-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
Economic Headwinds
In this issue, the biggest names in PCB manufacturing share their economic outlook for the upcoming year and beyond. As you will see, they were all bullish on our industry, but there was some apprehension as well. No one wants to get burned by another the supply chain disruption.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
The Smart Factory IQ Test
March 13, 2019 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Let's see how prepared you are to talk about Industry 4.0. The following 12-question test will measure how much you know about smart factory concepts and philosophies[1]. Since the concept of a smart factory is larger than the electronics manufacturing industry and encompasses the entire supply chain, the terms and concepts here are also more global in nature.
Questions
1. To realize the digital supply network needed for smart factories, manufacturers must:
a. Introduce horizontal integration through multiple organizational systems
b. Implement vertical integration through manufacturing
c. Integrate throughout the entire value chain
d. All of the above
2. True or False: A smart factory implementation relies on shop floor automation exclusively.
3. True or False: The ability to adjust to and learn from data in real time can make the smart factory more responsive, proactive, and predictive, and enables the organization to avoid operational downtime and other productivity challenges.
4. In a proactive smart factory system, employees and systems can anticipate and act before issues arise, rather than reacting to them after they occur. Which feature is NOT a factor in delivering a proactive smart factory system:
a. Identifying anomalies, restocking, and replenishing
b. Destructive process testing
c. Predictively addressing quality issues
d. Monitoring safety and maintenance concerns
5. True or False: AI, cognitive computing, and machine learning have made it possible for smart factories to override human operator decisions on the shop floor.
6. Which of the following factors makes this the right time for smart factory implementations?
a. Manufacturing has grown increasingly global, fragmenting production and spreading it across multiple geographies
b. Smart, digital technologies have ushered in a new set of competitors who leverage the digitization to enter new markets
c. IT is beginning to take data from automation and turn it into insight and action
d. Skilled talent shortages are forcing manufacturers to mitigate risk and reconfigure staffing to do more with fewer staff
e. A and C
f. B and D
g. All of the above
7. Undertaking a smart factory journey can address a number of business practices. Which is NOT one of those practices:
a. Asset efficiency
b. Sustainability
c. Improved company picnics
d. Better profitability
e. Labor force stability
8. True or False: Smart factory automation achieves agile operation with off-the-shelf automation and control systems industry-wide.
9. Industry 4.0 includes which of the following digital and physical technologies:
a. Analytics
b. Web browsers
c. Robotics
d. High-performance computing
e. Augmented reality
f. AI and cognitive technologies
g. Buggy whips
h. Advanced materials
10. True or False: Organizational change management will be a simple, matter-of-fact affair since smart factories will result in a net loss of manufacturing jobs.
11. True or False: Cybersecurity becomes a greater concern precisely because a smart factory is highly connected.
12. True or False: The most effective way to implement a smart factory is to start with a greenfield ground-up/build-out.
This quiz is published in the March 2019 issue of PCB007 Magazine. To find out the answers to the questions, click here.
Suggested Items
Enabling a New Paradigm for Flexible, Point of Need Design and Manufacturing
03/18/2024 | DARPAThe Department of Defense (DOD) needs the flexibility to manufacture critical structures at the time and point of need using locally available materials.
Join The Murray Percival Co. at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/15/2024 | Murray Percival CompanyThe Murray Percival Company, the award-winning leading supplier to the Midwest’s electronics industry, is excited to announce their participation in the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO, scheduled for April 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.
ROCKA Solutions Expands into Brazil
03/15/2024 | ROCKA SolutionsROCKA Solutions is thrilled to announce its expansion into Brazil. With a commitment to serving the growing needs of the Brazilian electronics manufacturing market, ROCKA has established new distribution and manufacturing services in the region.
Much Ado About Factory of the Future
03/13/2024 | Chris Jorgensen, IPCFor attendees looking for guidance on modernizing their manufacturing, IPC APEX EXPO 2024 will provide plenty of opportunities to learn about the latest innovations and how to begin applying them in your operations today. When walking the show floor, look for the IPC-CFX flags at vendor booths. These are equipment vendors who know the importance of IPC-CFX for their customers and the industry, and have demonstrated proficiency in IPC-CFX implementations.
DARPA Explores Additive Manufacturing’s Revolutionary Potential for Futuristic Microsystems
03/12/2024 | DARPADARPA played a seminal role in establishing materials science as a discipline. One of the latest disruptive efforts in new materials and applications, the Additive Manufacturing of Microelectronic systEms (AMME) program, seeks to launch microsystems manufacturing far beyond today’s state of the art.