Title
leading suppliers. However, when product to market faster. Finally, our tives, but my biggest focus is to make the
industry associations effectively operate, scale allows us to develop new technol- council more relevant globally. Our industry
they can help define standards that are ogy that meets customer’s leading edge has globalized rapidly and we need more
beneficial for the whole supply chain. The requirements while others can’t deliver to involvement from Asian and European
IPC works very hard in this regard. customer future roadmaps. companies to ensure we best serve our
customers in all regions. Operating
What is your new automatic electrical Taking a birds-eye view of the EMS globally is natural for me, and I want
inspection (AEI) and how does this differ industry, the technology has matured to make sure our council operates that
from existing bare-board testing? and is commoditizing fast. How do you way too.
prevent this price erosion and where do
Earlier I mentioned the growth of microvia you see the opportunities? SMEMA was credited with proposing
boards, particularly in smart phones and the move to create APEX. Are you also
the new ultra-mobile PCs. The complexity The industry, although challenging for behind the move to duplicate this success
of these boards is increasingly requiring continuous improvement of performance in China with Electronica/Productronica
electrical testing technologies to be utilized and costs, is also constantly growing. To China next year?
in the innerlayer areas to inspect for via better deal with these challenges, the EMS
defects that are not visible with traditional industry has been consolidating to fewer This is an example of where we are be-
AOI machines. This is a brand new larger players who have both global scale ing more globally involved. Listening to
application that solves a significant issue and superb execution. These industry constituents from Asia, many of the same
for customers who are providing these new changes result in the EMS industry looking messages were coming out as we saw prior
products, and it’s a great example of ECT for suppliers to have similar capabilities: to the establishment of the APEX show.
technology being leveraged with some of global scale, flawless execution and the Responding to these requests, we are
our new energy. flexibility to handle growth wherever and cooperating with the Productronica
whenever they need it. ECT is therefore a folks to see if a tradeshow with similar
Fixturing is very expensive. How do you better partner for the EMS industry, win- characteristics of APEX can be created
see this area evolving? ning market share and growing with them. in Asia. Things are still evolving but I
With all the uncertain economic times, all hope that we can deliver value to the
ICT fixturing provides high throughput customers are looking for a stable partner. industry in Asia too.
and high test coverage for medium and Customers invest millions of dollars in
higher complexity products that cannot capital equipment, training their global John, as always it is a pleasure. Thank you for
be achieved in any other fashion, so there teams. They depend
is real value here. But as always, ECT is on the capacity of
working to improve both the performance that equipment and
of our fixtures and the value. Some recent they can’t afford
announcements from our fixture and supplier financial
service group address improved test per- disruptions to derail
formance, and I would expect in the next them. Unfortunately,
two quarters you will see some interesting I see that as a
new fixture technologies that address both possibility for some of
performance and value. Finally, I don’t the smaller
want to forget about how we’re leveraging equipment players;
our global software team to increase the industry is
solutions and deliver speed while also Darwinian indeed.
enabling global product transfer. So there
is plenty going on with fixtures that help Putting your
customers. SMEMA hat on for
a moment, what are
In the semiconductor packaging field your goals for the
you manufacture device test sockets, ATE Council and how
boards and fully assembled test interfaces. does it contribute
What are the key benefits ECT can offer to the industry at
over other manufacturers in this field? large?
What I hear from customers is that ECT The SMEMA Council
MPM SCREEN PRINTERS
delivers several unique values to them. has always worked to
First, ECT works directly with customers improve working rela-
in all regions and can support their deploy- tionships and equip-
ment in their own plants or subcons in any ment compatibility
regions; no one matches our global industry-wide and
services. Secondly, we deliver not just a best serve industry
socket or a board but in many cases full customers through a
test interfaces units (assembled sockets, number of initiatives.
boards and test interface hardware) that We continue to build
have better performance and get the on those basic initia-
www.globalsmt.net Global SMT & Packaging – September 2008 – 33
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56