June, 2017
www.us-tech.com
Page 27 When Did Smart Become So Sexy? By Philip Stoten (@philipstoten)
press conference for a concept car that focused on data speed, rather than road speed. When did “smart” become so attractive? Perhaps we should have seen the writing on
O
the wall when TV sitcom “Friends” came to the end of its 20-year run and “The Big Bang Theory” began its climb to the top. Is this when geek chic took hold? Maybe. But, when we look at “smart” in the way everyone is using it to describe devices, this is a much more recent trend.
Smart is Everywhere The word “smart” has been the
prefix for countless products, and even entire industry segments. First, we had the smartphone, then, even before we had time to come to grips with that, we had the smartwatch, smart fitness bands, and smart-home devices. Now, we are exploring the world of smart factories, smart cars and even smart packaging. The dictionary defines “smart”
as “quick or prompt in action, having or showing intelligence, shrewd, clever, witty, or readily effective.” In the sectors that the term is applied to in electronics, we usually refer to the intelligence of something as its abili- ty to both process and communicate data in a valuable way. Specifically for the EMS indus-
try, smart has only recently become sexy. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the electronics manufacturing landscape changed as brands that developed, manufactured and sold products shift- ed their focus to development and sales, leaving manufacturing to the in- creasing number of outsourced manu- facturing partners available. While these outsourcing part-
ners were growing rapidly, their focus was not on manufacturing ex- cellence, but on business develop- ment and execution. They grew by ac- quiring facilities of other brands, as well as by building greenfield facto- ries in lower-cost locations. The EMS model quickly become
one of scale and economy, with brands seeking lower costs of manufacturing, and the EMS industry looking for the best way to grow and remain cheaper than in-house manufacturing.
Manufacturing Intelligence What does that mean for manu-
facturing excellence? In the days of LED Big Board Solution
ne of my favorite quotes this year came from an automotive engineer at CES 2017: “Smart is the new sexy.” This came during a
brands manufacturing their own products, many development teams worked on process, as well as on product. Once the intimate relationship be- tween product design and how it is built was sev- ered, the development of manufacturing slowed,
Bigger and cheaper
(EMS capability) cannot be the overriding strategy forever.
taking a backseat to economies of scale. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but bigger and cheaper cannot be the overriding strategy forever. Then, several things came together to create
the smarter world of electronics manufacturing and supply chain in which we currently find our- selves. The democratization of capital through crowdfunding, technological enablers that include 3D printing and rapid prototyping have led us to- ward halcyon days of innovation. Next, the German government gave us Indus-
try 4.0, a reason to connect machines and utilize data in new and meaningful ways. Whether you call it Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), the Internet of Manufacturing (IoM), or the smart factory, the goals remain the same: to use data and automation to create more value from the production process.
Continued on page 29
Production class assembly equipment for 24”, 28”, 48”, 59” PCB form factors includes high performance printing, precision component mounting, repeatable reflow, and reliable board handling with expert training, service and support.
Philip Stoten is an internation- ally recognized EMS industry expert. Known for his skills as an inter viewer, reporter and
panel moderator, Philip is a fea- tured multi-media contributor to U.S. Tech on a regular basis.
smt.hanwhatechwin.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
