Shortening personal computer production start-up lead times by using CAM/CAT systems

The recent situation in the personal computer business, in which there is a shortening product life cycle, compels manufacturers to reduce product development lead time. In order to achieve very short time development and simultaneous multiplant manufacturing start-up, the Personal Computers Division of NEC built a distributed development and manufacturing structure among several sites. As a part of this structure, CAM/CAT (Computer-Aided Manufacturing/Computer-Aided Testing) systems have been developed to generate a steady information flow between design and manufacturing. These CAM/CAT systems are built to shorten the production preparation lead time for metal mask fabrication, NC (Numerical Control) data generation, and test fixture board preparation. In new personal computer product development, these systems have contributed significantly by enabling the concurrent running of these production preparation processes. These systems also helped manufacturing sites to follow frequent revisions of PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) and to maintain a tight delivery schedule. This paper introduces these systems as a successful example of concurrent engineering.