A C O NSTRUC UCT TIO N PRO C ESS FO R A PERSO NA L C O M PUTER A SSEM BLY BLY PLA PLA NT
SANYA-ISIJOLA, ADEMUYIWA OCTOBER, 2006
Ta b le o f Cont ents
Introduction
3
Loc a tion of PC Ass Assem b ly Plant
3
Des De sign ig n Proc e sse s
6
The Asse Asse m b ly Proc e ss
9
Ma nufa c turing turing Co nstraints nstraints
10
To o ls fo r PC A sse m b ly
10
PC Co mp one nts
11
Sa fety fe ty Co nside nside ra tion s
14
Sta ff Qua lifica ifica tion
15
Ass Asse m b ling ling the PC
15
Marketing
16
Conclusion
17
References
18
G lossa lossa ry
19
2
1.
INTRODUCTION
The ma in p urp urp ose ose of th is rep ort is is to d oc ume nt the p roc ess ess of c onstr onstruc uc ting a PC assembly plant, stating factors affecting the major decisions that will be made, as well as how they are affected by the product and the manufacturing p roc ess ess, and their effec t o n the d esign esign o f the fac tory. The rep ort will will also also describe the procedures involved in assembling a PC from the scratch and d isc isc uss uss the set b a c ks involved . The p ersona ersona l c om p uter is is a mo d ula ula r p rod uc t who se c om p one nts, nts, p erip erip herals, herals, and software can be designed independently and integrated into the
fina l
system ystem using using sta sta nd a rd tec hnica l interfac interfac es. es. The mo d ula ula r nature of the PC enabled the creation of an industry structure marked by a high degree of sp ec ializ ializa tion a nd sep a ration o f func tions since its ince p tion in the m id-1970 id-1970s s. Before the design and construction of the assembly plant, a suitable location or site for the a ssem b ly p lant m ust ust b e e sta b lishe ishe d . The loc a tion is a fa c to r tha t will de termine termine how the p lant will will be d esi esigne d and other p roc ess esses. es.
2.
LO C A TION IO N O F PC A SSEM BLY BLY PLA NT
Choice of location has a profound effect on the entire business life; a bad c hoice ma y a ll but g uarantee failur failure, e, a go od c hoice, suc suc c ess ess. Loc Loc ation is a very c ritic itic a l fa fa c tor; its impa c t is not only on o ur c ustom ustom ers, ers, but o n ou r em p loyees a nd potential business associates. Location is more than just choosing a site for building or construction of assembly p lant a nd the re is mo re t o c on side r tha n just just CO ST. The re a re sev sev era l fa fa c to rs tha t d ete rmine c hoic e o f s site ite for the a ssem b ly plant , they include :
•
Sta te/ City
•
Loc a tion ne a r othe r busines business s
•
Our c ustom ustom ers
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2.1. 2. 1.
•
Our employees
•
Pot en tial inve sto rs
•
Cost
•
Sa fet y/ Sec urity urity
•
Facility requirements STA TE
Nigeria is a country with 36 states; each of these states has various regulatory req uirem uirem en ts. ts. Inc om e a nd sa les ta xes a lso lso d iffer from from sta te t o sta sta te . Som e sta sta te s and their cities are also friendly to entrepreneurship while others are less accommodating. Availability of labor and costs of rent will also determine the sta te / c ity where the p lant w ill ill res reside. ide. Thus Thus,, the c hosen hosen sta te must must b e of b ene fit fit to the organization. 2.2. 2. 2.
LOC A TIO N NEAR NEA R O THE HER R BU BUS SINE IN ESS
Som e sp sp ec ific ific a rea s in N Nige ige ria ria h a ve b ee n set set a p a rt as indu stria tria l loc a tions. tions. The y c on ta in nume rous indu stries tries tha t p rod uc e d ifferen ifferen t p rod uc ts. ts. The q uestion uestion is: is: Do Do we nee d to b e visi visib le to othe r busines business ses? es? Shouldn Shouldn ’ t w e b e ea sily ily a c c ess essible to ou r c lien lien ts? ts? The The a nswe nswe r to the se q ue stions will b e b a sed on c erta in rea rea son s a nd will will dete rmine the kind kind of e nvir nvironme nt in in w hic hic h the plant w ill be loc a ted . 2.3.
CUSTOMERS
The c ustom ustom ers a re the rea son why w e a re in busi business ness; they c ould b e othe r orga niza niza tions or end users users tha t ne ed our p rod uc ts. ts. The loc a tion m ust ust b e c onve nient and a c c ess essible to our c ustom ustom ers. ers. 2.4.
