This interview offers you a deep dive into the world of high-volume, high-mix, and NPI manufacturing as Mycronic's Vice President of Global Sales Kevin Clue explore the latest innovation, the new A40 machine. Kevin shares intriguing insights into the cutting-edge technology that drives this product and sheds light on the global collaborative effort behind its development.
We also delve into Mycronic's bold approach to R&D, their strategies to help their customers overcome staffing issues in the European market and the critical role of automation in enhancing operational efficiency. Hear firsthand how Mycronic is tackling the industry's personnel challenges by pioneering equipment that promotes automated processes and simplifies training for new hires. We'll also discuss the impact of Mycronic's new GUI and the future of machine communication within the company.
Like every episode of EMS@C-Level, this one was sponsored by global inspection leader Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Adaptable Automation Specialist Launchpad.build (https://launchpad.build).
You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.
Speaker 1:
Thanks for talking to me, always a pleasure. Just to start with, how's the show been?
Speaker 2:
Really really, really busy. Yeah, really really busy. I think it started a little slow, I think, but that's mostly a travel day. But yesterday very busy, today very busy, so very encouraging.
Speaker 1:
And tomorrow will be very relaxed and very quiet.
Speaker 2:
I know so we could use a little break. Yes, for sure.
Speaker 1:
My chronic is really known for flexibility, maybe higher mix, slightly lower volumes. But with the new machine you have something that really cranks up the horsepower and perhaps elevates you into a position where you can compete in that higher volume. Tell me a bit about that strategy behind that and what you've got here, yeah.
Speaker 2:
So I think it's an evolutionary change for us at my chronic. We're really excited about it. It's been a lot of conversations, voice of the customer. We're known, as you know, low volume, high mix, NPI type work and we still want to maintain that as a core competency at my chronic. So we've introduced the new A40, it's launched here this week which still maintains all of those same flexibilities and capabilities that we've been known for for years and years and years. But with the new head, technology allows us to get a little bit higher volume so we're able to support those customers as they get into some higher volume jobs.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and the head is the key here. It's really what's changed the game and shifted the performance into that higher volume. Tell me a bit about the development strategy behind that and how that's come to fruition.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, no, we have many teams across the world. We have a mechanical engineering team out of Japan, software engineering team out of Czechoslovakia, Obviously a lot of our engineers R&D engineers out of Stockholm. So we've had a lot of collaborative work over three or four years here that has now evolved into the new head that's being launched this week. It's quite exciting.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, it is, and it's nice to bring everybody together, and I was lucky enough to have some really interesting conversations with your C-suite earlier this week, and one of the things we talked about was how perhaps brave and bold my chronic has been able to be with respect to new product development and R&D, and that's really been key to success, hasn't it?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, for sure. We spend a lot of money on R&D and I think that's a necessary part of our business to stay ahead of the game and to introduce new technology so that we can maintain, to support those customers as they grow.
Speaker 1:
And when you look at the European market, I've got a sense here that part of the challenge is that volume. But also part of the challenge is overall operational efficiency and building that out. But doing that without being able to perhaps grow the team and without being able to recruit the skills that they perhaps have been able to get in the past. How can you, as an equipment vendor, help them overcome that and maybe make their processes maybe more automated or perhaps easier to train new people on?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I think that's a really good question. If you talk to all of our customers, one of their major issues is people and finding good people and keeping good people and certainly, as a strategy that we have at my Chronic, is the ability to support the turnkey solution all the way from pace deposition all the way through to inspection and pick and place and everything in between. But the important point is bringing it all together with the software, and I think that's a key function at my Chronic being able to have all of the machines communicate with one another, with a roadmap of being able to program them all at the same time. We're not quite there yet, but that's certainly on the roadmap and that's certainly around the corner.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so that's less people on each line. Ease of use, simple programming.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, for sure. And in addition, the new GUI. On the new machine, the new pick and place machine, we have a brand new GUI that really helps the operator interface makes it much simpler for those operators, as those operators are new to the industry and the technology. It's a nice ease of use requirement that we're answering to our customers.
Speaker 1:
Okay, fantastic, kevin. Congratulations on the new product. Congratulations on another great product, tronic. I look forward to chatting at the next show, Thank you. Thank you very much. Good to see you, thank you.