Joe Fjelstad
Sustainable manufacturing
for electronics—nice idea
or moral imperative?
The electronics industry has, over the packaging technologies have paved the way. manufacturing horizon. To address the
course of the last half century, transformed The electronics industry has, through its challenges ahead and succeed, we need
the world in a way that only science fiction technological wizardry, compressed time to look beyond tomorrow. Everything we
writers could have imagined when the and space and brought the world closer know and do in business must be reconsid-
industry was still in its infancy, and even together than it has ever been. As a result, ered in the light of the looming challenges
they might be surprised as to what has expectations have risen among the world’s if we are to make it happen. Tapping again
transpired in that time. Electronic products presently disenfranchised masses that the words and observations of Dr. Sheats,
have, in many parts of the world, become they too might partake of the benefits of found in a book chapter prepared for
indispensable tools and helpmates in the technological revolution underway in Technology, Humans and Society, edited
managing the frenetic pace of life in the de- keeping with the fundamental principle by Richard Dorf:
veloped world. With the growth of wireless of economics that an individual’s wants
Businesses of the future will have a
technology, it is now possible to access a exceed their needs, and therein lays the
different set of customer demands
major portion of the entire world knowl- rub. It is proper and fitting that everyone
to fulfill. However, there is ample
edge database in seconds from almost any- in the world be able to access and enjoy
evidence to suggest that reducing
where in the world. Ubiquitous computing in the success, but how can this be done
environmental impact to an accept-
is no longer a fantasy; it is, for all intents in a world we know to be of diminishing
able level is not only well within
and purposes, here today. It is a staggering resources, significant environmental chal-
our capability using the tools of
accomplishment for such a short span of lenges and an expanding population?
modern technology and business
time in human history, and one to which One of the concepts to address this
practice, but that the business
we have largely become inured. Those of challenge is sustainable manufacturing. It
community is the portion of society
us born by chance or circumstance to the is an important concept that the indus-
best positioned to do so. This
incredible wealth of the opportunity that try needs to wrap its mind around and
viewpoint does not ignore the im-
we enjoy have become technology junkies address. A good definition will help in
portance of regulatory systems, tax
of sorts as the rate of change and product achieving that end, and a good definition
codes, trade agreements, or social
cycles continue to accelerate. Cell phones for sustainability has been offered up by
institutions. However, business can
use the conventional profit motive,
“Action cannot wait until we know
coupled with a clear view of the
long-term market trends, to start
everything there is know about the matter.”
immediately on the path to sustain-
ability. As it does so, the public ele-
ments will be encouraged to follow
have become as much fashion statements Dr. James Sheats, presently CTO of Tere-
and make the path easier
2
.
as they have become helpmates, and we pac Corporation but formerly of Hewlett-
consume them with abandon. Packard Laboratories, where he wrote, in Clearly this will not be an easy task, and we
The industry has made this possible a paper authored in 2000: “Sustainability will doubtless find ourselves having to look
by continuing to drive down cost while is fundamentally a matter of living within deeper into the challenges that face us all
at the same time increasing functionality the framework of earth’s systems, both in the years ahead, but action cannot wait
and performance. What has made it all thermodynamically and kinetically.”
1
A until we know everything there is know
possible is attention to detail at every point concise statement that is far reaching in about the matter. We already know
of production, and interconnection and its scope; its impact cuts across the entire
Continued on page 10
4 – Global SMT & Packaging – September 2008 www.globalsmt.net
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