EMS and Strategic Planning

My article in the August issue of Circuits Assembly magazine looks at the question: Can market research help investment decisions?

Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers vary widely in the effort put into strategic planning. Some have dedicated strategic planning functions that develop internal reports and presentations on changing market dynamics and purchase market research for specific industries as part of the company’s overall strategic planning efforts. Others buy packaged market research studies or outsource specific research needs prior to developing strategic plans. Some companies center on trends within their internal customer and prospect base, focusing planning on the likely needs of the market they know best. And a few just go with the flow, reacting to customer requests but otherwise not engaging in any form of strategic planning.

Based on my experience, the right answer is somewhere in the middle. I’ve worked in companies so fixated on studying the market they grew more slowly than they would have had those resources been allocated to sales and marketing activities. In some cases, “studying things” actually became a way to avoid making hard decisions. I’ve also seen companies that failed to do any strategic planning surprised by market or technology shifts.

One thing to remember:

If you are not positioning your company, the market trends or your closest competitor will be.

You can read the full article here.

We’ll also be exploring strategic planning and EMS trends in much greater detail in PMCI’s half day workshop at SMTAI:

Identifying EMS Market Trends: Learn to Predict the Future and Help Your Company Lead the Pack

SMTA International, Rosemont, IL
Sunday, September 25 | 1:30pm — 5:00pm

Topics Covered Include:

• Typical cycles which repeat in the EMS industry
• Key events likely to trigger changes in demand
• Useful strategic planning tools
• Creating business models which can readily adapt to changing markets.

The early bird deadline for registration is Aug. 26. Register here.

 

 

PMCI Workshop Scheduled

PMCI will be conducting a workshop at this year’s SMTA International:

Identifying EMS Market Trends: Learn to Predict the Future and Help Your Company Lead the Pack

SMTA International, Rosemont, IL
Sunday, September 25 | 1:30pm — 5:00pm

Course Objectives
What Participants Will Learn: Do you ever wish your company could be offering services just as the market starts to recognize a need for them? The electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry is still very young, yet demand patterns are established. This course will teach participants ways to identify external factors that may signal market change and suggest strategies for adapting to changing demand patterns. It will also teach participants to apply common sense and industry knowledge in ways which help their companies lead the pack instead of struggling to keep up with changing market dynamics.

Topics Covered

• Typical cycles which repeat in the EMS industry
• Key events likely to trigger changes in demand
• Useful strategic planning tools
• Creating business models which can readily adapt to changing markets.

Register here.

EMS Session at SMTA International Focused on Lean Manufacturing Strategy

If you are planning on attending SMTA International in Rosemont, Illinois mark your calendars for this Tuesday conference event that Mike Buetow from Circuits Assembly and I will be co-chairing:

Taking the Cost Out of EMS: Getting the Best Return for Lean Initiatives

Sept. 29, 2015

11 am – 12:30pm

In today’s world of variable demand and higher mix product, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies need to be flexible and agile to respond to changing customer needs. At the same time, EMS companies also need to address efficiency and cost reduction in an environment characterized by razor thin margins. Does a more holistic approach to implementing Lean manufacturing philosophy hold the answers to best addressing these challenges? Join us as a regional EMS provider and supplier of manufacturing shop floor control solutions discuss how a Lean, yet agile EMS operation can be created by rethinking how customers, the supply chain, support functions and manufacturing operations work together in an interconnected Lean environment. Following the presentations, there will be a panel discussion with the audience focused on ways this type of holistic approach can eliminate the common constraints to effective Lean implementation found in the EMS environment.

Agenda:

• Lean Flow on the SMT Factory Floor
  • Michael Ford, Mentor Graphics, Valor Division
• Applying Lean Philosophies to Supply Chain Management in EMS
  • Wally Johnson, Firstronic
• Panel Discussion

For more information and to register, visit http://www.smta.org/smtai.

Don’t Miss The Supply Chain Conflict Minerals Compliance Session at This Year’s SMTAI Conference

Don’t miss the session that PMCI co-organizes with Circuits Assembly Magazine at this year’s SMTA International Show

Supply Chain Conflict Minerals Compliance 

Chair: Susan Mucha, Powell-Mucha Consulting, Inc.

Co-Chair: Mike Buetow, UP Media Group

Wednesday, October 1, 4:00pm — 5:30pm Room 51

In the wake of the Dodd-Frank legislation mandating reporting of minerals mined in war-torn regions like the DRC, several initiatives and templates for defining and reporting use of these elements have been developed by worldwide organizations, including the Conflict-Free Tin Initiative, the EICC Conflict-Free Smelter Program, and the IPC Conflict Minerals Due Diligence Guide. This session looks at where these programs intersect, best practices for compliance, and some of the tools for compliance.

• Contract Manufacturing and Conflict Minerals: Creating a Workable Compliance System

John Sheehan and Allen Abell, SigmaTron International

• Lessons Learned from AIM’s Participation in the CFTI

David Suraski, AIM

• Panel Discussion

Aidan Turnbull, Ph.D., ENVIRON International

Chris Nowak, Actio

Conference details are available at: http://www.smta.org/smtai/at_a_glance.cfm.

Nearshoring in Southeast Asia Article and Upcoming Event Reminder

My October article in Circuits Assembly magazine looks at nearshoring in Southeast Asia. I made another trip to Singapore in August and continue to notice parallels in the way Singapore’s supply base leverages adjacent low cost labor markets with what I see here on the U.S./Mexico border. It is definitely an option worth exploring for supplying end markets within Asia and Europe.

