-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
ESCATEC Expanding Automotive EMS Capabilities
September 6, 2022 | ESCATECEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Integrated electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, ESCATEC, is upgrading its automotive EMS capabilities to meet the growing demand for electronic sub-systems in electric vehicles (EVs).
ESCATEC Electronics - the Group’s business unit located in Penang, Malaysia, - is spearheading the drive to expand in the automotive space under the management of Business Unit Manager, Teoh Ban Chong.
He is responsible for building up the necessary automotive-related talent and skill sets in ESCATEC, besides guiding the Group towards securing the necessary accreditations and standards, developing and implementing processes, systems and automation, as well as developing a reliable supply chain that meets the demanding needs of automotive OEMs.
“Automotive-related EMS presents a different set of challenges compared to other market segments,” said Ban Chong. “For instance, while ESCATEC already has the IATF 16949, we are still securing other automotive-specific international accreditations to qualify us as a potential EMS partner to major car makers. These include the VDA 6 (German Automotive Quality Management System) that will enable ESCATEC to export to Europe.”
There are also other standards relating to the use of hazardous materials and environmental protection, which ESCATEC together with its automotive supply chain will have to comply with, such as IMDS (International Materials Data System), FMD (Full Materials Declaration), GADLS (Global Automotive Declarable Substance List), RRR (Recycle, Reuse and Recover Policy), and others. “Car makers may also have their individual ‘Customer Specific Requirement’ relating to processes or product quality which their EMS partner must be able to satisfy,” explained Ban Chong. Many of these standards will also apply to ESCATEC’s automotive supply chain and the Group is already assisting its vendors towards doing so.
Automotive EMS also relies much more heavily on automation as production runs are usually high-volume/low-margin mix while the quality and safety of the product is vital. “The high use of automation minimises the possibility of human and material errors and enables standardised high quality to be delivered across the board,” explained Ban Chong. “Moreover, recent history shows that manufacturing defects can cause huge losses to car makers in recalls, warranties, and loss of reputation.”
The risk and consequences of manufacturing defects have prompted car makers to demand that their manufacturing partners and respective supply chains have in place a very effective ‘traceability system’ which can trace every single item, component, and raw material, that goes into each product. “Car makers are very stringent on safety as people’s lives are at stake, thus they want to be able to trace every fault that may occur in their vehicles back to the source and identify any vehicles that might be at risk,” added Ban Chong.
ESCATEC Electronics currently has two automotive customers with one assembly line each. “We are already in discussion with potential new customers,” said Ban Chong, “so we are planning new assembly lines besides forming a dedicated NPI (New Product Introduction) team to serve automotive-related projects.
Background on EV growth
Recent developments illustrate the growing importance of the global electric vehicle market with industry analysts projecting that the worldwide market will grow on average 24% annually from 2021 until 2028 (from US$287 billion in 2021 to US$1,318 billion in 2028).
Much of the growth is being driven by international efforts to cut carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, as illustrated at the landmark UN climate talks held in Glasgow in Nov 2021 when 30 national governments and six major car manufacturers - including Ford, Mercedes Benz, General Motors, and Volvo – announced that they will work toward phasing out sales of new petrol or diesel-powered vehicles by 2035 in the developed world and elsewhere by 2040.
Suggested Items
All-Inclusive: PRIDE Industries Helps Employees With Disabilities to Succeed
05/01/2024 | Sandy Gentry, IPCPRIDE Industries is the leading employer of people with disabilities and those with other barriers to employment in the United States, including veterans and former foster youth. The company offers job training, placement, on-the-job coaching, and skills development for independent living. It has held IPC membership since 2000. Read more about this unique business and its connection to the electronics manufacturing industry.
U.S. Companies Invest Heavily in Robots
04/30/2024 | IFRManufacturing companies in the United States have invested heavily in more automation: total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023. Number one adopter is the car industry followed by the electrical and electronics sector.
Flex Receives Ericsson 2023 Supplier Sustainability Award
04/30/2024 | FlexEricsson recently awarded Flex with its 2023 Supplier Sustainability Award — the second time since 2021. The award recognizes the extended supply chain benefits from sustainable manufacturing operations in the Flex facility in Tczew, Poland, that runs on 100 percent renewable energy.
USPAE to Springboard U.S. Technology Forward
04/30/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineThe U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) was launched as a nonprofit subsidiary of IPC in 2020, specifically to manage the DoD relationship and access to funding, and to develop a cooperative facility to develop UHDI capabilities in the U.S., not only for the defense sector, but for the whole of the U.S. electronics industry. It is a tall order, but industry veteran Joe O'Neil believes it will happen. Having been tasked with making the UHDI Capable Cooperative Production Facility (UCCPF) a reality, he provides an update on this important project for U.S. electronics manufacturing.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Insight into Summit Interconnect's Success
04/30/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOShane Whiteside, CEO of Summit Interconnect, discusses the company's recent recognition as one of the best PCB fabricators in the industry by receiving IPC's Peter Sarmanian award. Whiteside touches on the impact of changes in the marketplace, such as the Defense Production Act and presidential determination, on their growth. Whiteside also shares the company's focus on mechanical and data automation to enhance manufacturing processes and anticipates more automation and evolution in the industry.