Keysight’s Superior ICT Services Solving EMS Industry Challenges

Organization

• Delivers services to ensure your ICT’s quality uptime

Challenges

• EMS tries to save cost by partnering with a 3rd party support organization resulting in increased ICT downtime

Solutions

• Keysight ICT support services provides:

-       ISO calibration

-       Latest software

-       Highest quality part replacement

-       High workmanship standards

Results

• 50% ICT downtime event reduction in EMS Operations

Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Today

In the last few decades, the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry has proven the benefits of strategic outsourcing. EMS companies offer many services along with product design, assembly, and test. As simple as it sounds, these EMS services are not achieved easily. EMS providers face many challenges including shrinking margins due to global competition and new technology advances that drive prices down. Cost efficiency is key for EMS providers to remain profitable and require a continuous balance between cutting costs and investing in new equipment and services to stay competitive. The use of multiple measures and tools help to achieve and maintain an EMS company’s competitive edge.

EMS Cost Efficiency

Efficient management of cost of services is key for every EMS company.

Cost efficiency measurements include

• Assembly and test system downtime. Any cause for downtime that affects the resulting output is expensive. Minimizing downtime is a constant goal.

• Mean-Time-Between Failure (MTBF) – measures a product’s quality and relies heavily on components quality and assembly. 

• Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) score – identifies the percentage of manufacturing time that is truly productive versus idle time.

Cost efficiency tools used include

• LEAN, a process for continuous improvement, applies lean practices, principles, and tools for product and process development.

• Kaizen method of making incremental positive changes to achieve continuous improvement.

• Six Sigma, quality process to identify and remove defect causing elements.

-       Black Belt approach of defining, measurement, analyzing, improving, and controlling (DMAIC model).

Ultimately, these measures and tools may not be enough. Continuous cost pressures can entice EMS companies to select lower-priced solutions, professional services in this case, and can result in higher operational cost in the long run

This case study describes an EMS company that chose to return to Keysight ICT service and support after more than a year of lower-priced service available from an 3rd party service provider

Challenge: Ensure Optimal ICT Support Services

A highly successful EMS provider switched from Keysight’s in-circuit tester (ICT) repair services to a 3rd party service provider for a lower price. The intent of this decision was to reduce the company’s operations costs. Unfortunately, the lower-priced service resulted in the neglect of prescribed periodic ICT calibration and preventative maintenance. The use of old spare parts to repair the ICT system resulted in increased downtime events and many additional hours of troubleshooting and downtime expense. The ICT equipment gradually suffered more and more downtime and cost efficiency measurements showed shorter MTBFs, and lower OEE scores

During this time, Keysight worked to understand the operational situation and propose a Keysight support strategy that would restore the company’s ICT to a cost-effective status