Meeting of business leaders

On what background is this planned co-operation based between these two key players in the arena of electronic manufacturing?

After very detailed discussions between Agilent and Siplace, we decided to realize a close partnership in order to further develop the technology in surface-mount production lines. Here, we are especially focusing on continuous process optimization down the line, and the control of DPM (defects per million) rates at the end of the line. Placed as part of production line there are AOI (automated optical inspection) and AXI (automated X-ray) systems or electrical board testers, respectively. Via special interfaces, the verification results of the Agilent systems will be immediately fed back through a closed loop into the Siplace equipment in order to continuously optimize stencil printing, component placement, the reflow process, etc. We use the measurement data from the test stage to correlate them with the results from the process. This can be a very valuable tool understanding manufacturing procedures even better, und to get helpful alertinformation in case something goes the wrong direction. The measurement data will not be used as a „filter“ giving pass or fail signals, but as a process sensor in-dicating the manufacturing trends, and providing means for process validation. Therefore, it can be a very valuable helpin order to assure higher yields andbetter product quality. If necessary, the complete process can then be refined immediately.

Co-operating or partnering has become a kind of overused buzzword; in which way will you bring life into your concept?

This strategical alliance is based on several levels of realization. One of them is the integration of Agilent’s portfolio of optical and X-ray and also electrical test solutions into total full-line projects together with Siplace. Clearly, the optical and X-ray inspection after single process steps can obtain the optimum data from the manufacturing process to correlate results and the tuning actions possibly needed. That’s what we call the process sensors, a tool for automated optimization without any delay. Moreover, the electrical tests (in-circuit and functional) will give information on yield and quality in the board assembly, and are also good indicators for the whole production process itself, but come at the end of the line. On the production side, supported by optical and X-ray-based validation of the process, the Siplace team is in charge, co-operating tightly with Agilent. For the electrical test side, it’s solely Agilent’s task. We will establish well-defined interfaces between these different areas of the partners, in engineering and support, technological and in regard to responsibility and expertise.

From the user’s point, what is innovative or outstanding with this configuration?

Both enterprises are acting on a global scale providing solutions worldwide, and this is one of the keys in this project. We both have to fulfill high requirements esteeming from multinational users, and it’s an absolute prerequisite that both are real global businesses capable of providing solutions, customer support and service in an outstanding style of presence and quality all over the world. People familiar with the electronic business may confirm which authoritative partners have found a common base here, but with different roles based on their core competence. Unique in this case will be the arrangement of our solutions in a closed-loop system where a line is capable of self-control and self-aligning, and the operator receives warning information from the process at a very early stage, in case something is beginning to go wrong.

This looks like a real process control with the aim of avoiding unwanted developements right from its beginning?

It is our declared target to optimize the SMT process on a very high level where the user doesn’t have to contact a lot of different specialist firms to eventually find out what solution he needs from a number of suppliers. Our product approaches are complementary: Siplace is going to the total solution provider business for the production section, and Agilent forces an intelligent test strategy with inherent process optimization. This seems a perfect match, because there is really no overlapping, and both can rely upon their core competence. At the end of the day, global or multinational customers will significantly benefit from this co-operation.

When such equal and profound partners come together, it appears like a „balance of power“.

This is a very important issue here, because we have to serve the global electronics manufacturing community on the same high level, and that needs powerful presence from both of us. Both companies play at the high end of technology, so teaming up must not present problems, neither for the customers nor for us. However, it is a condition that both partners must be capable of providing their set of products and services all over the world in extraordinary quality and technology. These are what our customers are expecting. Just to remember the best-in-class discussion, we must state that excellent technology has to be made available to every user, regardless where he resides. Therefore, besides the best-in-class philosophy there is also a strategy needed for „best“ global presence. Otherwise, such technologies can not be used according to their potential.

Are the contract manufacturers the typical global customers? Are they your „golden“ business target?

In fact, the electronics contract manufacturers are strongly globalizing their businesses, flowing to all corners of the globe. When they move to remote production sites, we have to follow or better we have to be already present; and this of course needs many resources from the financial and staff sides we have to provide inevitably. If such a customer made the decision utilizing our equipment and expertise on his shop floor, he likely expects that we deliver support, service of all kinds, spare parts, and many more always in time. However, we shouldn’t forget the large multinational OEMs manufacturing telecommunication, automotive and consumer electronics, running production facilities all over the world. They are encountering the same tasks and, therefore, will put the same necessities to their solution providers.

How will this be realized and managed, what kind of support structure must be in place behind those efforts?

In this case, the solution provider Siplace has the global responsibility for its activities localized in Norcross, USA. Here in the Georgia HQ, headed by Pat Trippel, is the worldwide support center carrying the main responsibility. Moreover, two regional headquarters in Munich and Singapore will provide the necessary offshore backup for the European and the Asian markets, respectively. First contacts will always be made from the sales teams which can ask for support in product management, solution providing and the project realization. The business is necessarily always local, but the strategy is global. From Agilent’s side the Colorado-based headquarters (ma-nufacturing test business unit in Boulder) has the main responsibility for the worldwide relationship in those projects, tightly partnering with Siplace in Norcross. Additionally, there are three regional teams assigned for Europe, Asia and the Americas. They provide the test expertise and support to the sales force. We are targeting to provide more added values to our customers. For them, the sales contact doesn’t change, but finally they will receive solutions with an even higher degree of perfection from our side.

Where do you see your strengths in such a close partnering?

