Three Yamaha YSM20R Mounters Installed At GPC Electronics Maximising Capability And Scalability

GPC provides a range of services including Design for Manufacture and Electronics Manufacturing. Customers come from a range of sectors including defence, commercial, space, medical, and aerospace. How important is it for GPC to cater for a range of needs including specialisations such as ruggedised electronics?

GPC offers services to many different market segments in the industry and each one is unique. We may be building prototypes for new start-ups where we build one or two products, we know there are going to be design changes and we can support that process. We also build product for larger organisations, such as multinationals where we build thousands of products.

It is important that GPC has the capability to manage all types of customers. We can help start-ups with their products, develop the processes then lock them in. Design for Manufacture and design for test is one part of that. We provide these reports when we do a build for the first time. We can see what processes went right and where there are opportunities for improvement. This allows the process and the design to be fine-tuned for volume production.

You have lots of different brands of equipment at your facility. How well do the Yamaha mounters integrate with those other brands of equipment?

Yamaha surface mount machines fit in line with many other brands of equipment and different processes. From surface mount stencil printers, solder paste inspection machines, board handling equipment, reflow ovens and automatic optical inspection stations. We run the whole cell as one unit and the Yamahas fit in seamlessly.

GPC now has four lines, and each line has impressive capability with three mounters. How important is it for GPC to offer capability AND scalability?

Capability and scalability are very important. In today’s world, components are getting smaller and designs are becoming more complex. A number of years ago we had ageing surface mount equipment, so we performed an extensive review to determine what systems were available and what was best for GPC.

This included overseas trips to view equipment. We also provided some suppliers with sample boards to verify actual performance and quality. At the end of that process, we selected Yamaha YSM20Rs due to the throughput and accuracy of the machines. Local support for such critical equipment was also a strong factor in that decision-making process.

Following that selection process, we have now put YSM20s into all of our facilities. This allows us to quickly transfer product between organisations. We can start a product in Australia or New Zealand, then when circumstances are right, transfer the product to China. Having similar processes and systems across the group help support that. The Yamahas have been an integral part in making that transfer process very easy.

Having four identical lines in Australia gives us great capacity and flexibility. This means we can run any product on any line, there are no planning considerations. Our four lines have three modules in each line, which offers a huge feeder account. We build some products which have over 6,000 parts on a board. We can set up those products to run both sides in the one set-up, so lots of flexibility and lots of capacity.

You have made some significant investments over the years that enable GPC to offer impressive capabilities for Electronics Manufacture. How important is it for you to measure each part of the production process to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity?

It is very important that we verify the performance of major equipment after we have purchased it. We have developed in-house systems which, in conjunction with our manufacturing execution system, allow us to monitor efficiency and quality in real-time.

When running a surface mount line we can see the actual machine output and compare that to what is in our ERP system to see whether we are on track with efficiency. We also have automatic optical inspection stations at the end of each line, which looks at the quality of the product going through. This information feeds back into a real-time SPC chart so we can verify the quality of the product. All information is displayed on a screen mounted on the SMT line.

The other aspect we look at is to ensure that the equipment is utilised correctly. There’s no point spending a lot of money on equipment if it sits idle waiting for changeovers. With the surface mount equipment we went through a quick changeover process, looking to optimise all steps in the process.

One of the outcomes was to invest in more surface mount tables, feeders and software. That allowed us to do complete offline setups while machines were running other product. When the changeover occurred, it was quite easy just to move the old tables out, scan new tables to the machines and then we were right to run. We saw huge benefits in that, in the order of 80% reduction in changeovers.

With offices/facilities in Sydney, Christchurch in New Zealand, and Shenzhen in China, how important is it for GPC to draw business from the Australasian market and overseas?

It is very important for GPC to be able to draw business from both local and overseas markets. There are some businesses who like to have manufacturing close to where they are located. Whether it’s just for them to be able to duck out and have a look at progress of new products or there may be special security requirements so it must be made in a certain location. GPC can support all of these options for customers.

The other thing GPC can offer is manufacturing from a low labour cost market such as China. For products where there is high labour content, there are opportunities for savings because of the lower labour rates. The advantage GPC offers is that we manage all process locally for the customer. The customer doesn’t have to deal with China directly or worry about the complications of getting materials in and out, language or time barriers. They deal with GPC locally, we manage the whole process, organise the purchasing, planning and all aspects of the builds.

Having the operation in China also gives us the advantage of being close to where a lot of the metalwork and plastic moulders are located. We have an International Procurement Office in China and do a lot of our purchasing for the group from there. We can also perform quality audits on product at the local premises before they ship. This means that any non-complying product is detected before it is shipped to GPC, improving quality and eliminating delays.

Hawker Richardson has been an SMT equipment supplier to GPC for over a decade. How important is it that your suppliers understand your business and your requirements?

It is important that our suppliers have a very good knowledge of GPC equipment and processes. If we have breakdowns, they need to make sure we are up and running as soon as possible.

In terms of equipment spares, Hawker Richardson identify which ones are critical and store them locally so that if something was to happen, we can be up and running very quickly.

Having knowledge of what we currently do means that they provide good solutions for new equipment straight away rather than going through a process where there’s lots of discussion working out what is best for GPC.

Could you share your overall experience with Hawker Richardson’s service and support?

The overall experience with Hawker Richardson is very positive. As mentioned, we have been working together for a long time and they have very good knowledge of their product.

If something happens to their equipment, we know that they will sort it out quickly.

Hawker Richardson are also willing to help out in difficult situations. With a recent purchase of surface mount equipment, we were going to have a long delay due to transport issues at the wharf. Hawker Richardson came up with a number of options to reduce the delay. We ended up moving equipment off the boat earlier and then transporting it across land so that we were able to get that equipment onsite earlier. Machines were up and running quickly which was much better than just leaving the process to run its natural course.

Would you recommend Hawker Richardson to anyone else based on your experience?

We would be very happy to recommend Hawker Richardson to anyone else. They are very reliable and always on time.

They are easy to deal with and our experiences have been very good over many years. So, very happy to recommend Hawker Richardson.