Month: June 2018

Rapid Prototyping: Reducing speed to market without sacrificing quality

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Every new electronic product needs to be tried and tested before it can be launched to market. A significant contributing factor in how Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers can reduce the speed of this process whilst still maintaining product quality and reducing costs, is Rapid Prototyping (RP).

Electronic product prototypes: Why they are needed

Our customers need a working version of their Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) to validate that the circuits function to the specification as anticipated. It also shows design teams that the circuits fit into the size and space required and can begin to undergo extended testing. Software development is often delayed until a working hardware platform becomes available, so the prototypes are needed before this can go ahead. As such, prototypes are often subject to last-minute change and modification as a result of this testing and development.

The time between completing a circuit design and checking that it works can often delay the product’s release to market, plus if anything is not compliant with requirements, then a re-design can unexpectedly become necessary. This is why it’s so important to trial and test the design before progressing product development. It’s also why a rapid prototype is preferable: the sooner tests can begin, the better for the customer and the quicker it can get its products modified and out to market.

Key benefits of our rapid prototyping approach:

  1. Batch sizes: Prototypes are usually created in batches of 5-10, which enables the circuit design to tested and validated with some to spare, yet is not a cost-effective quantity to produce in terms of purchasing materials and construction labour. At Chemigraphic, we advise optimal batch sizes which avoid any wastage and increase the cost-efficiency of the prototyping process.
  1. Component stock: The longest component lead-time is usually the gateway to delivery and in certain circumstances, component availability can start to wane, resulting in shortages, as we’ve seen with passive parts in recent months. Manufacturers and distributors sell in volume and often have minimum order quantities, therefore parts for prototypes are generally limited to catalogue availability, adding to the price. However, we always take steps to mitigate this issue and we hold over 50,000+ part lines, meaning we can often supply components from our own stock.
  1. Early engagement in circuit design: RP provides the option for a collaborative approach, as both in-house design teams and EMS design experts can contribute ideas towards the product design. We support our customers by engaging early on in their design process with our New Product Introduction (NPI) team determining their exact product requirements and develop them within an RP framework. This approach means we can make sure our customers’ products are made with long-term efficiency, life and cost-reduction in mind, at the point where the design is still fluid.
  1. Smart software: We have a custom-developed, innovative programme which takes a customer’s bill of materials, compares this against our in-house stock base and then filters this out via APIs to various distributor networks. This is a rapid way to establish baseline costs and sets us apart from many of our competitors, who will need to approach this process manually.
  1. Labour estimates: We have developed sophisticated labour estimate algorithms, which allow us to generate accurate and rapid labour costing based on the construction of specific items. Actual process times are measured with set KPIs against these estimates, meaning we can stay on top of progress and ensure they are realistic and sustainable.
  1. Speed, not haste: When we produce rapid prototypes, we do not cut corners in terms of process, measurement or quality, which results in tangible and significant benefits for our customers.
  1. Seamless transition: We use the same equipment which will be used for volume production. In this way we are also checking the product’s readiness and allowing for a smooth transition to large scale production.
  2. Monitoring progress: Wherever possible, we build-in attrition and contingency plans. This means that even if things go wrong, we can still deliver the full amount requested. We also understand that each customer has their own specific requirements and we are happy to accommodate these, for example welcoming customers on-site to validate tests when the first-offs exit the line, or arranging first-offs to be shipped as a priority.

Automated processes extend beyond the factory floor

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Automated Processes

Automation: Automated processes extend beyond the factory floor

Stewart Gadd, Technical Director, Chemigraphic

Industry and business is becoming more and more digitised across the board, from the way we sign in to a building to how we create reports on the activity we conduct. Offices are moving towards paperless operations, and factory systems are adopting more automated processes which boost productivity and cut time to market significantly. As a result, automation has become something of a buzzword across industry, with various techniques and systems emerging to streamline or speed up production.

In EMS, automation is instrumental not only in improving and speeding up the manufacturing process but also in reducing the risk of human error and ensuring consistency. That said, automated systems will not work effectively or efficiently unless they have been set up properly and this is where human skill and experience comes into play. The most successful EMS operations are those which combine the mass delivery and rigidity of automation with the intelligence and flexibility of those programming the machines.  Human operation is also required to make sure any investments are fully justified and maximised. Anyone with spare capital can buy the latest system or machine,  but using it effectively is often another matter entirely. Far too often, a new acquisition or application will sit underutilised or even dormant in a business due to ineffective or partial implementation a year later.

In terms of how we manufacture and assemble products, automated processes play a huge role in the innovative approach we take for our customers. From applying conformal coatings to protect circuitry and components in hazardous environments, to exclusive JUKI-automated kitting processes in our surface mount lines, we use smart, data driven techniques to not only increase the speed of production but also to eliminate errors and inconsistencies.

