The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) has scheduled the kick-off meeting for its 2002 roadmap for March 20-22 in the San Jose area. The two-day meeting will begin the six-month industry-led process of identifying technology and infrastructure developments to ensure the competitiveness of North American electronics manufacturing companies.

This roadmap, the fifth one developed by the consortium, will cover 19 technology, infrastructure and business practice areas expected to have the greatest effect on electronics manufacturing. As in previous years, it will address the shifts in each of these areas, along with the related technology gaps and business needs.

"The NEMI roadmap brings together OEMs, EMS providers and their suppliers to gauge future needs of the electronics manufacturing industry," said Jim McElroy, executive director and CEO of NEMI. "It helps companies anticipate shifts in product requirements and provides an early warning of changes in technology or infrastructure that will be required to remain competitive in the global marketplace."

Jim Arnold of Motorola and former director of planning for NEMI, will lead the 2002 road-mapping effort as director of road-mapping, assisted by Dennis Olsen (Motorola, retired) as staff manager of road-mapping. "Developing this roadmap is an important task, especially given the economic upheaval the industry has faced in the past year," said Arnold. "Our members tell us that they rely on the NEMI roadmap to identify important technology and business trends and to provide insights into customer needs. It often serves as a foundation for their strategic plans, or as a validation of their own strategies."

McElroy says that, while earlier roadmaps dealt exclusively with technology needs, the scope has expanded in recent years to consider business practices. "We recognize that good business practices can be as critical to companies as the technologies in their products," he explained. "That's why more recent roadmaps have included chapters on supply chain management, enterprise information technology and factory information systems. In addition, each of the roadmap chapters - one for each of the 19 technology and infrastructure areas covered - will address business issues and climate impacting their respective areas."

The chapters are developed by Technology Working Groups (TWGs). These groups forecast trends for their respective areas, and compare those trends with anticipated product manufacturing needs which have been defined for "virtual products" from five sectors: (1) consumer, (2) portable, (3) office systems, (4) business systems and (5) automotive & aerospace. Included in each sector's discussions are future product attributes plus key cost and density drivers. The NEMI, SIA and IPC roadmaps all use the same product sectors.

This year, NEMI is recommending changes to the sectors, as indicated by this list, to more accurately reflect today's product configurations. Previously, the sectors were defined as (1) low cost, (2) hand held, (3) cost/performance, (4) high performance and (5) harsh environment. The new product sector definitions will be reviewed by the National Electronics Roadmap Coordinating Committee for integration into all electronics industry roadmaps.

The NEMI roadmap kick-off meeting will be held in Silicon Valley, beginning the evening of Wednesday, March 20, and ending at noon on Friday, March 22 (check www.nemi.org for location details and sign-up information). Roadmap discussions begin with a review of the five product emulators. Product sector chairpersons will present the technology trends anticipated for their respective areas. There will also be a review of the 2001 Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) roadmap, with emphasis on silicon requirements for packaging. The Technical Working Groups will then have the opportunity to caucus, organize, examine the new product emulator input and get clarification of any issues.

The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's mission is to facilitate leadership of the North American electronics manufacturing supply chain. Based in Herndon, Va., the industry-led consortium is made up of more than 60 electronics equipment manufacturers, suppliers, industry associations and consortia, government agencies and universities.

NEMI roadmaps the needs of the North American electronics industry, identifies gaps in the technology infrastructure, establishes implementation projects to eliminate these gaps (both business and technical), and stimulates standards activities to speed the introduction of new technologies. The consortium also works with government, universities and other funding agencies to set priorities for future industry needs and R&D initiatives. For additional information about NEMI, visit www.nemi.org.

Tue Dec 18 08:30:00 CST 2001