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www.us-tech.com


July, 2021 ElEctronic Mfg SErvicES


People and PCB Production Both a Priority at Calumet Electronics


By Andrew Lorinser, Marketing Department, Inc. T


he resurgence of domestic electronic manufacturing continues, and PCB manufacturers’ processes are essential


to meeting the demands of the DoD, aero- space, and commercial sectors. Much of the industry uses next-generation technology to automate manufacturing and operate smart factories. But at Calumet Electron- ics, located in Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula, there is an equal reliance on people to drive more intelligent opera- tions.


Calumet Electronics VP/COO Todd


Brassard says defense, aerospace and ad- vanced commercial domestic OEMs con- tinue to seek circuit board manufacturers that provide reliable engineering solu- tions. These industries are searching the electronics supply chain for novel lead- ing-edge electronic systems to fulfill their government contract commitments for the next two to three years, but the op- tions are often very limited.


Finding Middle Ground “From our perspective, it has not al-


ways been in our best interest to increase au- tomation,” says Brassard. “It depends entire- ly on what’s being manufactured. When pro- ducing stable designs at high volumes, a smart factory with automation offers efficien- cies. But when operating in an environment


with high design diversity and continually evolving complexity, especially at low vol- umes, excess automation may actually re- duce efficiency, agility and flexibility.” Brassard suggests that a middle ground


between overly automated smart factories and traditional process improvement may be more appropriate. These are known as smart or “dynamic” processes. As designs become more complex and tolerance requirements stack up, the need to fine-tune process parameters on a step-by-step basis becomes critical. A dynamic process is one in which a


product is evaluated and fine-tuned at each step to maintain as much of an open tolerance as possible for subse- quent steps. “To solve immediate problems, we


Calumet’s emphasis on its people allows team members to learn from one another to solve difficult engineering problems.


need highly motivated and capable people using advanced equipment and dynamic processes,” says Brassard. “While much of the electronics industry is building smart factories, at Calumet, we make people and processes a priority and we focus on


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