How test fuels product development
In a recent interview, Pascal Pilon of Averna discussed the role of test engineering in new product development.
Larry Maloney -- Test & Measurement World, 5/1/2008
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Q: What are the biggest challenges facing your customers?
A: Many companies face a shortage of test engineers with the skills needed to work with design teams on complex new products, particularly in such fast-growing fields as WiMAX and RF.Often, companies have to use design engineers to perform test duties. Many of these engineers are generalists, with backgrounds in electrical engineering but little experience in test. As a result, companies suffer delays in their time-to-market goals for new products.
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Pascal Pilon discusses other advantages of Proligent, as well test opportunities created by “telematics,” in the continuation of this interview. |
Q: Is the growing complexity of electronic products compounding the problem?
A: It is a big part of it. Complex products often require more sophisticated test equipment and software, so you need test engineers with the know-how to make the right choices. Complex products also require more design iterations, which means that you have to frequently update test systems for these redesigns. Still another challenge comes from the fact that new designs today are often shipped to remote locations, including overseas plants, for manufacturing. OEM test engineers find themselves stuck on the phone at odd hours with a contract manufacturer who needs help with updating and debugging a piece of test equipment. It can be a nightmare.
Q: How does Averna’s Proligent software address these problems?
A: It’s a ready-to-use platform that enables engineers to develop software for test systems faster and easier in an environment that complements such tools as TestStand from National Instruments. Proligent automatically performs version control, so that any time you update your product design, you automatically update your test system—no matter where the test equipment is located. Finally, Proligent provides you with a complete data-management solution. As a result, each time you look at the test results and perform root-cause analysis, you will get a clear idea what software was used with respect to the devices under test, as well as the product structure and the technician responsible for the job.
Q: What other test engineering services does Averna offer?
A: Our core mission is to help OEMs accelerate R&D and new product introductions. We offer a corps of about 80 test engineers who provide customers with a full range of solutions: hardware-in-the-loop and design-validation systems, embedded software validation, pre-functional testing, automated functional test equipment, control and measurement automation, as well as test solutions for maintenance and repair. We also have expertise in such fields as RF and optics. In effect, we serve as the test engineering arm of companies such as Harris Stratex, a global provider of wireless transmission solutions. We work with customer design teams to analyze how new products should be tested and propose test equipment needed for the job. Then, we automate the test software that needs to be built.
Q: How will the acquisition of Mindready expand Averna’s capabilities?
A: The acquisition positions Averna as a key player in tests associated with “telematics,” the convergence of telecommunications and information processing. Telematics is especially dominant in automotive, with such devices as GPS navigation, digital radio, and hands-free cellphones. Averna acquired Mindready’s hardware and software products, including the Universal Radio Tester (URT), a virtual instrument that works in conjunction with a National Instruments PXI platform and simulates 17 different protocols in automotive telematics devices.
Read the continuation of this interview.
