Printed Electronics: Cure For Equipment Addiction?
From PCB007
In the last few The Bleeding Edge columns, I explained the potential for printed electronics to change our industry. This week I’ll discuss one area that can certainly benefit from change: Equipment addiction.
When I visit the average PCB shop, a few things jump out at me right away–poor air quality, poor work flow and overall messiness.
And far too much equipment. That’s one big beef I have with most PCB shops. They have a love affair with equipment. It’s like a contest, or a carnival game.
“Step right up, folks! See how much equipment you can acquire before you go bankrupt!”
And it’s a game that too many shops are playing. But not the profitable shops–they have only the quality equipment they need, and it’s nicely laid out.
The best advice I can give board shop owners and managers: To be profitable, you must STOP buying equipment. In fact, take a yearlong hiatus from your acquisition addiction.
Here’s a real example: The test manager had to have a $300,000 x-y coordinator measuring unit to measure a few boards for a special customer.
He argued a good case with the company owner and won. Now, much like his hunting-and-gathering ancestors, his adrenalin surged for the hunt. He called in sales people, acted as if he were very important and had a few free lunches. The QA manager spent days searching the Internet for the best model with all the bells and whistles. The purchase order was issued and a press release generated.
Now, realize that this new do-all measuring unit has been sitting in that shop for two years and is not being used. What do you think this machine has cost the company overall–$300,000? Not even close. How about $800,000?