IPC has compiled reports on two studies that were conducted to assess the comparative quality benchmarks of electronics manufacturing service providers worldwide, and an analysis of global trends in this industry, respectively.
The Study of Quality Benchmarks for the Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Industry for 2014 provides data to electronics assembly companies interested in comparing their key 2013 quality metrics to those of other assembly companies by company size, region and type of product.
The survey-based study addresses five major groups of manufacturing and service measurements: production, quality control, customer satisfaction, supplier performance and certification data. The survey sample includes 75 EMS companies from the Americas, Europe and Asia with annual sales ranging from under $10 million to more than $500 million.
Respondents reported on their use of various electronics assembly test and inspection methods, including in-circuit testing (ICT), manufacturing defects analyser (MDA), flying probe, boundary scan, automated optical inspection (AOI), X-ray inspection and final functional tests.
They also reported their average test and inspection results, such as first-pass yield, defect rate in defects per million opportunities (DPMO) and yield at final inspection. Internal yields were reported for key processes, including surface mounting, wave soldering and selective soldering. Data on average cost of poor quality (COPQ) was reported for rework and scrap.
The study also reports industry production data, including number of printed board assemblies and number of surface-mount and plated through-hole components placed, as well as types of certifications received. Customer satisfaction metrics such as returns and on-time delivery are also provided, in addition to supplier performance metrics for PCB and component on-time deliveries and lot rejection rate.
Where in the World? A Regional Strategy Roadmap for Electronics Manufacturers is a study conducted by BPA Consulting, providing critical information about 30 countries and analysis of their relative advantages to electronics manufacturers, as well as the outlook for future development.
The countries were assessed as locations for possible investment in electronics manufacturing operations based on a comparison of relevant economic, social, legislative, educational, logistic and technical factors that influence the way in which these regions are developing. The study describes how key industry sectors are adopting and benefiting from the local characteristics of each region.
“Market opportunities around the world basically involve three factors: making things cheaply in high volume to supply existing markets; fabricating intelligence/technology-rich products for mature markets where rapid response and flexibility are at a premium; and the potential for substantial new markets as gross domestic product per capita increases,” said Nick Pearne, director, BPA Consulting.
He adds, “From the late ‘90s to the early years of this millennium, China was an inexpensive area in which to grow production. This balance is now shifting as the Chinese economy develops and the second and third factors are coming into play. While it is true that North America, Europe and Japan remain the largest consumer markets worldwide, the populations of China and India and therefore the potential markets of these countries exceed those of the traditional wealthy economies several times over.”
The report provides analysis on how nations handle intellectual property and how overseas investments into each country indicate levels of confidence and enable industrial development. It was designed to convey the majority of information graphically, offering a comparative, standard format to enable rapid assessment of the relative potential of the covered economies.
For more information visit www.ipc.org/industrydata
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