美國和歐洲的EMS供貨商已經(jīng)意識(shí)到，藉由彼此合作，將可共同抵抗中國電子制造業(yè)的強(qiáng)大力量。 今年三月，瑞士電子制造服務(wù)(EMS)公司 Escatec 宣布，與一家小規(guī)模的新興合約制造商 Surface Mount Technology Corp (SMT) 締結(jié)合作關(guān)系。在電子產(chǎn)業(yè)中，這件事并不會(huì)掀起什么波瀾。然而，從另一個(gè)角度來看，Escatec和SMT的合約，某種程度上也強(qiáng)調(diào)了高科技制造業(yè)所能帶來的職缺，己成為振興美歐經(jīng)濟(jì)的關(guān)鍵要素。 這二家公司確實(shí)有理由合作，因?yàn)镋scatec一直尋找北美的制造伙伴，希望獲得在北美的立足點(diǎn)，同時(shí)也希望拓展其馬來西亞檳城的量產(chǎn)制造業(yè)務(wù)。 Escatec業(yè)務(wù)開發(fā)總監(jiān)Martin Kingdon 表示，透過這項(xiàng)合作，Escatec這家來自瑞士的EMS將能為北美客戶提供更多研發(fā)和設(shè)計(jì)服務(wù)，進(jìn)而擴(kuò)展價(jià)值鏈。 SMT則是一家專門為小型企業(yè)提供小量或中量級(jí)合約制造服務(wù)的公司，藉由此次合作，該公司未來將能透過Escatec的馬來西亞業(yè)務(wù)提供更大量的合約制造服務(wù)。

SMT的車間后方是臨時(shí)搭建起來的墻壁，為的是隨時(shí)能因應(yīng)產(chǎn)能擴(kuò)展而擴(kuò)大生產(chǎn)規(guī)模。
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稍早前，我們?cè)煸L了美國中西部的制造業(yè)樞紐(在1960年代，?？怂购恿饔?Fox River Valley)曾匯聚數(shù)十家造紙廠)，參訪這個(gè)制造基地的目的，是察看當(dāng)?shù)厥欠衲芫邆涑蔀殡娮庸?yīng)鏈的潛力。我們也希望找到能證實(shí)電子制造業(yè)重回美國的證 明。最終我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，像LED模塊這類電子零組件，目前就如同SMT公司，在當(dāng)?shù)刂匦录せ钤O(shè)計(jì)和制造業(yè)務(wù)。 另一個(gè)好消息是一家 名為Wisconsin的公司已開始規(guī)劃專用于設(shè)計(jì)、開發(fā)原型和制造的廠房，該公司目前有140名員工，預(yù)計(jì)未來還會(huì)快速擴(kuò)展。在我們抵達(dá)該公司的當(dāng)天， 偌大的員工停車場(chǎng)幾乎沒有空位，該公司主管表示，目前他們的工作情況是每周六天輪三班制，以因應(yīng)來自85家客戶的訂單。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：離開中國？

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{pagination} 離開中國？ SMT銷售暨行銷副總裁Paul Vander Maazen表示，該公司的策略是側(cè)重于早期產(chǎn)品設(shè)計(jì)，以降低生產(chǎn)成本并提高產(chǎn)品品質(zhì)。他接著解釋道，該公司是將工程師從當(dāng)前勞力密集的制程工作中解放出來。 因此，面對(duì)傳統(tǒng)的難題：透過靈活的設(shè)計(jì)和制程來與中國制造商競(jìng)爭，最終會(huì)導(dǎo)致美國高科技制造業(yè)就業(yè)人數(shù)減少嗎？或許。但盡管如此，Vander Maazen表示，SMT一直在招募、收購，而且不斷擴(kuò)大。 “你不能讓公司停下來，”這也是SMT和Escatec合作的最主要原因之一，Vander Maazen強(qiáng)調(diào)。 SMT的設(shè)計(jì)工程師們也為飛思卡爾半導(dǎo)體、Microchip和德州儀器等重量級(jí)的客戶提供咨詢服務(wù)。該公司目前進(jìn)行中的一項(xiàng)項(xiàng)目，是設(shè)計(jì)一種可編程的觸控屏幕，將用來控制麥當(dāng)勞的奶昔機(jī)，也能用在Kohler衛(wèi)浴設(shè)備中，作為高階淋浴間的控制面板。 SMT聲稱，該公司是在美國設(shè)計(jì)零件，之后才由中國制造產(chǎn)品。 SMT總工程師Greg Burneske表示，最好的例子，是已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好可量產(chǎn)的LED模塊，這些模塊主要是供給警察和消防隊(duì)的高階手電筒使用，這種手電筒發(fā)光效率更高，但產(chǎn)生的熱更少，每個(gè)約80美元。