EMPLOYEES
The em p loyees a re the streng treng th o f our c om p a ny, their c om mitme nt a nd skil kills will will help m a intain the Qo S a nd sta nd a rd s of o ur orga niza niza tion. The loc a tion of the ass assemb ly plant m ust ust b e a ttrac ttrac tive tive to keep our goo d em ployees. ployees.
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2.5. 2. 5.
POTE POTENTIA NTIA L INV IN VESTO RS
La ter in in the future, future, there m a y be a nee d to b ring in investors investors into the orga niza niza tion esp esp ec ially ially whe n the re is ne ed for expa nsion. nsion. The p ot en tial inve inve sto rs loo king king a t the long term value of the business will see location as an important factor. For example building the assembly plant in an area that is constantly disturbed by et hnic c ris risis w ill ill disc disc o ura g e inv e sto rs. rs. 2.6.
COST
Cutting cost and maximizing profit are issues every organization wants to ac hieve. hieve. There There are several several areas in w hic hic h the p lant c an be loc a ted , the c osts osts va ry from from p la c e to p la c e. The The o verall c ost ost o f rrunning unning the a ssem b ly pla nt m ust ust also be projected before the final decision is made. After purchasing the site, some other miscellaneous cost will be incurred before and during the building. These hese ma y include the c ost ost o f settli settling ng La nd d isp isp utes b etw ee n the fam ilies ilies tha t ow n the La nd or the AR ARE EA BOYS BOYS tha t te nd to d isturb isturb t he b uild uild ing un less less the y are settled . Suc h kind kind s of expe nses nses c a n b e red uc ed b y ca rrying ying o ut p rop er investigation. 2.7. 2. 7.
SA FETY / SEC UR URIT ITY Y
Sa fet y a nd
sec urity urity a re serious serious iss issue s tha t s sho ho uld b e e xam ined
b efo re
d ete rmining mining w here the a ssem b ly p la nt will will b e loc a ted . There a re m a ny volatile volatile areas in the country where industrial properties are vandalized, staffs are ab d uc ted etc . The intended loc ation must must be safe a nd sec sec ured ured for the em p loye es, es, cu stom ers a nd the p la nt itself. itself. 2.8. 2. 8.
FA C ILITY ILITY REQ UIR UIRE EM ENTS NTS
The a ssem b ly plant m a y have sp ec ial need s a nd ma ny req req uirem uirem ents suc h a s large parking space, acres of land for the building/ room for expansion, high p ow er c onsump onsump tion et c . These hese req uirem uirem ents a re n ec ess essa ry for the e ffec tive running unning o f the a ssem bly plant a nd should b e a vailab vailab le a t the loc ation.
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Other questions that need to be answered before choosing a location may include •
Are Are the re a ny of our c om pe titors titors in that a rea ?
•
Ca n sup sup p liers liers c onve niently niently ma ke d eliveri eliveries es in the a rea ?
•
Are the utiliti utilities es nee d ed to run the b usines usiness s a va ila ila b le in in the a rea ?
3.
DESIG N PRO C ESSES
The p ro c ess esses involved in the d esign esign of a p lant c on sist ist o f six six ste p s: o
Benchmarking a nd Research
o
Design Concept Development
o
Design esign Guideline Develop me nt
o
Detailed Design Design Proc ess
o
Material a nd Personne ersonne l Req Req uireme nts Dev elo p me nt, nt , and
o
Proc ed ure Definition Definition..
To a c hieve t he b est est results results,, the fa c tory de sign p roc ess esses a re exec uted throug throug h these distinct phases. A design team consisting of experts from various fields is forme forme d and this this tea m g oe s throug throug h ea c h pha se, lloo oo king king for the be st a pp roa c h to reso reso lve iss issue s. The se d esign esign p roc ess esses will help in de ve lop ing a fa c to ry tha t is flexible flexible en ou g h to adapt to rapidly changing demands and product mix, while keeping costs at a minimum.
3.1.. 3.1
BENC NCHM HMA A RKING A ND RESEA RC H
This p ha se involves involves review ing the c urr urrent “ b est est p ra c tice s” in the p ersona ersona l computer industry through literature searches and visits to other existing PC assembling plants especially in Nigeria. Using the existing Nigerian assembly plants, the design team not only can select the best approach to successfully a ssem b le a nd test test the PCs PCs b ut a lso lso a d a p t them to the c onsume onsume rs nee d s.
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3.2. 3. 2.
