the electronics manufacturing resource for small- and mid-sized companies

The Line from OCM Manufacturing

Welcome to the Winter 2006 issue of The Line – the electronics manufacturing resource for small- and mid-size companies.

Regular readers will notice that we've updated our look and now offer The Line as an HTML-based publication.

Take Our Christmas Challenge

OCM is supporting the Shepherds of Good Hope by contributing to the organization's Christmas Eve dinner this year. In addition to a cash donation, we are providing 20 volunteers to help serve the meal.

We'd like to challenge our customers and suppliers to contribute to this worthy cause! We encourage you to send us one volunteer to join us in serving more than 500 meals, or to donate $15.00 (the cost of one meal).

To contribute, please contact Sandy Pennington at OCM Manufacturing:
+1 (613) 736-5665 x.221, or
sandy.pennington@ocmmanufacturing.com

Feature Story

Stuff Happens: Getting Real in the age of "Instant"

Published in Canadian Electronics Magazine, November 2006. Author: Michel Jullian, President, OCM Manufacturing

While the rise of e-business has had many positive effects for contract manufacturers, the accelerated shift to electronic modes of communication and transaction has revealed stress points in the contract manufacturing business.

Able to make purchases online and to contact manufacturers anywhere in the world through e-mail and the web, buyers increasingly expect instant gratification and have little tolerance for delays due to backorders or shipping snags. But as expectations of immediate gratification meet the real physical limitations of electronics manufacturing, buyers and manufacturers need to get real about what's possible. ...

Electronics manufacturing isn’t likely to go virtual any time soon, but technical and process innovation can certainly accelerate our delivery. And, while consumer expectations aren’t likely to change, we can change the promises we make them.

News

Enhanced Manufacturing Capability

In September, we added three new pieces of equipment to our electronics manufacturing facility in Ottawa. A Siemens S20 chip shooter significantly increases our capacity on our surface mount technology (SMT) line, while a Siemens F5 flex machine supports printed circuit boards with finer geometries and micro BGAs.

We've also added a Mirtec automatic optical inspection (AOI) system to offer advanced inspection capabilities and to improve manufacturing efficiencies.

George Henning, VP Manufacturing, confirmed: "We continue to upgrade our lines with new technology to add increasingly advanced capabilities. This is a reflection of the increasing sophistication of our customers' designs."

Offshore Operations: Local firms balance risks and benefits

In a recent Ottawa Business Journal article, Michel Jullian, president of OCM Manufacturing, discussed the risks and benefits associated with 'offshoring' business operations.

Mr. Jullian explained OCM's decision to open a purchasing office in Shenzhen, China and offered the following advice to those thinking about establishing offshore:

"Before you get into any operation, you have to carefully analyze the pros and cons, what you're getting out of it, and above all, what control you have over your offshore plant. Decide on the type and amount of business you give to that plant... Too many people assume going offshore is just like home. There are many problems in a remote location, so if you set up the same way (as home), you're going to fail."

The full text of the article can be found in the July 31^st issue of the Ottawa Business Journal and is transcribed on our website: