Valor Process Preparation (stories) – Goaltech Engineering Solutions

Siemens Process Preparation takes SPEA test scheduling to the next level

Product: Valor
Industry: Manufacturing

The SPEA Leonardo programming software is highly capable, but when scaling from a single board to multiple boards, there’s always room for improvement. That’s where Siemens Process Preparation comes in—designed to optimize test programming efficiency and streamline the entire workflow.

Engent Inc.: Excellence in Microelectronics

Located in Norcross, Georgia, Engent Inc. is a contract manufacturer founded in 2003, recognized for being at the forefront of microelectronics assembly. With deep expertise in advanced surface mount technology (SMTA), they excel in low- to medium-volume, high-mix turnkey production.

Their engineering capabilities support every stage of the product lifecycle—from product and process development, proof of concept, and new technology introduction (NTI), to design for manufacturing (DFM), new product introduction (NPI), and volume production. As an ITAR-registered company with AS9100:2016 certification, Engent is committed to delivering exceptional quality and reliability.

A Key Upgrade: Efficient Programming for SPEA Machines

When evaluating the capabilities of Process Preparation for their SPEA flying probe machine, Engent identified a significant opportunity: extending assembly support and refining programming workflows to substantially improve overall efficiency.

Solving the Gerber File Challenge

One of the main challenges was that SPEA Leonardo does not support Gerber files as a basis for test program creation. Since some of Engent’s customers provided only these files, a robust solution was essential.

With Process Preparation, not only is intelligent CAD data supported—raw Gerber files (274X or 274D) can also be transformed into a digital product model. This enables the extraction of critical information such as pin connectivity, netlists, and component intelligence, bringing the starting point much closer to intelligent CAD formats like ODB++.

Key Ways Process Preparation Enhances SPEA Test Programming

When integrated with SPEA Leonardo, Process Preparation dramatically speeds up test programming through:

Seamless CAD Import – Ensures no loss of critical design data, including solder mask information. Missing solder mask layers? No worries—Gerber files can be used to reconstruct accurate board details.
Effortless BOM Integration – Rapidly and accurately links the Bill of Materials to the test program, ensuring the right components are identified and tested.
Intelligent Component Recognition – Automatically detects resistors, capacitors, diodes, and other components, even when CAD files lack clear designations.
Accurate Package Outlines – Essential for flying probe testing, as precise dimensions determine optimal probe placement. Process Preparation taps into the Valor Parts Library, with access to over 35 billion part numbers for detailed package data.
Automated Probe Placement – Using a complete digital twin of the PCB, Process Preparation calculates the best probe locations, reducing errors and debug time.

Less Downtime, More Productivity

Once the optimized test program is ready, Process Preparation sends all data to SPEA Leonardo in a single consolidated file, eliminating inefficiencies caused by rushed programming or manual adjustments.

Skipping steps may seem like a shortcut, but it often leads to costly delays during machine debugging. The goal is clear: minimize downtime. When the flying probe machine is running tests, it’s generating revenue. When it’s idle, it’s costing money.

Lee el caso completo

Platica con nosotros para una demostración sin compromiso

Sat Nusapersada Increases Efficiency by 33% Using Siemens Process Preparation

Product: Valor
Industry: Tech

Sat Nusapersada Boosts NPI and SMT Efficiency with Siemens Process Preparation Software

Sat Nusapersada, one of Indonesia’s largest Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers, has chosen Siemens’ Process Preparation software to enhance its New Product Introduction (NPI) processes and increase the efficiency of its Surface Mount Technology (SMT) production lines by 33%.

Founded in 1990, Sat Nusapersada is the first high-tech EMS listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, serving global brands like Asus, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Sharp. With growing customer demands, Sat Nusa expanded its SMT lines to 24. However, as production capacity and monthly requests for quotes (RFQs) increased, the company needed to reduce manual work, particularly in the NPI phase, to maintain efficiency and competitiveness.

Following a thorough evaluation, Sat Nusapersada implemented Siemens’ Process Preparation software. This solution allows the company to streamline assembly, testing, and inspection processes, keeping all information updated in a single environment. The software eliminates the need for manual corrections, reducing errors and improving consistency across their operations.

