Testing for mission-critical applications (continued)
A continuation of our interview with James Mulato, President of EADS North America Test and Services, which appeared in the November 2009 Viewpoint column.
Larry Maloney, Contributing Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2009 7:00:00 AM
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JAMES F. MULATO James Mulato was named president of EADS North America Test and Services division in 2008, having previously served as the division's executive vice president. Prior to joining EADS North America, Mulato was chairman and CEO of the EADS North America Defense Company and its wholly-owned test company, Access Research Corp. He came to EADS in 2000 after holding technical and management positions over a 15-year period at Lockheed Martin and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. Mulato is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Engineering and also earned an MBA from Florida State University. Contributing Editor Larry Maloney conducted a phone interview with James Mulato on test platforms for the defense, commercial aerospace and semiconductor markets. Read the first part of this interview. |
Q: What are the major technologies that combined to form your division?
A: There are four key companies whose technology we can integrate in our test applications. Racal Instruments, one of the founders of the VXIbus consortium, was primarily an instruments company, offering such products as RF/microwave switching systems. Access Research was a service company, with an emphasis on developing test program sets. Talon Instruments, acquired in 2005, provides specific digital instruments, such as serial bus simulators/analyzers. Finally, there's TYX, which offers the compiler and test executive software that is so essential to test automation. When we integrate all these technologies, EADS North America Test and Services is no longer just an instruments company—though we can sell just instruments if that's what the customer wants—but a provider of ATE solutions.
About 75% of our business involves these integrated solutions. Ultimately, we are a full-service provider, since we can also offer performance-based logistics and obsolescence management. So it's everything from soup to nuts. Also, since customers want affordable test systems, we've spent a lot of time developing modules or building blocks that can be used across many of our applications.
Q: What prompts the growing interest in turnkey test solutions?
A: There are many factors. In the defense market, where the operational life of electronics systems keeps being extended, we're constantly faced with upgrading legacy hardware and preserving legacy test program solutions. At the same time, engineers at customer companies increasingly do not have the time or expertise to design or upgrade complex test systems for the critical applications we've described. You don't see the large internal test departments that you did when new electronics systems for defense and aerospace were being developed every year. Most of our OEM customers want to concentrate on their core business, such as building airplanes, tanks or radar systems, and are seeking outside help for test. That's a big reason why our business is growing. We also have the backing of our parent company, EADS, the manufacturer of Airbus. That creates a sense of security for our customers.
Q: Can you cite some of your most significant new product introductions?
A: Two that we are particularly excited about are our T964 digital subsystem and the flexible 1830. We refer to the 1830 as ATE in a box, because it is an LXI switching system with source/measure capabilities. The T964 is a new digital resource module that emulates buses for stimulus response. It's particularly useful in legacy applications and allows us to retain proven test program solutions. The LXI 1830 leverages our switching technology, and if you add a digital scope and a power supply, you have a basic ATE system. No need for an expensive PXI or Compact PCI Chassis or controller. IVI drivers are included for easy linkage to test execution packages, and the connections between the instruments and the switches in the box are made internally through an integrated signal raceway. We also are providing a trial version of a software package, ActivATETest Platform, for programming on the Microsoft.net platform. In short, you get a great deal of flexibility and increased signal integrity, as well as lower system integration costs. Finally, to mention an additional product, we have a new agreement with a company called Pallas, based in Columbus, OH, to provide a ruggedized, operational-level, synthetic instrument test solution.
Q: How much of your technology is based on VXI versus the PXI platform?
A: Our company through Racal was one of the original developers of VXI instruments in the early 1990s, and VXI remains an excellent platform for test, especially in the defense and aerospace markets where we are very active. Because the military keeps extending the life of major electronics systems, we expect a continued demand for VXI test solutions for many years to come. The new VXI 4.0 spec that is coming out will provide additional legs for the platform.
Our decision is to focus our R&D on switching and digital subsystems and to form alliances with other firms for PXI-based applications. For example, last year we announced a strategic alliance with Geotest, also based here in Irvine, CA, for joint development of high-performance digital test instruments. This agreement will focus on evolving the VXI-based T964 family for PXI applications. We went with Geotest because of their expertise in PXI systems. So we are by no means married only to our own technology. We will integrate products from other companies, as needed, to provide our customers with the best solutions.
| Read past Viewpoint columns at www.tmworld.com/viewpoint. |
Q: How much synergy exists between EADS North America and other segments of the EADS operation worldwide?
A: As an American company, EADS North America is structured to meet the requirements of doing business with the U.S. government, while benefiting from all the experience that a global aerospace giant such as EADS brings to bear. Test and Services, a division of EADS North America, also has a great relationship with the company's test and services operation in Europe, so we're able to bring the best technology from around the world to our customers. At the same time, it's important to note that we design and build all of our test systems right here in Irvine.
Q: Looking to the future, what are some of the most promising opportunities for your division?
A: As noted, we expect to see rising interest in automated test solutions that derive from a common core of technologies and can be used on both the military and commercial side. We aren't there yet, but that is where the market is heading, particularly in avionics systems. Our company's long experience with the ATEC system for testing commercial aircraft will certainly help us toward that goal. Obviously, we need to get beyond the current economic troubles, and when we do, you will see an enormous increase in commercial air travel. That will drive the need for more airplanes and better test solutions and logistics support. At the same, a rebounding economy will open up more growth for our semiconductor burn-in technology. Meanwhile, defense test continues to be a strong business, both for supporting legacy systems and meeting the challenges of testing new electronic platforms. We also see an emerging demand for new test systems at the operational level, such as on the flight line.
Read the first part of this interview.
Testing for mission-critical applications
11/01/2009
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