-
- 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
A Pilot Program Soars in Mexico
August 23, 2023 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
With plants in Tijuana and Guadalajara, Mexico, that staff more than 3,000 employees, Benchmark Electronics has a continual need for training and certification to stay competitive. Through a unique partnership with IPC, the company was able to train nearly 100 operators and engineers through a pilot program that saved them money and elevated the knowledge base of their workforce.
In this interview, Elizabeth Magana, a regional human resources director for Benchmark, Lorena Villanueva, IPC director of Mexico, and Carlos Plaza, IPC senior director of education development, detail the pilot program and how it serves as an example of training success in electronics manufacturing.
Can you tell us about Benchmark’s presence in Mexico?
Elizabeth Magana: Benchmark has been in Mexico for over 20 years. We manufacture or assemble high-reliability products for large-scale integration, system build to order, PCB assemblies, cable harnesses, and more. We serve key market sectors including complex industrial, defense, and commercial aerospace.
What does your typical onboarding effort look like? How are you getting new hires up to speed?
Elizabeth: We have a robust training program for each of our sites. We have a training team onsite that focuses not only on the production training, but also on company policies, procedures, values, etc.
You were introduced to IPC’s training programs through Lisa Weeks, a former IPC board member and Benchmark executive. What intrigued you to pursue it further?
Elizabeth: In discussing this with our regional leader, we knew that we had some areas of opportunity when it came to knowing all that IPC has to offer, and we saw that there were two areas where IPC could be beneficial to us: the engineering group and direct labor, meaning those who assemble the products.
Often, we find there is confusion on even how to assemble the products to IPC specifications, and there are many conversations that take place between quality engineering and manufacturing, as well as with the assembly teams.
We determined that we would run 44 operators through Electronics Assembly for Operators (EAO), and 25 engineers through Electronics Assembly for Engineers (EAE). We let each site determine who those people would be. Because it’s a pilot program, we didn’t focus on things like seniority or experience, but rather on who would most benefit from the IPC training. Both groups went through the same training no matter their level of experience.
Lorena, how were the courses designed and offered?
Lorena Villanueva: These courses were designed and approved by the industry. EAO is offered fully in Spanish, which was huge for Benchmark because it’s very hard to find operators who are bilingual. The classes are self-paced and online. Benchmark provided the computers and gave the employees the opportunity to go through one or two modules at a time.
Continue reading this interview in the summer 2023 issue of IPC Community.
Suggested Items
Electronics Industry Sentiment Rose in April, Hitting New High
05/02/2024 | IPCApril 2024 marked the third consecutive month of sentiment growth among electronics manufacturers. When asked if they expected labor costs for hourly workers to rise over the next month, manufacturers in the United States, Mexico, and Europe predicted a five percent increase, while manufacturers in Asia predicted a slightly lower four percent increase.
iNEMI Names Grace O'Malley CTO
05/02/2024 | iNEMIThe Board of Directors of the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has named Grace O'Malley Chief Technical Officer (CTO).
ZESTRON Academy Launches 2024 Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics Webinar Series
05/01/2024 | ZESTRONZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated webinar series on Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics, a webinar series on the latest innovations, cleaning, and corrosion challenges.
NextFlex Convenes the Hybrid Electronics Community at Binghamton University
05/01/2024 | NextFlexBinghamton University hosted the NextFlex hybrid electronics community on April 18 for a day of expert presentations, breakout sessions on technology and manufacturing topics, and networking.
HQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics Debut on the International Stage for Electronics Manufacture at IPC APEX 2024
05/01/2024 | PRNewswireHQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics, a leading Chinese-based multilayer PCB manufacturer and assembly house showcased its industrial prowess on the international stage for the first time at the IPC APEX Expo 2024.