Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/924542
30 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2018 with embedded 2D codes and RFID tracking down to every individual CCL, allowing for true single piece flow and elimination of paper and manual traveler transactions, along with the use of some AGV transport. These are just a few of the initial design innovations achieved with our partners. Stage 5: Verify We are currently in the process of start-up and verification with 50% of the equipment set already installed and qualified. To date, we have met all our milestone targets, and the ownership has been pleased with our progress. We attribute the performance to date to our diligent supplier selection, coupled with a tre- mendous amount of hard work and travel by both ourselves and our supplier partners, and we believe it gives some credence to our cho- sen DMADV approach. We hope that the market will agree, and that smart green factories with zero discharge/emis- sions and high levels of automation and consis- tency become the industry norm in the not-too- distant future. Based on our experiences, we feel that this transformation is long overdue in our industry, and it is truly time to proceed to the 21 st century in this regard, especially given the high ROI for the change-over. PCB007 Reference 1. "Whelen Engineering Reduces Cycle Time by Building a New Automated PCB Factory," The PCB Magazine, October 2015. Alex Stepinski is VP and GM of Greensource Fabrication. Ludy's zero liquid discharge specialized SAP and high aspect ratio plating line under construction in Germany.