of a corporate philosophy that we hold too. Matties: You've given us a great tour of your facil- ity here. It's a nice facility, and we'll share some of the photos. One of the things that you noted was the need to bring people out of their tunnel vision and act as a team, working together and commu- nicating, because it is such a myopic function. Creeden: It is. We want a consistency, if more than one designer was to work on a project, and MIKE CREEDEN: CARE AND TRAINING OF YOUR DESIGNERS " I would put to you, how about you do it correct by construction and not make the errors, and minimize the need for it? "