Do it anywhere
The globalisation of the electronics industry has brought many challenges for companies that produce electronic products, not least of which is how to share information across the enterprise and with design and manufacturing partners who may be located anywhere across the globe. Without effective sharing of information, the enterprise becomes confused, slow to respond and, ultimately, uncompetitive. It is not just a matter of setting up an information network. Companies need to be able to move their design and manufacturing facilities at short notice to respond to changes in the market. They need to have the flexibility to expand and contract these to fit with demand cycles and add new design centres and plants that can be quickly integrated into the business process as a whole. The article examines these issues which are at the heart of the 'design anywhere, manufacture anywhere' (DAMA) philosophy.