“We’ve seen significant improvements in our production capacity since implementing Siemens’ Process Preparation software,” said Stanly Rocky, general manager & public relations at Sat Nusapersada. “With less manual rework, we’re able to better serve our customers and meet the fast-paced demands of today’s electronics industry.”

The results have been impressive. Sat Nusapersada reduced the time needed to gather incoming project data by 92%, and overall line efficiency improved by 33%. The software also streamlined SMT programming tasks, cutting down time by 31% for line configuration setup and other related processes. Additionally, the design for solder stencils was reduced by 50% thanks to the software’s learning libraries.

Alex Teo, managing director and vice president for Southeast Asia at Siemens Digital Industries Software, commented, “It’s great to see Sat Nusapersada benefiting from Siemens’ Process Preparation software. Our focus is on helping customers like Sat Nusa scale their production lines to meet the increasing global demand for electronics.”

Lee el caso completo

Platica con nosotros para una demostración sin compromiso

Automating and standardizing PCB engineering planning

Product: Valor
Industry: Electronic

Standardize and unify manufacturing operations

Connect Group NV (Connect Group) is a multinational electronics manufacturing services (EMS) contractor, providing printed circuit board (PCB) assembly and cable assembly services for various customers in the automotive, railway, healthcare, infrastructure, defense and avionics industries. The company is headquartered in Kampenhout, Belgium, and maintain production facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic.

Connect Group was established in 1987 and, in recent years, has acquired a series of European electronics manufacturers including IKOR, a company with locations in Spain, China and Mexico. Wouter Peene, operations manager for Connect Group, was faced with coordinating the activities of its new subsidiaries and reorganizing company-wide work practices.

“My goal was to standardize and unify manufacturing operations in all of our sites,” says Peene. “This wasn’t an easy task. We had machines from different vendors at each site. All of our engineering and testing departments were using different software and methodologies, including legacy solutions such as UNICAM 6.2 and Test-Expert 7.3. In addition, we used a lot of manual processes, such as offline board inspection, to discover incorrect component positioning and rotation.

“At first, we wanted to keep using some of our existing legacy software to leverage our knowledge and save time and money. But none of our existing solutions could support our entire operation. They lacked interfaces to many of our machines and couldn’t generate the documentation we needed.

“We needed an end-to-end solution that would serve all our production sites,” says Peene.

The Valor solution

Since Connect Group was already using Valor™ Process Preparation software in some of its factories, the company decided to expand its use of the software to access more of its engineering capabilities. Valor Process Preparation is part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, the comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software, hardware and services.

“We were already using the vPlan function in Valor Process Preparation and realized we could benefit from additional functions,” says Peene. “For example, we used the Valor Process Preparation automated stencil tool across the organization. Getting the stencil right requires special expertise that wasn’t always available. Using the stencil tool helped us reduce soldering errors and the lead time required by the stencil-cutter service provider.

“Currently, we use the virtual sticky tape feature to verify component position and polarity before starting production. The comprehensive digital twin approach enables us to shorten the verification process and reduce downtime. Using Valor Process Preparation allows us to connect to all of our machines so we can implement it as a company-wide solution.”

Connect Group used Valor Process Preparation and the comprehensive Valor Parts Library software component database to accurately simulate each component’s shape. “Using Valor Parts Library helps us eliminate costly design errors before production starts,” says Peene.

In addition, Connect Group used Valor NPI software, Siemens’ on-premise design-for-manufacturing (DFM) platform. “We offer the Valor NPI DFM as a service to our customers,” says Bart Allaert, head of the company’s technology is a service group, “It is part of the shift left concept, encouraging the designer to be aware of manufacturing constraints.

“They use DFM to ensure their design is manufacturable, so we spend less time afterward tweaking the design for them. Then, we use Valor NPI to perform checks and generate an analysis of the PCB assembly and tests. Using Valor NPI helps us bring higher quality products to market, faster, as part of a First Time Right strategy” says Allaert.

