Manufacturing
PICA assists in design for manufacturing, material selection, tooling fabrication and proof of concept. In recent years the pace of electronic technologies has accelerated to a point where it’s almost impossible to stay up to date with the newest options. Suppliers have responded by improving raw materials, manufacturing processes and component performance. Design engineers are under a lot of pressure to accommodate the demands of marketing, engineering and purchasing while making the products smaller, lighter, thinner and cheaper. They’re also expected to take advantage of all the new technologies on the market. At the crossroad between concept and manufacturing, PICA is strategically positioned to assist your engineers with their designs and electronic solutions. PICA uses the following software: CAM 350, AutoCad and IGI PROFLEX.
Total Quality
PICA Total Quality Management System was developed to provide our customer confidence that we meet their quality, cost and delivery requirements. Our strategic manufacturing partners are selected based on their total commitment to customer satisfaction. We monitor, measure and report their performance on a quarterly basis and carry out comprehensive audits of their manufacturing sites. To ensure full compliance to our customer requirements, PICA offers a random sampling inspection in our New Hampshire facility or a third party source inspection for products shipped directly to the customers. In some cases we have established resident inspectors embedded in the quality department of key manufacturing partners.
Factory Management
Local Presence
PICA supply chain specialists and sourcing engineers are located within a 1-2 hour radius from our SMP (Strategic Manufacturing Partners). Our teams in China are intimately involved in program management, from product engineering and process development to manufacturing, inspection and testing.
They are bilingual (Chinese-English) and have extensive knowledge of flex assemblies and electronics manufacturing. On top of having access to the shop floor, many have personal acquaintances within the facility. They’re also privy to production data and participate in important meetings.
Contingency Management
In the event of an emergency, PICA’s engineering team will be immediately at the manufacturing floor to assess the situation, validate the plan, verify the effectiveness of the corrective actions and help with the recovery. Customers will receive real time communications and daily report on the actual facts on the ground. When required our local engineers help with RMA, “on the floor” troubleshooting, problem Solving, 8D’s, or other type of Corrective Action Report.
Audit
PICA sourcing engineers lead the Initial Product Qualification process. They participate in the completion of the First Article report and in many cases join the quality department for visual inspection, testing and analysis. They also carry out Periodic Audits of our factories, including system audits, process capability, critical process evaluation, compliance, and risk assessment. Customers can rely on the outcome of PICA’s audit to determine whether an on-site audit is required.
Performance Measurement
Our monthly scorecard is an important component of our Total Quality system. The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) includes Delivery, Quality, Technology, Lead Time and Pricing (aka DQTLP). The scorecard is issued to the SMP at the end of the month along with a chart tracking the performance overtime. Actions are planned as necessary. Poor performance can result in disqualification. Meetings take place on a regular basis to review scorecard with SMP so they are aware of their performance and can make needed improvements to achieve better scores in the next term.
Prototyping
Shortening the R&D cycle to reduce time to market is critical to survive in a short product life cycle economy. PICA offers rapid prototyping capability to validate the technical feasibility of the product and its general fit to the market. We encourage our customers to use the production facility to build the prototypes. Our average lead-time is 5 to 8 working days. We also provide 48 to 72h prototyping in the US. During the actual prototype run we look for ways to increase efficiency and improve manufacturability. At the conclusion we pass those recommendations on to the customer for consideration.
Reliability & Failure Analysis
PICA’s technical personnel are committed to work with our strategic manufacturing partners and customers to improve reliability from concept development through manufacturing, testing and final inspection. Failure analysis can be performed at both our domestic and foreign facilities. Our team’s expertise and experience in both manufacturing and application of flex assemblies can solve the majority of problems facing the interconnect industry today.