Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/898297
60 The PCB Magazine • November 2017 noting in your own words the defaults, "dos" and "don'ts" that everyone in the supply chain needs to know. With this format, you can set your requirements in a machine-readable for- mat that ensures compliance. The third way of using this is to specify a capability. This allows you to send out a set of manufacturing capabilities to your clients. The goal is to minimise the number of RFQs that are sent out to non-capable suppliers, to benefit both the suppliers and the clients. The Strict Teacher So, what does the language consist of? To make it easier to understand, we can divide it into three parts: the dictionary (the words themselves); the syntax (the grammar); and the schema (the strict teacher) as shown in Figure 1. At this point, and thinking of automation and AI, you might wonder: What's in it for me? Be- cause in the end, that's everyone's main concern. What's in It for Me? Let me briefly give you some thoughts around this. You would get a computer-read- able PCB specification, a language and tools that you easily can link with your existing soft- ware. Files can be added on-the-go from design, through OEM, EMS, broker to PCB factory but will seamlessly fit together. It is all community driven—we would all own it together—a com- mon language developed and maintained by the industry. There would be no need of PDFs or other spec files that must be re-typed manually. It can easily be imported into existing ERP systems— in your own language! The best part, and my favourite, is that it would save us all lots of time and money. And, we would avoid issues late in the supply chain. Sounds like something we see in futuristic movies, where robots take over systems and make the world better? It's not. Automation will keep on happening, driv- en by standardisation and AI. It is the obvious choice in a supply chain where people are the most expensive asset. As companies are finding their place in this new ecosystem, I'm sure that we will see both companies and software have great rises and massive falls. The focus needs to INDUSTRY 4.0, AI AND CIRCUITDATA Figure 1: To make the "language" more understandable, Lydersen has divided it into three parts: the Dictionary, the Syntax, and the Schema.