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www.us-tech.com


June, 2021


Navigating a New Normal in the Aftermath of the Pandemic


By the Staff of ICAPE Group


some ways permanently. In this new phase, all businesses must adapt and develop new solutions for daily operations. A veteran of the electronics industry for


T


more than 50 years, Stanley Bentley, techni- cal director, ICAPE Group North America, says that the last 12 months have easily been the most challenging and interesting of his career.


This is quite a statement, as


his technical career spans the development of the space program, the advent of the personal comput- er, the integration of electronics into automobiles, the introduction of the cellular phone, and an increasingly connected global economy.


Adapting to Sudden Change “I would not have imagined


that a single event [the pandemic] could negate the interpersonal skills I developed over a lifetime,” says Bentley. “Golf, sporting events, dinners, casual drinks — all were removed from the sales process in one sweep. It would have been unimaginable just a year ago to think that business travel would be virtually halted.” Now, selling has resumed and the econ- omy is recovering. Orders for goods and serv- ices are increasing, lead times are moving out and allocation is on the horizon. All of this is positive news, as long as there are no problems with the global supply chain. However, many questions remain. What


new techniques have been developed to mir- ror advances in sales? How does one deal with suppliers on the other side of the world when the process falls apart? How should one handle a new product introduction, and transfer the technology from R&D into vol-


he COVID-19 pandemic and the ensu- ing restrictions have changed the way business is conducted rapidly, and in


ume manufacturing? These issues with the supply chain are


just beginning to emerge. The system that has been in place was able to function for quite some time, but every engineer under- stands the law of entropy. We’ve all heard the popular adage “Murphy’s Law,” which states essentially that if anything can go wrong in a particular system, it will. The solution to managing the global sup- ply chain that has evolved over the past 20


techs and quality engineers are working from home.


Troubles with Remote Troubleshooting High-quality online video conferencing is


a valuable tool, but it isn’t enough to eliminate the need for onsite engineers when there is a difficult problem to solve. “In asking these questions, there emerges a basic misunder- standing of the present system and the value of seeing everything, as opposed to what some- body wants to show you on a small screen,” says Bentley, describing an example where one might per- form a virtual quality audit. “Few companies or people will rush to show you all of the ‘dirty laundry’ just because you ask.” It is difficult to determine how well a procedure is being followed from a remote conference room. “How do you know if an oper-


ICAPE Group’s technical director for North America, Stanley Bentley, offers a veteran perspective on PCB assembly.


years or so is “feet on the street.” The techies and quality engineers have become global travelers. They live with a suitcase packed and are dispatched at a moment’s notice to solve a problem in the quickest fashion. They audit new suppliers, supervise the


installation of equipment, oversee the trans- fer of technology, diagnose process issues, ensure supplier compliance, and deal with quality problems. Basically, the entire supply chain is managed by a mobile workforce of techies that are dispatched to the site to observe what is actually happening. Like the sales process, this system was also halted without any notice. Now, all these mobile


ator is properly trained? Can you ascertain something as simple as basic housekeeping? Will the com- pany show you equipment that is in poor condition? Are the calibra- tion stickers real? Are the employ- ees wearing the proper protective equipment for both themselves and the product? Can you really


do a quality system audit where you are shown only what the supplier wants you to see,” continues Bentley. “The same tools that allow you to be


close and personal to a prospective customer are too iconoclastic to deal with the expanse of a factory. Keep in mind that these tools are really 2D. We must continue to explore options, and I will be the first to admit that you can never discount ingenuity when faced with a crisis. We’ve all heard the axiom ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ and I’ve done some of my finest work when my terror level was high and there was no option but to fix the problem. I haven’t experienced this


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