MoonMan
I have a broad shoulder to cry upon. However, I suggest, from personal
experience, that the most successful assemblers are those who get on
with doing a damn good job, working towards perfecting their facilities
and not sitting down, reading specs and test methods or sending endless
e-mails to forums such as this (those who really wish to know something,
scan the archives first, as their question has surely been asked
before). If they do any reading, it may be the odd technical paper or
book that they may take to bed with them in lieu of Agatha Christie.
They absorb technical knowledge in free exchanges with their peers, of
course, but 95% of what they know is from downright "hands-on"
experience which can only be gained by getting those same hands dirty.
Handling paper will never get your hands so dirty. I know some very
successful assembly houses in both developed and developing nations. The
common factor is the tech manager striving for as near-perfection as
possible -- and finding it. In some cases, they cannot even read a
single word in English (and nearly everything about out industry is
published only in that language), let alone know what ISO 9000 or 14000
means. They are ABOVE such bureaucratic formalities: their product cries
out quality, not a piece of paper stuck in a frame on the wall.
OK, it sounds like I'm being deadly iconoclastic, but there are three
ways for good, small, companies to be forced to put their key under the
doormat:
1. move to larger premises without contingency planning
2. become bureaucratically minded by a slavish adherence to standards,
more than sound commonsense
3. become too big for their boots by pretending they can do things which
they don't know how to.
I've seen it happen, all too often, but the companies that survive are
the pragmatists. Even large companies who are teetering or have
teetered, including Enron, may fit into either category 2. or 3. above
(or both).
Just some thoughts from 50 years of professional involvement in our
industry and lots of observation. The biggest advice I have is, when the
revenue is down, then is the time to invest in new plant and processes.
If you wait until you can no longer cope before deciding to invest, your
new plant will come on line successfully only when the next downturn is
starting, because you never had time to get your hands dirty in
perfecting its use. Then it sits idle. What a waste!
We don't have bears in this country (except on the Stock Exchange), so
our caves are habitable all year round. But I like to think we have our
feet on the ground, rather than our heads in a surrealistic cloud up in
the ozone layer.
Brian
Earl Moon wrote:
>
> For my technical friends, and the guy enjoying our via in pad issues though
> haveing no problems himself now knowing him to be a technical non combatant
> (totally unarmed in any sense), I wish to tell a little story.
>
> Once upon a time there was a MoonMan. He talked the talk and sometimes even
> walked the walk. A true hero he but for haveing much trouble with his love
> life (a never ending saga not to be sharred with faint of heart) and
> complete envy of Bev and Chris having found true bliss. On to his
> "technical" life.
>
> The MoonMan wanted to place orders with "Big Steve's" organization but my
> boss and I both decided the price was too steep though the cost would have
> been much lower than what happened later. By the way, Big Steve should be
> very happy never having to put up with our designs though I wish we could
> have gone there with all fantastic references I received about him and his
> abilities. You folks ever heard of him and them? Worth the price I tell you.
>
> Anyway, we went to another assembly capability and did well until, just
> after they closed the doors, we no longer were able to do business with
> them. Never knew what hit us or them. Everyone was laid off without notice
> to them or us. How could this have happened in such an improving economy?
>
> We had to go out and find another assembly house. Luck would have it I had
> visited MPI (in CT) over two years ago and was impressed. We just received
> some of the best assemblies ever including valuable DFM input, with
> attendant solder joints, ever even though the designs were still screwed up
> though the before mentioned TI parts held together. These folks have a
> separate prototpye capability using the same processes they use down stairs.
> They even tape and reel. They are terrific and I hope they stay in business
> forever. I wish there were more like this.
>
> I don't have a clue where this story is going. I'm just hoping we face no
> more door closures and have to search for another capability. I must say,
> I'm looking for a backup and a major player to do our volume but I doubt my
> original large company will fill the bill. Hell, I was going to "can" all
> the data and documentation from their tech center and send it to them for
> volume production. That will now not happen.
>
> Sob, sob, I cannot continue with this tragedy. I need a quiet place to
> contemplate. When the bears come out of their winter sleep, maybe I'll
> return to the cave. WHERE HAVE ALL THE ASSEMBLERS GONE - LONG TIME PASSING?
>
> MoonSobMan
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d
> To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
> the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
> To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL
> To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
> Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives
> Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional
> information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL
To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional
information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