DES DE SIG N C O NC EPT DE DEV V ELO PM ENT
The d esi esign tea m ne ed s to a gree o n the p rinc ip les that w ould g uid uid e the de sign proc ess ess. Som e of these these c onc ep ts will will be ba sed on the te am ’ s know know led ge and experience in manufacturing while some will base on modern Operations Ma na g em ent theo ries. ies. The initial initial de sign c onc ep ts will will co ver all areas of the future operation of the factory, including manufacturing, training, metrics, and management. 3.3. 3. 3.
DES DE SIG N G UIDE UIDEL LINE IN ES
After ge nerating the o verarching d esign esign c onc ep ts, ts, the tea m sta sta rts to d isc isc uss uss the d eta ils of w ha t the fac tory should should loo k lilike, and how it should should op erate . The factory designs that were observed through research and benchmarking will be reviewed, and parts of each of these will be selected based on the design concepts. During this phase, majority of the design formulation will be done. Onc e this is c om plete, a p ic ture ture o f wha t the fac tory would would loo k lilike will will emerge, with only the d eta ils left to b e a d d ed . These hese g uidelines uidelines d efine the c ha ra c teris teristics of the fac tory; they p rovide for the e ffic ffic ient use use o f res resource ource s to minimiz minimize e the c ost ost of final assembly and test, and they provide flexibility for assembling different p rod uc ts. ts. These hese g uidelines uidelines ma y include the follow follow ing : •
How c om p one nts will will b e d elivered elivered t o a ssem b ly
•
Parallel processes for assembly and test
•
Seq uentia l
p roc ess ess
for
m a teria teria l
po sitioning tioning ,
ins insp p ec tion,
p a c king king ,
verification/audit, order consolidation 3.4. 3. 4.
DET DE TA ILED ILED DE DES SIG N PRO C ESS
Once the above guidelines were developed, the specific factory layout is defined. Because the guidelines had been developed as a cross-functional team, the individual team members are now able to design their areas of the p la nt’ layout, without ris risk of inc inc om p a tibili tibilities b etw ee n func tiona l a rea s. The d eta iled iled d esign esign p roc ess ess involves involves co mp a ring va rious vend ors’ ors’ wo rksta ksta tions and abilities to customize their products to the specific tasks required in this
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fac tory. tory. Many o f the ide a s for works workstation d esi esign c a me from from the b enc hma rking p roc ess ess. 3.5. 3. 5.
M A TERIA L A ND PERSO NN NNE EL REQ UIREM ENTS DEVELO DEVELO PME PMENT
Once the layout of the factory is determined, a simple formulae based on the expected hands-on cycle time for the different areas of the factory will be developed in order to calculate the number of personnel required for different levels of p rod uc tion. This in ret ret urn will will he lp fo rec a st the ma te rial req req uirem uirem en ts for wo rksta ksta tions, tions, c on ve yors, yors, c a rts, ts, flow flow ra c ks a nd w a reh ou sing e q uipm en t.The forecasts will be based on the expected mean cycle times for the different op erations erations:: d ata that w a s c ollec ollec ted during during the b enc hma rking king p hase. hase. 3.6. 3. 6.
PRO C EDUR DURE E DE DEF FINIT IN ITIO IO N
The fina l p ha se o f the fa c to ry de sign p roc ess ess w ill ill involve the insta insta lla lla tion a ll of th e equipment, verification of the operation of the planned processes, and the development of procedures that would be used for training and execution. During the development of these procedures, the errors in any assumptions will be analyzed, and adjustments to the layout, equipment and personnel req uirem uirem ents will will b e ma d e. 3.7.
PRODUCTS
The d esi esign o f a fa c tory will will de pe nd o n the p rod uc ts to b e p rod uc ed ; it is is therefore useful to discuss the characteristics of the product prior to discussing the d esi esig n o f the fac tory. The p rod uc ts a re likel likely y to b e of 2 typ es: es: Desktop Desktop computers and laptops. Both types will include various components which include Motherboards, memory, Processor, CD-ROM, Hard disk drives, Floppy Disk drive, drive, and Softwa re. Althoug Althoug h these these various various c om po nents are c om bined tog ether using different configurations, the final assembly procedure is the same.
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4.
THE A SSEM BLY PR PRO O C ESS
The a ssem b ly proc ess ess is a ve ry imp imp orta nt a sp ec t in a PC a ssem b ly plan t. While While the assembly process generally takes less time than loading software or testing the machine, it is arguably more valuable to the end customer. Customers can and will load software, but choose not to assemble their machines from individ individ ua l c om p one nts. nts. The a ssem b ly proc ess ess d eve lop me nt c a n be b roken into two decisions. i.e whether the assembly process will be parallel o r serial. Iss Issu e s p ertinent ertinent to this d ec ision include the va riab ility ility of the p rod uc t a ssem b ly p roc ess ess, qua lity co nc erns erns, a nd d ema nd volume. Once this this de c ision ha s be en m ad e, the team must determine how different products or variations will be assembled. Dedicated lines or stations can be setup for each distinct product or product fam ily, ily, or a si sing le line line or ge neric neric sta tion c a n b e used used a t whic h a ll of the d ifferent ifferent p rod uc ts will will be a ssem b led. 4.1. 4. 1.
