Masters Abstracts (2000)

VITHLANI, PRASHANT
(August 2000), Application Engineer, Universal Instruments Corporation, Binghamton, NY

Email: vithlani@uic.com

Estimating Manufacturing Standard Times in an EMS Provider's Environment

The electronics industry is undergoing significant changes in its manufacturing structure. These changes include the 'outsourcing' of production to Electronics Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The increasing use of EMS providers has placed new constraints on EMS providers establishing manufacturing standards to respond fast and accurately to the OEM's request. This is a market that is characterized by high consumer expectations and demands, globalization, and tough competition.

EMs require EMS providers to be responsive and efficient. A parameter that is often used to benchmark the responsiveness of an EMS provider is the efficiency with which this organization manages and estimates the manufacturing standard times. The manufacturing standard times include the design cycle time and throughput of the individual machine, and manual operations. The efficient estimation of manufacturing standard times requires the participation of supervisors, engineers, and workers within the organization. The determination of accurate manufacturing standard times mandate the need for systematic pre-determined standards. The pre-determined standards help determine capacity, required resources, outsourcing of manufacturing operations, supplier's targets, and manufacturing standards.

Estimation of the manufacturing standard times was conducted at an EMS provider's facility. Based on this study, the interrelated factors that affect the cycle time, throughput of the machine, and manual operations were identified. Methods to estimate design cycle time, and throughput of the machine, and throughput at manual operations were developed. A method to estimate design cycle time and throughput for machine operations is based on board, component, machine, and production downtime related factors. The 'Mini-MOST' pre-determined time standard was used to develop standards for all manual operations at the EMS provider's facility. By using the methods developed for machine and manual operations, the design cycle time and throughput for any Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly can be calculated. These standard methods can be used by management and engineers to make manufacturing decisions such as assembly line layout, capacity planning, make or buy decisions, supplier management, material flow, and the cost of the assembly. Incorporating the factors that affect the throughput of the assembly line in the proposed model and automation of the manufacturing standard time estimation process are some of the issues that need to be studied in the future.