Build-to-Order: Siplace CEO Announces New Strategy and Innovations

At a press conference in advance of the Productronica trade show (Nov 10-13 in Munich, Germany), Günter Lauber, CEO of Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co KG, explained the new, significantly more customer-oriented structure of the company. He also used the opportunity to describe "build-to-order” (BTO) as the new strategic direction for Siplace’s product development activities and announced innovative hardware, software and service products which, according to Lauber, will make Siplace the first equipment supplier able to implement modern BTO concepts in electronics manufacturing.

The new Siplace SX was developed on the basis of this strategy. Featuring capacity-on-demand, it is said to be the world's first placement machine that lets the user scale flexibility and performance independently of each other. Siplace BTO strategy also focuses on the close exchange of information between all players in the SMT process team. Lauber stated that the Siplace team started early to reorganize itself in an extremely difficult market environment and is now much more customer-oriented, competitive and flexible thanks to its flat organizational structure.

Last year’s market developments and the exceptional demands of globalized markets were clear signals that the players in the electronics industry must change their approach and can no longer afford to focus on individual processes, but must consider the SMT process in its entirety. Modern build-to-order concepts are the answer to this paradigm shift. "That’s why we placed BTO at the center of our development strategy as we tackle the future with significantly organizational and strategic improvements,” said CEO Günter Lauber. "The goal is to make the electronics manufacturing processes much more flexible in order to raise performance, reduce inventories and speed up new product introductions. Siplace's objective is to cooperate closely with all successful players in the SMT process chain and be the driving force in the development of innovative manufacturing solutions for the electronics industry."

Siplace said its new introductions at Productronica such as the new Siplace SX placement platform, the Siplace MultiStar CPP head, the Siplace LES (Line Execution System) software solution and flexible services like "Rent-a-Gantry" make SMT lines more scalable than ever before and open the door to a totally new set of capabilities for order-oriented production processes. "Whether OEM or contract manufacturer: companies that still think in terms of machines have already lost. BTO brings a totally new, process-oriented perspective to our industry that reaches beyond the factory floor. And the Siplace team will be there to offer its customers the necessary concepts and intelligent combinations of hardware, software and services," said Lauber.

Reorganization made Siplace stronger
At the root of Siplace’s campaign of innovation is the company’s reorganization, said Günter Lauber: "The Siplace team has reinvented itself in recent months. Following the example set by successful mid-sized enterprises, Siplace today features very lean structure and a flat hierarchy. This has brought us closer to our customers and enabled us to operate with much more speed and flexibility. This proximity to our customers and partners is also the basis for our many innovations. In this difficult market environment, we can now operate much more successfully.”

A prime example of Siplace’s new flexibility and performance in addition to the direct access to its global sales and service organization, said Lauber, is the company's new factory, which was recently inaugurated in Munich. Centrally located and close to its development activities, Siplace designed the production of its Siplace placement in accordance with the latest manufacturing and logistics concepts. With a lead time of 10.8 days, about half of what it used to be, the company is now able to produce more machines than before in a much smaller area. "We operate consistently in a build-to-order fashion. This enables us to produce not only with more speed, flexibility and cost effectiveness, we are also able to produce reliably and efficiently with lot sizes as small as 1,” said Lauber about the benefits of the new factory. In addition to its main plant in Munich, Siplace operates a second plant in Singapore, which produces for the local market and is able to meet the special requirements of Asian customers.

www.siplace.com