New-Tech Europe | April 2016 | Digital edition

specific test code along the way and collaborating with validation engineers on automated code modules to simplify the validation and ease the transition into production. This is actually a process that NI went through in the early 2000’s as we released 200+ products a year with increased complexity per generation. By bringing test engineering to the conversation early, we saw over 40% reductions in release to manufacturing (RTM) time, which directly shortened our time-to-market. There are inefficient and costly flaws with the traditional approach of engaging test engineering late in the NPI process. Engaging earlier in the design cycle can lead to faster time- to-market, lower manufacturing cost, and improved yield. If we look downstream, the test engineering budgets and the operations budgets are often decoupled, so the test engineering

organization is not inherently incentivized to architect the system in a way that minimizes long-term operational costs. This is where siloed organizations struggle and strong communicators differentiate. At the heart of these negotiations and tradeoffs is the inherent knowledge of the test engineer about the suite of UUTs supported, the stability of the test system, and the areas to optimize or improve. While it can be painful for the test engineer, expanding their sphere-of-influence to the entire design-cycle makes them a truly valuable asset to the organization. Many organizations have different business units for the develop/ deploy and support/maintain costs of a test system. Test engineers can greatly impact the operational costs of supporting a system, but must expand their influence beyond their own organization to understand and implement solutions to mitigate the

long-term costs of supporting an ATE system. While the challenges of obsolescence management, rapidly evolving RF requirements, and influencing DFM are by no means all-encompassing, these challenges represent tremendous opportunity for the test engineer to impact the bottom line of the organization and showcase the value the test engineering team can deliver. Reggie Rector is a Senior Product Manager for PXI and ATE Systems at NI with a special focus on Aerospace ATE. His job functions include product management and lifecycle planning, inbound product definition, and market development for PXI-based ATE systems. He holds a bachelor of science in Biological Systems Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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