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Lean vs. TQM vs. Six Sigma

Lean, Total Quality Management (TQM), and Six Sigma are three popular methodologies used in business and manufacturing sectors to improve processes, increase efficiency, and reduce waste. While they share some similarities, each approach has its unique focus and tools. Here's a comparison of Lean, TQM, and Six Sigma.

Recollections on Deming

In the early 1990s, I was working for EMD Associates, an EMS company (now a Benchmark Electronics operation in Winona, Minnesota), when I became familiar with Dr. W. Edwards Deming. EMD was an early entrant into the SMT provider world, and we were very focused on quality. Deming was one of several experts that we used as a guide for our company. As part of that journey, I was able to attend a live Deming seminar in Phoenix. There were several speakers as part of his team, but Deming, who was at least 90 years old at the time, spoke in very memorable fashion each day on key topics.

Team Players: A New Industry Leadership Council Seeks Sustainability Solutions

The work on sustainability in electronics at IPC continues and a new leadership council is one result of those efforts. In March 2023, IPC convened a Sustainability for Electronics Leadership Council to offer peer review and direction to IPC. The council is a response to the industry’s requests for more attention on environmental, social, and corporate sustainability in IPC’s industry standards, education, and advocacy.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Picks: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Holy mackerel, dear readers, you’ve been reading the good stuff this past week. I won’t need to steer you toward any of the must-read (but sometimes overlooked) content because your collective reading habits (as measured by clicks and reads) gravitated to the same things as I did. This week’s picks include an interview from IPC Community magazine on sustainability, two pieces on space travel technology, a new partnership between two well-known companies in our industry, and the July market report from IPC. Keep reading to see what I’m talking about.

How You Know You’re Working With a TQM Company

We spoke with Tim Rodgers, PhD, a senior faculty instructor at the University of Colorado (Boulder) and an expert in supply chain about a wide range of topics. In this excerpt, I ask Tim how to determine whether a company in your supply chain follows TQM practices. His well-informed reply leverages his years of experience in the electronics manufacturing industry.

Hiring With Leadership Style in Mind

Is your leadership style helping or hurting your hiring results? The influence of leadership style on hiring practices is often underestimated, yet it plays a significant role in the long-term success of any business. The costs associated with hiring and onboarding a new employee can easily exceed their annual salary, not to mention the future impact their performance can have on the organization. So, prioritizing the hiring process and approaching it with careful consideration is crucial.

Solving the Challenge of the Workforce Pipeline: A New Resource to Careers in Electronics

An aerospace engineer walks onto the job at $72,770 and can double their salary in just a few years. In fact, careers in the electronics industry can provide a sizable salary, but exactly how much will you make? A new resource from the IPC Education Foundation breaks down the most common career paths in electronics manufacturing, from operators to owners. What jobs are available? What does someone in the electronics industry even do?

Reduce Board Skyline With Solid Cavity Design

With the increasing shrinkage of modern electronics in both board size and product volume, it’s becoming more difficult to mount components to the PCB surface and still meet volumetric requirements. To avoid chip-on-board (COB) processing, board cavities can help mitigate the Z-axis skyline volumetric issues and allow for components that would otherwise not fit within the skyline to be used.

Zero Defects’ Paul Benke: Changes Are Coming

Is Africa the new frontier? In this interview, I speak with Paul Benke, CEO of Zero Defects International, about trends in automation, the apparel industry, and perhaps a manufacturing move into one of the world’s largest continents. Will it be in our lifetimes?

IPC Community Exclusive: The Ongoing Banking Crisis

On May 1, First Republic Bank became the latest addition to the growing list of failed banks, making it the third major bank to collapse in recent months. Previously the 14th largest bank in the United States, First Republic Bank now holds the unenviable title of being the second largest bank failure in U.S. history. Silicon Valley Bank, which was the 16th largest bank in the country, and Signature Bank, the 29th largest bank in the U.S., also collapsed recently. These two bank failures mark the third and fourth largest bank collapses in history. Since the 1970s, more than 90 banks with assets over $1 billion have failed in the United States. Three of the four largest collapses have occurred in the past few months.

American Standard/Sunstone Merger: ‘We Want to Grow the Technology’

On July 13, 2023, American Standard Circuits announced the acquisition of Sunstone Circuits. I-Connect007’s Nolan Johnson connected with ASC CEO Anaya Vardya and Sunstone Vice President and General Manager Matt Stevenson to discuss this new partnership. They detail what the partnership means for each facility, how it affects management, sales, and suppliers, but mostly what the new benefits for customers.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

This week’s must-reads follow the trend toward iterative and ongoing improvements and advancements. The must-know news this week includes coverage of SEMICON (based on reader interest), updates on the EU’s Chips Act and ongoing advocacy for the printed circuits sector, design tips from an aerospace engineer, and a PCB fabrication merger.

