Maintaining quality
06 May 2010
Over recent years, internationally accepted quality standards for electronic hardware production have become increasingly important as outsourcing by OEMs has increased, international trade has expanded and legislation such as RoHS has been imposed.
For many companies, especially those working in highly competitive markets, ensuring quality standards in electronics are being applied can also be a pre-requisite of having work carried out by a contract manufacturer. As a result, such businesses are looking to qualified training centres to ensure that staff are trained to maintain quality-based processes and procedures such as those issued by IPC and delivered by Electronics Yorkshire.
The IPC association was formed by major global industrial companies including Boeing, NASA, Hewlett Packard, Raytheon, BAE Systems and Nokia, all of which recognised the need to ensure that sub-contractors’ quality is maintained at an appropriate worldwide level of standard classification. This standard is now accepted by multinational OEMs, aerospace and defence contractors, as well as many smaller electronics production companies.
Since 1995 when IPC’s first training and certification programme was launched, many major equipment manufacturers such as Celestica, Solectron, Flextronics, Sanmina-SCI, Ericsson, Bosch, SAAB and Nokia, have participated in formulating the standards as well as fulfilling them. Now, organisations of all sizes can benefit from implementing IPC standards through having trained, certificated operators in key positions of the electronic production process; from design through to inspection.
IPC offers staff development programmes at two levels, namely Application Specialist (CIS) for staff such as quality line leaders, operational managers, assembly operators and design engineers, and Certified Trainer (CIT) for instructors empowered to train other staff to the CIS operator or worker proficiency standard. The quality processes for the trainers and the Application Specialists are such that each must be re-certified on a biennial basis.
One company that has recently benefited from having operators trained to IPC standards by Electronics Yorkshire is Elite Electronic Systems, based in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Established in 1986, the company provides a range of turnkey contract electronics manufacturing services, with assembly capabilities that includes conventional and surface mount PCBs, wire harnesses, electromechanical and complete system integration.
Elite Electronic Systems was keen to demonstrate to its existing and new customers that the company works to an internationally recognised standard. Tutors from Electronics Yorkshire, one of only three authorised IPC training centres in the UK, delivered two Application Specialist training courses on site to Elite Electronic Systems’ staff.
These were the IPC A-610D electronics assembly course, (which focused on the industry-accepted workmanship criteria for electronics assemblies), and the IPC A-620 cable and wire harness course, (which provided members of staff with detailed knowledge of the preparation and handling of cable assemblies).
Working to the standards has proven to be a major selling point for Elite as it has enhanced the company’s ability and confidence in producing products for its key markets in the industrial, telecoms, medical, audio processing and automotive sectors. As a result of the training programme, the company has been better able to apply these standards of IPC quality and acceptance criteria in its manufacturing processes.
Jackie Beresford, Training Manager at Elite Electronic Systems explained: “Electronics Yorkshire delivers high value training which has been key for us in continuing to maintain the highest standards in our manufacturing processes and procedures. This has helped us to retain existing contracts as well as win new business from customers who have clients demanding that products are manufactured to an internationally recognised quality standard such as IPC.”
In an increasingly competitive global market, having staff trained to the IPC standard has become a vital aspect for many electronics companies that need to maintain appropriate levels of quality in the manufacturing process. Whether for board manufacture and preparation, product assembly and repair, or cable and harness work, the IPC standards are increasingly being viewed as benchmarks by which a company is judged.
Leeds-based Electronics Yorkshire is the only authorised IPC centre in the UK offering five complete programmes at the two levels of CIT and CIS. The organisation now offers around 20 short skills-based courses ranging from industrial entry-level soldering to the advanced IPC trainer courses.
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