Aegis Software Improves Production Accuracy, Speed and Quality for Circuit Technology Inc
Horsham, NH - Circuit Technology Inc. (Cirtech), a New Hampshire – based CEM, has been investing in Aegis software – and it's an investment that has been growing steadily alongside the business as Cirtech seeks to profit further from the software's benefits. Aegis is now being used for new product introduction (NPI) and to manage a paperless shop floor environment throughout its PCB and electro-mechanical assembly operation.
Before Aegis, Cirtech's engineering and production was manual and paper-based. Production machines were set up manually, and printed drawings were updated using color pencils. These colored mark-ups were then photocopied for distribution. The entire process was not only time-consuming and repetitious, but also prone to error, not least because the photocopying did not always reproduce the colors accurately.
However, Aegis' NPI software has eliminated these problems, especially as Cirtech uses it together with Aegis' paperless shop floor solution. CAD and BOM data supplied by Cirtech's customers is converted into instructions for the production machines and the operators running them. This environment includes specific support for Cirtech's Siemens pick and place equipment. The software's success is reflected in the enthusiasm of the factory floor staff, who quickly obtain all the information they need from their workstation screen simply by selecting an item or area of interest, then drilling as necessary for more detail – no more searching through different sets of printed drawings, or uncertainty about their colors or accuracy. The revision control imposed by Aegis also allows Cirtech to meet ISO standards for certification.
Cirtech's production activity includes both PCB and electro-mechanical subsystem assembly. The factory is divided into a number of areas, each with its own workstation providing access to Aegis. These include two Siemens lines, five inspection areas, two secondary processing areas, and sections for Hand Assembly, Wave and Electro-Mechanical, as well as five licenses for engineering staff. Additionally, there is a workstation for sales staff to query and obtain information related to their role. Aegis is also used to transfer data across to Cirtech's ERP system once a BOM has been locked down for production.
"We provide quick turn on prototypes to medium volume production, while our customers’ requirements are ever-changing." commented William Sirois, V.P. of Operations at Cirtech, "In this environment, our speed and quality of response to our customers has been improved by the Aegis software. We have greater confidence in the accuracy of the data, and can access it quickly from a single point of review. Response time is improved as we can move production onto the factory floor faster." He continued, "Another advantage is that we can be more proactive, and add more value for our customers. Incoming BOMs can often contain errors which would be time-consuming and expensive if allowed through to production. Instead, Aegis allows us to capture, feed back and resolve these errors as we work on the BOMs – a service that's free, yet highly valued by our customers."
"Our success with this software proves that it's not just for large corporations. We found it closely configurable to our initial production requirements, and easy to scale as these requirements continue to grow."
About Aegis
Founded in 1997, Aegis Software is headquartered in a state-of-the-art development and training facility in Philadelphia PA. Aegis has international sales and support offices in Germany, UK, China, Singapore, and Japan, and is partnered with 36 manufacturing equipment suppliers. With a global customer base of over 1200 factories across the electronics, medical, automotive, military and aerospace industries, Aegis delivers a unique level of capability, value, and time-to-value for its manufacturing customers. Learn more by visiting www.aiscorp.com.
Contact for the press:Â RF Communications, Renate Fritz, email:Â renate.fritz@onlinehome.de
