Marcy's Musings: The Growing Industry
It’s Only Common Sense: Here’s What To Do After IPC APEX EXPO 2024
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Seeing the HowA Conversation with Laurent Nicolet, Schmid Group
December 7, 2014 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
During the recent HKPCA and IPC Show, held in Shenzhen, China, I had a chance to talk with Laurent Nicolet, VP - PCB Business Unit of Schmid Group . The thing that really caught my eye was the crowd gathered around a piece of automation technology that they were displaying in their booth. Automation is in very big demand here in China. The following was transcribed from an audio interview I conducted in Schmid’s booth with Laurent regarding the technology and the changes he has seen in the China market.
007: So we’re looking at some flexible automation here?
LN: Yes, these are intralogistic, so it transports the parts from point A to point B. The system is fully intelligent; it can choose the way that you want even if the way is occupied or not. The big advantage of the system is it is fully flexible. If you need to extend or change the track it is very simple and not a lot of hardware is necessary for a change. The interesting things for the electronic industry is that you can have some assembly parts on the shuttle so that during the transport of the parts we can take currents from the rail and make a check of the parts.
007: This would certainly add value to what is normally a non-value added step, moving product from step to the next. So now, it’s not just transporting it’s adding value to the manufacturing process?
LN: Yes, that is when it is helpful and a benefit of the system.
007: Is this a system you guys designed?
LN: We acquired a company in Switzerland called Montratec a few years ago and now we have transferred the production partially in Germany and also in China.
007: The automation in China, there's a big demand for that, yes?
LN: It's a big demand now, especially in the car industry and the medical industry.
007: So what do you see here in the China market?
LN: I think for the next five years automation will be a big boom. Some companies are interested to buy some small machine such as this to assemble just one process and transfer it to the next one with this kind of logistic.
007: Now is this the only automation that you have to offer or do you have other products?
LN: No we call this intralogistic, just the logistic of the parts on a production, and we have a department in Germany where we make the full automation integration, where we can work on the parts directly and continue the process. We were originally using it more for photovoltaic before but now we have extended it to another type of industry.
Page 1 of 2
Share on:
Suggested Items
Marcy's Musings: The Growing Industry
04/16/2024 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsAfter decades of steady decline in the U.S. and Europe, the PCB industry is finally growing, especially in China Plus One countries. The U.S. for example, which seemed to have abdicated its title as the world leader in innovating high-technology cutting-edge manufacturing processes, is now in a race to regain what it lost and then some. The PCB fabrication industry is growing in the West, thanks to DoD funding, the CHIPS and Science Act, and hopefully, the passing of HR 3249, the Printed Circuit Board and Substrates Act.
PCB007 Magazine April 2024 — The Growing Industry Issue
04/15/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAfter more than two decades of steady decline in the U.S., the PCB industry is finally growing in the West thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, DoD funding, and hopefully, the passing of HR 3249, the Printed Circuit Board and Substrates Act. The U.S. is now in a race to regain what was lost and then some. But what does “growing” look like for the organizations that have received DoD funding, and for the rest of us? How can we sustain this growth?
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Seeing the How
04/11/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: Dan's Biz BookshelfI might say this about a lot of books, but this one is a must-read. The author addresses a whole new way of doing business. It’s not like one day we woke up and there it was, a new way to get a ride (Uber), a new home away from home (Airbnb), a new way to get groceries (Instacart) and (DoorDash), and so on. The flood gates have opened, and there’s more to come.
IPC WinterCom 2024 Through the Eyes of One Dedicated Student
04/12/2024 | Sanjay Huprikar, IPCLauriane Testuz stands as a testament to the power of curiosity, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Her story serves as a reminder that the path to success is often paved by an unwavering commitment to one's dreams.
What’s New in Design Education at IPC APEX EXPO?
04/11/2024 | Kelly Allen, IPC Training ManagerKelly (Kel) Allen shares her thoughts on the educational offerings at IPC APEX EXPO and beyond. In this interview, she discusses some of the newest classes taking place during the conference in Anaheim, covering everything from design, fab, and assembly through mil/aero, test, and supply chain issues.