Automation_Chemigraphic

At Chemigraphic, however, the capabilities and benefits of automation reach far beyond machinery and manufacturing. Our business relies on the strength and insight provided by the data network that runs throughout the company. Collecting, analysing and acting on data, whether it relates to customer purchases, productivity levels of staff or the efficiency of internal systems, is vital in measuring and improving our overall performance. By tracking spikes, dips and other trends in the data we collect across the business, we can start to make observations on what is working well, what needs to change and successes we need to celebrate and champion.

In many ways, data collection is not a new thing. As business people and simply as people, we have always collected, recorded and analysed information and used this analysis to inform the way we develop and perform. In decades past, this data was collected manually and recorded by hand, or by mouth. Now, with computers, digital systems, the internet and the cloud, the nature of this data collection and how it’s stored has changed, as has the speed and depth with which it can be captured. Yet the principals are still the same. Watch what you do, note it down, look at what it means, and use the knowledge to do things better and more effectively.

Automation is key to our business and many other businesses without a doubt, but we need to stop thinking about it as simply a word to describe highly technical machinery. Automation is about using the tools and information we have around us to implement the best and most consistent methods of delivering the best results for us and our customers.

Start-up electronics brands need an outsourced manufacturer that will grow with them

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Start-up

Foxconn’s change of focus is a smart move, but some emerging technology brands need a manufacturer that will grow with them

Chris Wootton, CEO, Chemigraphic

As manufacturing giant Foxconn “shifts focus to ‘smart manufacturing’” (FT, 6th June 2018) it’s worth noting that its broadened portfolio of products and services is unlikely to be on offer to many emerging technology brands with significant potential but low to medium volumes.

Getting an audience with Foxconn and the other top tier players in the Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) market will be nigh on impossible if you’re not a business with colossally high production volumes – an Apple or a Samsung for example.  It’s true that intelligent manufacturing will drive change in electronics and in other sectors, and AI will certainly play a key part in this, but for those brands just entering the market, there are other more pressing needs at this stage in their journeys.

As an emerging brand, you need a manufacturing partner that values your business, has the time and vision to work and grow with you, taking you through each design phase from initial concept to final ‘ramp’. This doesn’t mean that they can’t offer best-in-class technologies or access to the best facilities and components: in fact, many of the smaller firms will be able to secure these via other routes, for example outsourcing to cost-effective locations such as China.

Remember, every successful tech business was once a start-up with low volumes and many had little to zero manufacturing capabilities. Operating on the same level as the Apples and Samsungs with the Foxconns and Flextronics’ of this world may well be the final destination for these brands, but first they need to go global and that means working with a partner who has the time and resources to get them there.

Trump’s tariffs will come back to haunt him

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Chris

Trump’s tariffs will come back to haunt him: The US will end up as the isolated party if it ignores the scope of China’s trading potential

Chris Wootton, CEO, Chemigraphic

“As the trade war between the US and China ramps up and President Trump continues to threaten to impose tariffs on imported products from China, businesses across all industries are naturally starting to feel nervous about the implications of such a move. Tariffs will no doubt lead to a multitude of complications across import, manufacturing and retail sectors and the effects will be felt by many.”

“The latest development in the tariff debate has seen China attempt to calm the waters by offering to buy US goods to the tune of $70 billion over the next year if the tariffs are called off, so a resolution may be on the horizon. It seems inevitable that at some point, Trump will have to back down and come back to the table to discuss the issue further, even if it’s not immediately.”

“If the Chinese tariffs are imposed, costs of goods in the USA will increase and, although the consequences won’t be apparent immediately, within 12-18 months, the landscape will change, consumers will start to see the prices rise and there will be unrest and backlash.”

“The fact remains that no country is self-sufficient and the isolation of any nation, whether physical or in terms of trade, is a dangerous proposition. China itself is too large and too successful to be isolated; it makes too much and we buy too much of it for it to be effectively cut off. Even if the US administration does go ahead with its plans, other nations will no doubt take advantage of the low costs, better pricing and widespread manufacturing capabilities that China offers. This in turn will drive the success and popularity of other low-cost regions, and effectively, the US itself will become the isolated nation as countries start to shift their focus elsewhere.”

“As an EMS, the benefits that China offers in terms of manufacturing and sourcing electronic components are too extensive to ignore. We opened our new sourcing office in Shenzhen in January and already, our customers are benefitting from the higher volumes and lower costs  of component parts thanks to the access to China’s pricing structures we can now offer.”

“With regards to the future, I’m sure the situation will produce some fireworks for some time to come, as political tensions rumble on and industry faces the consequences of decisions made by the US leadership. But I’m also confident that it will normalise and calm down over time. Probably via a change in that very leadership….”