Burkle North America: Service With a Smile

It’s a given: Capital equipment, especially equipment that runs hard, will need service. The larger the installed base of equipment, the more service support that will be required. Burkle North America's Service Manager, Evan Howard, discusses how Schmoll’s service organization has grown in response to equipment sales in the region, a conversation that touches on hiring, training, spare parts logistics, and potential future growth. It’s clear that this company intends to keep its service team ahead of the curve.

PCB Technologies Invests in Advanced Packaging

Jeff De Serrano, president of PCB Technologies North America, gives an update on the company’s recent move into advanced packaging—a move that stemmed from company leadership and vision for the future. He also shares his forecast on the PCB market, specifically around rigid-flex, along with some of the challenges the industry still faces.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

It’s been hot in PCB design and manufacturing this week! In this wrap-up, we have an article about safeguarding electronics manufacturing workers from hazardous chemicals, and another about additive processes’ green benefits. Kelly Dack discusses how to keep your design on the road through proper tolerance management, and Joe Fjelstad explains why the next big invention is just one step away from what currently exists, the “adjacent possible.” And Dan Beaulieu, never one to shy away from a controversial topic, explains why now is the time for your sales team to do some old-fashioned, in-person sales calls.

The Right to a Safe, Healthy Work Environment

As we enter a new decade characterized by global transparency, companies are increasingly compelled to prioritize the protection of workers, not only within their own facilities but throughout complex multi-national supply chains. Process chemicals are increasingly being viewed as a human rights issue, as millions of workers in the electronics global supply chain are using process chemicals. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Toxics (2018) reported that there are approximately 160 million cases of occupational disease reported annually across all industry sectors.

Major U.S. Holiday Today: Independence Day

Today marks the 247th Independence Day of the United States of America. Also known as the Fourth of July, this day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress, as well as the declaration by the Congress that the American colonies are free and independent states.

I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

It’s a heady time here in the U.S. between the summer holidays of Memorial Day (last Monday in May) and Independence Day (July 4). This four-week period straddles the Northern solstice, boasts the longest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the high season for outside activities, which may be pulling you away from the office. Am I right? Never fear, I-Connect007 is here to deliver the “must know” news stories.

Are You Still Over-materializing?

During the recent IEEE IMS2023 Exhibition in San Diego, we caught up with James Hofer, general manager of Accurate Circuit Engineering (ACE). The company is a prototype manufacturer of bare printed circuit boards that specializes in high-mix, low volume with an emphasis on RF, microwave, and antennas. A few years ago, we talked to James about the over-materialization of boards. In this recent discussion, we wanted to know if anything has changed regarding materials and approach. James also shares his thoughts on the changes in the design community.

EIPC Summer Conference 2023: Day 2 Review

We had an early start to the second day of the EIPC Summer Conference on Friday, June 16 in Munich. Delegates had returned home safely from the downtown conference dinner and most had successfully avoided late-night networking in the hotel bar. Bright-eyed and attentive, they eagerly awaited the opening session, while casting admiring glances at Alun Morgan who had finally received his baggage and was now splendidly attired in a smart suit, collar and tie.

Isola Changing With the Times

Changing market conditions require changes in approach. I-Connect007’s Barry Matties and Nolan Johnson speak with Isola’s Travis Kelly, Sean Mirshafiei, and Kirk Thompson about Isola’s recent responses to market conditions. In this interview, Kelly, Mirshafiei and Thompson outline recent changes to Isola senior leadership, optimizing manufacturing to meet the needs of the global market, and the strategic importance of advanced packaging to the global economy, and to the U.S., in particular.

Fire Your Hiring Habits

The title of John W. Mitchell’s new book, Fire Your Hiring Habits, says it all. Hiring and retaining talent is an ongoing challenge for our industry that requires unconventional thinking, casting a wider net, and addressing the real issues at hand. John shares his thoughts behind the book and why we need to rethink the entire hiring process.

EIPC Summer Conference 2023: Day 1 Review

Mid-morning on June 15 in Munich, after the conclusion of an informative and thought-provoking keynote session, the EIPC Summer Conference got under way with a series of presentations on Smart manufacturing, introduced and moderated by EIPC board member Dr. Michele Stampanoni, vice president strategic sales and business development at Cicor Group.

EIPC Summer Conference 2023: The Keynote Session

My trips to Munich usually involve my reporting at productronica, which takes place in November, where I’m most often enveloped in the gloom and drizzle of late fall. For EIPC’s recent Summer Conference, it was nice to be in Munich for blue skies, warm sunshine, and longer, brighter evenings. I thoroughly enjoyed being in the Schwabing area, north of the city.

Omron Discusses SPI, AI and More

At the recent SMTA Oregon Tech Forum and Expo, Tim Anderson, a senior account manager at Omron, shares his insights on SPI, the latest trends in the industry, and some solutions to consider. As he points out, the SPI, AOI and AXI systems of today do far more than simply catch defects.
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