Contents
Short answer
On bills of materials with hundreds of micro-components, building electronic boards demands a very precise net-requirements calculation and flawless traceability. The article describes downstream and upstream traceability when a component is recalled, serialisation, revision indices, authorised equivalents, and shop-floor control by an MES that has the operator scan the lot.
Electronics manufacturing (PCBA boards, system integration) took the full force of the supply crises of recent years. On bills of materials with hundreds of tiny SMD components, managing obsolescence and just-in-time supply calls for far more than simple stock control: it demands a very high-precision net requirements engine (MRP).
Full traceability: components, lots and revisions
OEMs (aerospace, automotive, medical) require flawless traceability from their electronics subcontractors, sometimes called EMS (Electronics Manufacturing Services). If a faulty capacitor is recalled, you must be able to prove instantly which boards it was fitted to (downstream traceability) and which finished products those boards went into (upstream traceability).
This implies:
- Serial-number management (serialisation) from the moment the component reels enter stock.
- Linking drawing revision levels (Gerber, BOM) so that production always builds the latest design revision.
- Cross-reference management: being able to substitute an out-of-stock component through a strict list of equivalents formally approved by the customer.
Driving the SMT and manual shop floor
With the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) natively built into AVIA ERP, the operator at the end of the line gets a direct visual of the delicate assembly zones, scans their lot to prevent placing the wrong component (digital poka-yoke) and signs off their test phases (burn-in, functional). Industrial efficiency (OEE) and scrap rate are centralised.
