November 22, 2023 Dorigo Systems & Panasonic Connect

Dorigo Systems partnered with Panasonic Connect to meet the demands of ever-changing production lines and achieve shorter cycle times.

Dorigo Systems is one of the leading PCBA manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest. Specializing in all stages of the production process — from quick turn prototyping to annual production requirements — Dorigo works closely with industrial, medical, instrumentation companies, and other OEMs to bring their customers the best solutions for their needs. Customer relationships have long been a priority for Dorigo. The company built these relationships over the years guided by the principles of excellence in customer service, quality, engineering, and support.

With increasing technological complexity, Dorigo’s customers were frequently creating new designs that adapted to the service needs of their own end users. This means ever-changing production lines. Customers were also demanding new product introductions and shorter cycle times. Dorigo wanted to meet these demands, while also maintaining the highest level of quality. Ultimately, the manufacturer knew it needed an on-the-floor solution that handles changeovers quickly from one product to the next. They also understood that they needed operational flexibility. That’s when they turned to Panasonic Connect’s manufacturing experts and technology to solve these new challenges.

Technology’s Role in Reducing Downtime and Automating Data Capture

Panasonic’s surface mount, and pick and place technologies, were the perfect solutions to meet Dorigo’s needs. The technologies ensured that the business had a good first pass yield and high quality throughout the entire manufacturing process. This let Dorigo meet the short cycle times required by their clients and minimize downtime as they didn’t need multiple production cycles to get the product right. In an industry where downtime can cost $260,000 per hour, this was a game changer.

Along with meeting customer demands, Dorigo also wanted to improve its data capture and reporting capabilities. For each of Dorigo’s customers, capturing equipment data is crucial for creating a full feedback loop that drives the business forward. However, it’s especially important in the medical device field. To produce high-quality, long-lasting devices requires an accurate and seamless production process. This is only possible if the manufacturing line can capture inputs, outputs, and an accurate view into material counts and placements. Dorigo previously relied on manual data capture to collect equipment information and trace the various equipment parts throughout their production process. This required workers to stand at machines and write performance data down piece by piece, consuming valuable time while increasing the potential for missing or inaccurate data collection. To automate data capture, Dorigo had previously tested Manufacturing Execution Software (MES), but could not achieve the level of traceability that they wanted. That was until they started using Panasonic Connect’s PanaCIM MES solution.

With PanaCIM, Dorigo enhanced traceability of placed components onto the printed circuit board and prevented wrong parts from being placed. This eliminated incorrect material counts and reduced scrap rates. Ultimately, PanaCIM’s accurate traceability improved cost savings for Dorigo and its customers, not to mention boosting efficiency and productivity.

Simplifying Talent Requirements with Automation

The ability to track this data automatically also reduced the number of workers needed to run equipment, as the company didn’t need to manually track and capture machine data. This is crucial in an industry like manufacturing, where 75.7% of leaders consider attracting and retaining a quality workforce to be the number one business challenge and employees didn’t feel fulfilled simply tracking data. When Dorigo did hire talent, new hires were able to quickly get up to speed because the equipment and software delivered ease of use. This also helped reduce downtime, as workers didn’t need to spend as much time understanding the inner workings of equipment in order to effectively operate it. It is an attractive proposition for all.

Panasonic Connect’s surface mount and pick and place technologies, combined with the PanaCIM MES solution, transformed Dorigo’s day-to-day operations. With reduced downtime, cost-savings, and faster turnaround times thanks to automated and traceable processes, Dorigo can meet the ever-changing demands of its customers and who they serve — and position itself to continue to do so as the manufacturing landscape evolves.

Subscribe to Industry Today