Return-on-investment

Connect Group established an execution team with Siemens that provided training sessions to implement a solution for all production locations in a few months. The centralized solution enabled Connect Group to easily move production between sites whenever necessary.

Following implementation of the Siemens solution, Connect Group reported a return-on-investment (ROI) within six months based on increased company profits of approximately €400,000 per year thanks to improved manpower and reduced downtime on its production lines.

Connect Group has major profitability factors, including product engineering, flying probe testing (FBT) and project migration.

The product engineering solution helped engineers reduce manpower requirements by about two hours per project, multiplied by 2,500 projects per year, for a total of 5,000 hours.

Using Valor Process Preparation saved Connect Group engineers approximately two hours of FPT programming per project multiplied by 500 projects per year, for a total of 1,000 hours.

When transferring a project to a different site, the process took an average of eight hours. Using Valor Process Preparation, the task is now completed within minutes. Connect Group migrates an average of 75 projects per year, resulting in a savings of 600 hours.

As a result, Connect Group has reduced manpower requirements by 6,600 hours per year. In addition, each of the above factors contributed to a reduction in line downtime. These improvements helped the company improve profitability by €400,000 per year.

Additional features for the future

“To optimize our use of the Siemens solution, we’ve made requests for additional features that are scheduled for upcoming releases. Siemens fully understands our requirements and supports us in adapting the software to our needs,” says Peene.

Lee el caso completo

Platica con nosotros para una demostración sin compromiso

Enhancing Automated Optical Inspection with Siemens’ Valor Process Preparation

Product: Valor
Industry: Optical Inspection

As technology continues to advance, the demand for streamlined processes that can handle complex designs and diverse product types is ever-increasing. MIRTEC, a renowned specialist in optical inspection solutions, has recognized this need and taken a significant step forward by integrating Siemens’ Valor™ Process Preparation software into its automated optical inspection (AOI) and solder paste inspection (SPI) machines.

Complexity in Manufacturing Processes

Electronic manufacturing services providers and contract manufacturers often face challenges in adapting to high-mix environments. With varying design formats and data sources like Gerber and ODB++, programming AOI and SPI machines manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors. The need for a seamless transition from design to programming is critical to optimize production efficiency and maintain high-quality standards.

The Solution: MIRTEC’s Collaboration with Siemens

Through a strategic global partnership, MIRTEC has joined forces with Siemens Digital Industries Software to leverage the advanced capabilities of Valor Process Preparation. This integration allows MIRTEC’s customers to streamline the programming of AOI/SPI machines, facilitating accurate inspection programming directly from design files. By automating this process, MIRTEC aims to enhance manufacturing productivity and elevate the new product introduction (NPI) process to unprecedented levels of efficiency.

Streamlining Programming for Enhanced Efficiency

Valor Process Preparation from Siemens supports a wide range of assembly machines and product types. It empowers electronics manufacturers to automate and simplify programming tasks, reducing the time and effort required to set up inspection equipment. This automation not only saves valuable time but also minimizes the potential for errors that could impact production quality.

The Impact: Elevating Manufacturing Standards

The collaboration between MIRTEC and Siemens brings tangible benefits to electronics engineers and manufacturers worldwide. By embracing digitalization and automation, the need for physical assembled boards for programming inspection equipment is eliminated. This not only accelerates the programming phase but also optimizes the overall quality output, reducing debugging time and enhancing operational efficiency.

Customer-Centric Approach

Chanhwa Park, CEO of MIRTEC, underscores the significance of this partnership in delivering consistent and reliable solutions globally. The combined offering of MIRTEC’s industry-leading machines with Siemens’ Valor Process Preparation software instills confidence in customers, reaffirming MIRTEC’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of electronics manufacturers.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the integration of Siemens’ Valor Process Preparation software with MIRTEC’s AOI and SPI machines marks a significant advancement in electronics manufacturing. This collaboration underscores a commitment to innovation and efficiency, empowering manufacturers to navigate high-mix environments with greater ease and precision. As technology continues to evolve, partnerships like these pave the way for enhanced productivity and quality in the realm of automated optical inspection.

Lee el caso completo

Platica con nosotros para una demostración sin compromiso