SMT的總工程師Greg Burneske拿著中國生產(chǎn)的LED模塊。
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Kingdon表示，Escatec正在協(xié)助一些想離開中國的西方公司，盡管事實(shí)上這些西方企業(yè)的關(guān)鍵文件和制造產(chǎn)品的主要規(guī)格都掌握在他們的中國合作伙伴手中。“為了離開中國，一些企業(yè)愿意付錢來重新開發(fā)產(chǎn)品規(guī)格和支付其它的懲罰，”Kingdon說。 雖然美國和歐洲的EMS供貨商可能無法單獨(dú)與中國強(qiáng)大的電子制造業(yè)競(jìng)爭，但像Escatec和SMT這類的結(jié)盟，在面對(duì)全球電子制造市場(chǎng)的激烈競(jìng)爭時(shí)，似乎是一個(gè)可行途徑。 編譯： Joy Teng 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁：參考英文原文：U.S., European manufacturers join forces to compete with China ，by George Leopold

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{pagination} U.S., European manufacturers join forces to compete with China George Leopold APPLETON, Wis. – In March, the Swiss electronics manufacturing services company Escatec announced a partnership with a small, up-and-coming contract manufacturer here called Surface Mount Technology Corp. By itself, the deal was merely one of many announced each month in the electronics industry. Viewed from another angle, however, the Escatec-SMT deal underscores the global nature of electronics production at a time when competitiveness along with high-tech manufacturing jobs have become key issues in reviving the tightly linked U.S. and European economies. The deal made sense since Escatec was looking for a North American manufacturing partner to gain a foothold in the region while gaining another “gateway” to its high-volume manufacturing operations in Penang, Malaysia. Martin Kingdon, Escatec’s director of business development, added that it also allowed the Swiss EMS to move up the value chain by providing R&D and design services closer to its North American customers. SMT, which specializes in low- to medium-volume contract manufacturing for underserved smaller companies, expanded its customer base through the deal and gained the ability to offer higher-volume contract manufacturing through Escatec’s Malaysia operation. What is significant in this picture of Surface Mount Technology's shop floor is the fact that the back wall is temporary, allowing for quick expansion when more work comes in. We visited this upper Midwestern manufacturing hub (in the 1960s, the “Fox River Valley” was home to nearly a dozen paper mills) to get a closer look at the forces shaping the electronics supply chain. We also wanted to find out whether anecdotal reports about electronics manufacturing returning to the U.S. are true. To a limited extent, we found, electronic components like LED modules are now being redesigned and manufactured again at places like Surface Mount Technology. The other piece of good news is that the Wisconsin company has laid out its design, prototyping and manufacturing facility that currently employs 140 workers with a temporary wall to allow for quick expansion. The employee parking lot was full on the day we visited, and company executives said they are currently running three shifts six days a week to keep up with orders from its current roster of 85 customers. Leaving China? SMT’s strategy revolves around early-stage product design aimed at reducing manufacturing costs and boosting product quality, said Paul Vander Maazen, SMT’s sales and marketing vice president. Company engineers are “designing the labor out” of what are currently labor-intensive manufacturing processes, he explained. Hence, the old conundrum: Does the adoption of flexible design and manufacturing processes as a way of competing with Chinese manufacturers ultimately reduce the number of U.S. high-tech manufacturing jobs? Probably. Still, Vander Maazen said SMT is hiring, acquiring and always looking to expand. “You can’t be a stagnant company,” a philosophy that the Escatec deal illustrates, Vander Maazen stressed. While catering to smaller customers that larger EMS providers tend to overlook, SMT’s design engineering arm offers consulting services for such heavy hitters as Freescale Semiconductor, Microchip and Texas Instruments. Among the company’s current projects are designs for the programmable touch screens used to control a McDonald’s smoothie machine and Kohler bathroom fixtures like controls panels for high-end shower stalls. SMT also claims it has brought back to the U.S. designs for components and products previously made in China. Greg Burneske, SMT’s chief engineer, said the best (and brightest) example is a production-ready LED module for high-end flashlights used by police and firefighters. The assemblies produce more light and less heat than previous versions, and the flashlights themselves cost about $80 each. SMT chief engineer Greg Burneske holds LED modules that used to be made in China. For its part, Kingdon said Escatec is helping several western companies that want to leave China despite the fact that Chinese partners will retain documentation and other specs for making their products. “Some are willing to pay the price of redoing their specs” and other penalties in order to leave China, Kingdon noted. While U.S. and European EMS providers probably can’t by themselves compete with the Chinese electronics manufacturing juggernaut, partnerships between contract manufacturers like Escatec and Surface Mount Technology appear to be one viable option for competing in the global electronics manufacturing market.