Intelligent SMD stencil production 4.0

BECKTRONIC GmbH is more innovative, acts more progressively and thinks more future-oriented than ever before. This is the positive balance and the first development success that companies and employees have achieved after the realisation phase of the internal Industry 4.0 catalogue of measures. The SMD stencil producer is thus not only one of the 64 percent who, according to the latest figures from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), "have changed their business model as a result of digitization" 1, but is also several points ahead of many other medium-sized companies. Although industry 4.0 has been a fixed concept in the economy for years, the number of active companies, especially in the SME sector, is still in its infancy. Since the beginning of the year, BECKTRONIC has been setting a good example. As one of the pioneers, the company uncovers the potentials and opportunities that arise for SMD stencil production.

A comprehensive annual investment plan, clearly defined corporate goals and a targeted catalogue of measures - 2017 is a year dominated by industry 4.0 for the SMD stencil manufacturer BECKTRONIC. Strengthened by the positive development successes and above-average growth at the beginning of the year, the company is putting together a comprehensive digitization and organizational package. With this decision, the SMD stencil manufacturer is one of the few in the medium-sized market environment to have recognized the potential and opportunities of industry 4.0 at an early stage and initiated the corresponding measures.

productronica 2017 - Future concepts for electronics production and development

The study "Industry 4.0 - Where does Germany stand?" (Maurer, 2017)2 shows the cautious position of many companies. More than half assume that Industry 4.0 will only play a role for them within the next few years. According to the current market study by acatech - DEUTSCHEN AKADEMIE DER TECHNIKWISSENSCHAFTEN, Fraunhofer IML and equeo3, SMEs (62.5 %) in particular are less likely than large companies (74.2 %) to recognize their opportunities in digitization. A trend that has also reached electronics development and production. This year at productronica 2017, the industry's leading trade fair, everything revolves around topics: Smart Factory, automation technology, robotics and digitization. BECKTRONIC is one of the pioneers in this field and will be presenting visitors to the fair with a new, completely optimized corporate concept within SMD stencil production.

Synergetic effects in SMD stencil production

The biggest challenge for companies like BECKTRONIC is to ensure a well-organized and employee-friendly process flow despite flexible and highly complex structures. In concrete terms, this means  routinely used and long-term processes must be re-evaluated and realigned. Each company must consider for itself what its strengths and weaknesses are, which changes can be implemented in the short term and which in the long term. A process that not every company can cope with financially and organizationally. But the potential for success lies precisely in this realignment. "We have made it our task to evaluate the core factors of flexibility, the use of 4.0 technologies and the competence of our employees from a new perspective. With our new location, our ERP and DMS system, the Kanban and Kaizen work philosophies, completely reviewed production processes, a new, additional laser system and an intelligent compressed air system in production, we are not only modernizing our business model, but also fulfilling all the requirements we need to increase productivity and efficiency, explains Thomas Schulte-Brinker, Managing Director and Technical Director of BECKTRONIC GmbH. In addition, the company has a growing pool of knowledge which other companies have to acquire first.

Constant production quality through energy optimization

With the integration of a new, central compressed air system, BECKTRONIC GmbH has successfully completed the last project of its catalogue of measures for this year. A sustainable, energy-efficient, resource-conserving and well networked compressed air supply is an essential part of any environmentally friendly production process. Due to the centralisation, all compressors can be controlled as required. An integrated humidity sensor monitors the loop feed. Additional special filter packages for each laser system ensure fail-safe production.

^{1 Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Department of Fundamental Issues of Innovation Policy. (March 2017). Progress through research and innovation - Report on the implementation of the High-Tech Strategy. [Study]. Downloaded from www.bmbf.de/pub/Fortschritt_durch_Forschung_und_Innovation.pdf
2 Maurer, Jürgen. (12.05.2017). Industry 4.0: Large companies are pioneers, SMEs must catch up. [Press release]. Retrieved from www.computerwoche.de/a/industrie-4-0-grosse-unternehmen-sind-pioniere-mittelstand-muss-aufholen,3330657
3 acatech - DEUTSCHE AKADEMIE DER TECHNIKWISSENSCHAFTEN/Fraunhofer-Institut für Materialfluss und Logistik IML/equeo GmbH. (April 2016). Competence Development Study Industry 4.0: First Results and Conclusions. [Study]. Retrieved from www.acatech.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/acatech_DOSSIER_neu_Competence_development_Web.pdf}