Our partnering means also technological and R&D co-operations on levels of software and joint projects. We have first identified and then are sharing our roadmaps for engineering. Look for example on our joint design work for the IPC2540 and XML standards, a common language which will be understood from all equipment, needed to implement solutions optimally. It is a software alternative to the GEM standard with the aim coming to a kind of plug&play solution for the equipment, raising the productivity in system integration at new levels. This XML for equipment is not yet released, but both companies have the commitment and power to push it towards a widely accepted norm. We feel our customers will and must not wait for more years until something will be done here; instead, we have taken driver’s seats developing together the appropriate solution with our clients. This is clearly not a mere Siplace-Agilent discussion, but a dialog with the users to understand what they really need in detail. We will be measured by our clientsin terms of performance, productivity, throughput, modularity, etc. – and we can no longer focus on assembly or test alone, but have to provide the whole picture in a fast way.

For the XML standard for equipment plug&play, do you expect a solution and its acceptance within a reasonable time?

Both companies are very committed to this standardization, and have brought some specifications to widely accepted norms in the past. In fact, we are both driving the IPC standardization effort around shop-floor communication (IPC 2540). We are pretty optimistic that something similar will happen again. In fact, it’s not an isolated invention. It’s the result of fruitful relationships between us and our customers which are expecting ever growing productivity and quality while costs have to come down. As pioneering and steering solution providers with a certain size and market influence we have a very good chance for realization. At the moment, the market is still focused on best-in-class solutions with the old GEM and SECS specifications. For our plug&play invention an exceptional interface technology is a prerequisite; apart from our efforts, we didn’t see any mainstream developments from other sides. We still want to deliver best-in-class, but on a higher, even more integrated level with integration software implemented, allowing the easiest and fastest realization of production lines.

Siplace is co-operating with Speedline, too. Is there some interference to expect?

No, the solution-providing business with Agilent is done on a different level and doesn’t interfere with the Speedline connection for printers, dispense and oven equipment. When a customer is interested in lines mixed with Siplace and Speedline equipment, there is absolutely no problem. However, we have defined new Siplace product lines consisting of our own reflow ovens and stencil printers, so we can offer now the complete production line from one hand, and there is the intrinsic addition of Agilent’s test and inspection equipment with optimized interfaces to the production machines. The Agilent co-operation is based on multiple levels to fulfill the customers‘ requirements, for example, on adjusted future engineering roadmaps, common support strategies, and so on.

Have a look at the service and support for that equipment. What is the allocation of tasks?

As far as the Siplace production equipment such as printer, placer and oven is concerned, it’s of course Siplace’s responsibility. For the optical and X-ray inspection area it’s mainly Agilent’s, but we also expect a joint effort. It’s a very important aspect of our close co-operation that we will solve the customers‘ needs together to provide optimum solutions in a fast way. For the integration of complete lines from different sources, the critical issue was always the project responsibility, especially when there were half a dozen suppliers involved. Here we have only two very close partnering companies, and that’s unique. Agilent has an outstanding expertise in the test arena. For every individual installation, we will jointly find out which is the best way for optimum support in the inspection and test area. This depends strongly on the local situation and the effects shown from a particular production line. In general, Agilent sees an important element of its further development of an intelligent test strategy in this strategic alliance. It is the next logical step to put this expertise in a combination with manufacturing skills. In this way, a closed-loop in SMT lines from the very beginning with stencil printing up to the AOI and X-ray stage and electrical test is achieved. Both companies can therefore bring an even higher value to the customers‘ shop floor. Additionally, because many manufacturers are encountering a lack of well-trained experts in their production facilities, we can go in and provide them with the expertise needed. Therefore, the solution doesn’t mean equipment alone, but it’s a full complement of machines, knowledge or brainware, process understanding, production experience and much more. Take, for example, the ramping-up of the production of a new product within a reasonable time and with good yield and quality. Agilent provides consultancy service around the test issues, Siplace around process tuning and validation – and that gives a full picture.

EPP 205

Agilent Technologies, the now one-year-old offspring of professional electronics giant Hewlett-Packard, is mainly focused on the business fields of test and measurement (T&M). Here it relies upon 60 years of experience of the well-known mothercompany, founded by legendary pioneers Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard back in 1938. With a staff of about 46,000 it is a world leader in its declared arena of expertise: test, measurement, instruments, systems and solutions as well as semiconductor and optical components. The T&M activities, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, are headed by the newly appointed general manager Kamran Firooz. In the last fiscal year, the enterprise reached a turnover of $10.8bn, and, best of all, made earnings of 0.9bn. That is an overall plus of 29%, compared to the figures before the spin-off activities from HP have taken effect. The T&M pioneer had its best results in terms of growth in Europe (reportedly about +40%). The enterprise is a leader in all kinds of electrical tests of both components and PCB assemblies, controlling momentarily, for example, 40% of the $600m in-circuit market, and 75% of the much smaller X-ray segment ($70m), and has a remarkable market share in the optical inspection area, too.

Siplace is a very strong shop-floor performer in Europe (providing entire line solutions for placement, paste printing and reflow), and achieves outstanding growth rates in the Americas since its start six years ago. Its highest plus rates (higher double digits) are now realized in Asia. Three headquarters with integrated service centers around the globe (US, Germany, Singapore) provide the magical 24-hours/7-day support, on which high-volume manufacturing environments as a prerequisite firmly rely. Since more than a year now, the business unit (part of the automation business unit of global player Siemens) has installed an office in Tokyo, in the nest and amid its hardest Japanese competitors. Reports say that their Nippon-connection entrée seems remarkably successful since they provide production platforms with high modularity and flexibility, compared to the ”classical” chip-shooter concept of other makes. It is said that a turnover-plus of about 60% was gained from fiscal year 1999 to 2000. (gbw)