Also, don’t forget the EMS-related session Mike Buetow and I have scheduled for SMTAI next week.

Seamless Sourcing Teams: Best Practices in Information Exchange

Chair: Susan Mucha, Powell-Mucha Consulting, Inc.

Co-Chair: Mike Buetow, UP Media Group

Place: SMTA International in Ft. Worth, TX

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 10:30 am – 1 pm, Room 203C

Synopsis: The quality of IT solutions and internal processes for optimizing production efficiency continue to grow in importance in the outsourcing equation. This session looks at trends and best practices in managing design reviews, production documentation, and material and production status. The session includes a range of perspectives reflecting both supplier solutions and iNEMI’s 2013 Information Management Systems Roadmap.

Topics/Speakers:

• Best Practices for Improving the PCB Supply Chain, Cheryl Tulkoff and Craig Hillman, Ph.D., DfR Soultions
• Accountability Structure in a Contract Manufacturing Engineering Department, Mike Gerner, Plexus Corp.
• Developing a Knowledge Based Risk Identification System for Sophisticated SMT Assembly Design and Development, Jingsong Xie, Ph.D., RelEng Technologies, Inc.
• Managing Information Across the Supply Chain: Highlights from the iNEMI Roadmap, Barbara Goldstein, National Institute of Standards and Technology

To register visit: http://smta.org/smtai/register.cfm.

Mark Your Calendars For This SMTA International Session

Mike Buetow, Circuits Assembly’s Editor-in-Chief, and I are changing up the format in this year’s Contract Manufacturing-focused session to focus more closely on industry trends and roadmaps.

Seamless Sourcing Teams: Best Practices in Information Exchange

Chair: Susan Mucha, Powell-Mucha Consulting, Inc.

Co-Chair: Mike Buetow, UP Media Group

Place: SMTA International in Ft. Worth, TX

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 10:30 am – 1 pm, Room 203C

Synopsis: The quality of IT solutions and internal processes for optimizing production efficiency continue to grow in importance in the outsourcing equation. This session looks at trends and best practices in managing design reviews, production documentation, and material and production status. The session includes a range of perspectives reflecting both supplier solutions and iNEMI’s 2013 Information Management Systems Roadmap.

Topics/Speakers:

• Best Practices for Improving the PCB Supply Chain, Cheryl Tulkoff and Craig Hillman, Ph.D., DfR Soultions
• Accountability Structure in a Contract Manufacturing Engineering Department, Mike Gerner, Plexus Corp.
• Developing a Knowledge Based Risk Identification System for Sophisticated SMT Assembly Design and Development, Jingsong Xie, Ph.D., RelEng Technologies, Inc.
• Managing Information Across the Supply Chain: Highlights from the iNEMI Roadmap, Barbara Goldstein, National Institute of Standards and Technology

To register visit: http://smta.org/smtai/register.cfm.

Thoughts on SMTAI and APEX

My December column in Circuits Assembly looked at SMTAI, some of the activities that took place and the news that IPC and SMTA would be combining forces once again. I think combined IPC/SMTA programming is a great idea and will create a very strong show.

IPC’s APEX show is just around the corner and I’ll be there as well. As with SMTAI, I’ll be doing a few video interviews as part of iConnect007’s Live programming. I’ll be chairing a panel on Nearshoring, which I’ll discuss in more detail once everything is firmed up a little more. The Nearshoring panel will be videotaped and I’ll post a link.

Finally, I’ll also be teaching a session IPC EMS Program Management Certification program. I worked with IPC last year to revamp my session as part of an effort to compress the first two sections of the course into a 3-day program. It seems to be working well. We’ve already got another class scheduled for March in Atlanta.

New Program Management Article and Events

I’d like to say the lazy days of summer were catching up with me, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Business has been very good and when that happens discretionary activities like my blog take a backseat.

That said I’ve been publishing articles and working on fall events.

Here is my latest article on dealing with program management challenges.

Also, there are two upcoming events in October that you may want to add to your calendar.

I’ll be teaching an IPC EMS Program Management Certification class in Tampa on Oct. 4th. If you’ve been thinking about this program, that is a great place and time to take a class.

And, I’m headed back to Florida a couple of weeks later for SMTAI, where I co-organize a Contract Manufacturing Symposium with Mike Buetow and Circuits Assembly Magazine.

Here’s a preview:

Strategies for a Changing Market

Chair: Susan Mucha, Powell-Mucha Consulting, Inc. Co-Chair: Mike Buetow, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Magazine Tuesday, October 16 | 10:30am – 1:00pm | Asia 3 FREE with VIP or Technical Conference Registration! As global economies continue to evolve, so do EMS and OEM relationships. Onshore or offshore? Can regional providers really offer a comprehensive full service solution? What aftermarket services make sense in the EMS model? This session looks at these topics and more. Session format includes: four presentations and a panel discussion on the evolving EMS business model.

• The Evolving Nature of Offshore/Onshore Options Curtis Campbell, SigmaTron International
• Force Multiplication-Supporting Complex Customer Requirements at a Regional Level Rick Herndon, Firstronic, LLC
• Aftermarket Services: An EMS and OEM Perspective Bryce “Skip” Boothby Jr., Celestica Inc.
• Re-shoring: Total Cost of Ownership, a Contract Manufacturing Guide  Alexander Zeitler, BTW, Inc.

Latest EMT Worldwide Article Posted

My latest EMT Worldwide column discussing trends I saw at SMTAI 2011 is now available.