Data, data everywhere

Today's powerful computer tools give us free access to enormous volumes of data. In many situations, though, we suffer from the "forest and trees" problem—lots of details obscuring our view of the bigger picture.

Nowhere is this dilemma more acute than in the sometimes rocky relationship between contract manufacturers and their OEM customers.

SigmaQuest SigmaSure analysis software works wiht National Instruments' LabView to provide access to test and process data. Courtesy of SigmaQuest.

How can OEMs and CMs exploit the available data to figure out what is really going on? Both parties must monitor all stages of the production process taking place anywhere in the world in real time, even troubleshooting remotely when necessary. This approach shortens lag time before addressing difficult problems and reduces the need for travel to the manufacturing site—a considerable cost savings. It also permits consolidating all data from all manufacturing facilities, no matter where they are, so that even rarely occurring failures will yield to analysis. Although the need to identify and prevent rare failures is obvious in avionics, medical electronics, and other "mission-critical" applications, even a defect that is not life-threatening can indicate necessary product or process changes that improve product quality and lower costs.

When consolidating data collection from far-flung data tools, OEMs and CMs must also maintain accurate version control. Version mismatches between process documentation, test programs, and analysis tools from station to station and factory to factory can spell disaster for even the most diligent manufacturer.

Many CMs have created their own proprietary solutions to track their processes and analyze the resulting data, with mixed success. Fortunately, off-the-shelf solutions are emerging as well. SigmaQuest (www.sigmaquest.net), for example, has integrated its SigmaSure analysis software with National Instruments' (www.ni.com) LabView 7 and LabWindows platforms to provide comprehensive access to test and process data and analysis. This combination allows manufacturers to detect failure patterns earlier in the process, hopefully before too many higher-cost or inferior products ship to customers. Considering how quickly products and processes change these days, the only path to success is to remain flexible enough to dance the right steps to whatever tune the piper plays.

Steve Scheiber, Contributing Technical Editor, sscheiber@aol.com