Citation
Haken, B. (1999), "The UK's PCB and EMS industries go for gold", Circuit World, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.1999.21725aab.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
The UK's PCB and EMS industries go for gold
The UK's PCB and EMS industries go for gold
As OEMs move further away from vertical integration, choosing instead to outsource both their bare PCB and assembly needs, a very worrying situation is developing.
R&D, which was traditionally carried out by the OEMs, is now being expected of their suppliers, who, in the main, are in no position to fund such activities.
The problem is due to the very poor profit margins seen by both the PCb and EMS companies, as their customers, the OEMs, exert ever-greater pressure to reduce costs. In addition to this is the very real need to invest year-on-year (20 per cent of sales turnover) in order to keep up with the latest in manufacturing technology and equipment; an absolute necessity if suppliers are to maintain pace with the needs of their customers and remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Acknowledging this potential problem, the PCIF has set up an initiative to address the situation. Under the chairmanship of Robert Linsdell, of Morton International Ltd, MEME (Maintaining Europe's Market Edge) accepts the R&D challenge, aiming to gain financial assistance from the EU's Fifth Framework R&TD funding programme to carry out its proposals.
After a great deal of preparatory work, two initial MEME projects have emerged. The first addresses PCB materials, recognising that limitations in the properties of substrate materials is constraining development of high-density interconnection and such technologies as microvia and high-speed circuitry. This project will investigate new laminates which will allow new technologies to be exploited and the industry's needs to be achieved. The second project addresses manufacturing process control, the intention being to bring the ppm failure rates for PCB fabrication down to the same low levels achieved in PCB assembly operations.
The companies already signed up to form industrial consortia and put forward proposals for grant funding include: Prestwick Circuits, Graphic plc, Prism Electronics, Shipley Europe, Isola (Uk), Vantage Circuit Products, Polyclad Europe, Morton International, Starkey Technical Services, Loughborough University, Schloetter Co. and Viasystems.
Brian Haken