Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/855901
32 SMT Magazine • August 2017 by Daniel Prina MC ASSEMBLY Training is not shiny nor romantic. It doesn't make the front page of the magazine, it's not candy apple red, and, unless your execu- tive team is enlightened, it can be a hard sell in the board room. However, lack of a robust and effective training program leads to underutiliza- tion and frustration. Electronics manufacturers should take train- ing seriously at all levels. To remain viable and competitive, it's vital that they keep up with the latest technologies and practices in the electron- ics field. Perhaps more importantly, investment in employees keeps them engaged and excited in the performance of their daily work. People need growth to avoid stagnation and burnout. Learning new methods and being exposed to new ideas is pivotal to personal growth. A com- pany is, at its foundation, little more than the people that work there. They are responsible for its gains or its declines. The stronger the foun- dation, the better to build upon. MC Assembly has always been quick to rec- ognize the need for up-to-date equipment and tooling in the pursuit of quality, throughput, and flexibility. The investment for equipment is often substantial and often, too little thought is given toward maximizing the productivity of capital expense. We leverage the opportunities provided us by our suppliers. The Florida facil- ity runs multimillion dollar Universal Instru- ments surface mount lines. When buying these lines, we set aside monies to be used in train- ing. That means sending engineers or mainte- nance personnel for training at their facility in Binghamton, New York, or bringing their train- ers to our facilities to work with groups of oper- ators on the production floor. It greatly increas- es our chances of using our equipment to its full potential. Likewise, we are in the process of up- grading our Aegis MES software package (Facto- ryLogix) and have scheduled multiple tiers of training for engineers, process writers, and op- erators who will be using the application. With the help of a valued partner, Incito Consulting, we have recently completed, in Empowering the Workforce Through Training: An Investment Return FEATURE