ABSTRACT
The constant consumer demand for higher performance electronic products has led to a market hungry for the latest and newest offerings. The companies which are capable of satisfying this need, with quality and timely products, will win market share, Reinertsen (1991). Successful companies will earn the revenue to re-invest in new technologies and stay in the race. The competition is no more fierce than in the global contract manufacturing market for printed circuit assembly (PCA). D2D, a leading UK player in this market, regard best in class quality and service as a key to success. In order to achieve this a manufacturability and testability tool set is being developed in conjunction with
Loughborough University. This paper will deal mainly with the manufacturability tools being developed. The aims of the system are to reduce the cost of manufacture of products at D2D whilst improving the quality of these products and the perception of D2D as a best in class manufacturer in the world market. The system aims to be an expedient and demonstrable utility which addresses real needs in an industrial context. Further advantages are seen to address speed of response to a request for quote and in providing a manufacturability assessment service to customers.
