SMT Perspectives & Prospects: Artificial Intelligence Part 6: Data Module 1
Standard of Excellence: Overcoming Service Failures—The Art of the Apology
Nolan’s Notes: Tariffs, Technologies, and Optimization
What EMS Firms Want From Their Software—and What They Get
September 3, 2025 | Thiago Guimaraes, Global Electronics AssociationEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Last November, the Global Electronics Association [as IPC] surveyed EMS and OEM companies to better understand the software tools driving their operations and uncover trends in adoption, satisfaction, and challenges.
The survey assessed software tools across critical functions, including ERP, MES, PLM, QMS, LMS, quoting systems, and CRM. Participants shared insights on tool adoption, satisfaction, and selection priorities.
A total of 82 qualified individuals completed the survey. Respondents spanned EMS and OEM organizations across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East/Africa, with company revenues ranging from under $5 million to over $1 billion.
This article offers a first look at findings from the 2024 EMS Software Survey, which explores how electronics manufacturers select, implement, and assess core business software. The full report, slated for release later this summer, will include detailed benchmarking data and perspectives on satisfaction, integration, and legacy system challenges.
Aging Infrastructure, Rising Expectations
In electronics manufacturing, digital tools often stick around long past their prime. Nearly 60% of ERP and QMS systems have been in place for over a decade, anchoring operations while complicating efforts to modernize.
MES tools show a similar age profile, but with lower adoption and less functionality—revealing a sector still wrestling with paper-based processes, disconnected systems, and limited visibility. As the industry sets its sights on AI, automation, and real-time traceability, the question isn’t just which systems to adopt, but how to navigate the opportunity cost of updating these well-entrenched legacy systems.
To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Beyond Thermal Conductivity: Exploring Polymer-based TIM Strategies for High-power-density Electronics
10/13/2025 | Padmanabha Shakthivelu and Nico Bruijnis, MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsAs power density and thermal loads continue to increase, effective thermal management becomes increasingly important. Rapid and efficient heat transfer from power semiconductor chip packages is essential for achieving optimal performance and ensuring long-term reliability of temperature-sensitive components. This is particularly crucial in power systems that support advanced applications such as green energy generation, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense, along with high-speed computing for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).
Bluepath Robotics Optimizes AMR Fleets with Inductive Charging Solution from Wiferion
10/09/2025 | WiferionIn a dynamic and highly competitive industry such as logistics, efficient and uninterrupted material flows are of crucial importance. To ensure maximum uptime for its robots, Bluepath Robotics, which specializes in autonomous mobile robots (AMR), needed a reliable and powerful power supply.
‘Create your Connections’ – Rehm at productronica 2025 in Munich
10/08/2025 | Rehm Thermal SystemsThe electronics industry is undergoing dynamic transformation: smart production lines, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and sensor technologies dominate current discussions.
Compunetics Advances PCB Manufacturing with MicroCraft’s Dual-Ink CraftPix Inkjet Printer
09/30/2025 | MicroCraftMicroCraft, a global leader in advanced PCB testing and digital inkjet printing systems, has completed the installation of its CraftPix C2K6151PT dual-ink inkjet printer at Compunetics, Inc., a premier flex and rigid printed circuit board manufacturer located just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
BAE Systems-built Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and SWFO-L1 Spacecraft Successfully Launch
09/29/2025 | BAE SystemsBAE Systems is celebrating the successful launch of two spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, supporting vital NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) space weather missions.