PAR PARA LLE LLEL V s SERIA L A SSEM BLY BLY
4.1.1. 4.1 .1. Pa ralle l Assem Assem b ly In a parallel assembly structure the entire assembly process is completed at a single station, with stations replicated based on cycle time in order to meet demand quantities. One or a small group of assemblers is responsible for the en tire tire a ssem b ly proc ess ess for units sc he d uled a t th eir sta sta tion. 4.1.2. Seria l Asse Asse m b ly A serial assembly process is more commonly known as an assembly line . The assembly process is broken into individual steps, and completed by different a ssem b lers in a sp sp ec ifi ific seq uenc e. Dema nd q ua ntities ntities a re m et b y inc inc rea sing the numb er of step step s in the p roc ess ess, and thereb thereb y de c rea sing the c ycle time a t ea c h individual step. As throughput requirements are increased, the amount of work on a n ind ind ivid vid ua l unit p erforme erforme d b y ea c h ass assem b ler dec rea ses. es.
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NOTE There a re o b viousl viously ma ny fac tors tha t infl influenc uenc e the d ec ision of w hethe r to struc ture the a sse m b ly p roc ess ess in seria seria l or in in p a rallel. The re is no “ o ne size ize fits a ll” ll” answer; individual circumstances will dictate which is more effective for a given product.
5.
M A NUFA NUFA C TURING IN G C O NS NST TRA INT IN TS
After de signing the struc truc ture ture o f the ma nufac turing turing p roc ess esses, es, we must must d ete rmine the c a p a c ity of ea c h of the d ifferent ifferent p roc ess esses. es. The na ture ture o f the final ass assem b ly p roc ess ess is suc h th a t the re is inherent v a riab ility ility in in e a c h sub sub -proc ess ess. Red Red uc ing t his inherent va ria b ili ility is a n e ssential o b jec tive in orde r to a void b ott lene c ks d uring uring the m anufa c turi turing proc ess esses, es, hence we should hould de sign the c ap ac ity and buffers buffers in order to overcome this variability and ensure we can meet our throughput goals.
6.
TO O LS FO R PC A SSEM BLY BLY
Ass Assem b ling ling a PC from the sc ra tc h involves the use use o f c erta in too ls, ls, the t oo ls lis liste d b elow a re the sta nd a rd too ls used used for PC PC a ssem b ly. •
Sc rew d rive rive r
•
Tw e e ze rs
•
Fla shlig ht
•
Magnifier
•
Ca nned c om press pressed air
•
Multi-meter
•
Miscellaneous tools
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7.
PC C O M PO NE NENT NTS S
There are several several co mp onents that ma ke up the PC, PC, the m ain c om po nents that c on stitute the PC w ill ill be d isc isc uss ussed in brief. brief. 7.1.
PC CA SE
On e o f the firs first item s to b uy wh en b uild uild ing a PC is the c a sing. The re a re t wo b a sic styles of c a sing, Whic Whic h e ve r is is used used , the p roc ess ess for a ssem b ling ling the PC is the sa me . they a re :
•
Desktop
•
To w e r
Also Also c a ses a re sp sp ec ific ific to mo the rb oa rd typ es. es. This is know n a s the form fa c to r o f the m otherboa rd. O ther fac tors also also d etermine etermine the styl style e of c ase ase to c hoose hoose they includ e Size, ize, Loo Loo ks, ks, fea tures, tures, sta sta b ility, ility, ea se of op en ing, e a se of c losing, losing, expansion possibilities and interior. 7.2. 7. 2.
POWE POWER R SUPPLY UPPLY UNI UNIT TS
Mo st PC PC c a ses c om e w ith there ow n p ow er sup sup p ly unit (PS (PSU).Fa ).Fa c to rs suc h a s Pow er co nsump nsump tion and p ow er outp ut d ete rmine if a PSU is a p p rop riate o r go od . A go od PSU must must b e a b le to d eliver eliver all the p ow er the PC PC ne ed s. The various components of the PC also have various power consumption rating. It mu st b e e nsured nsured tha t the line line vo ltag e o f the PSU is the c orrec orrec t rat ing. E.g E.g The The line line vo ltag e ra ting for Nigeria is 220220-24 240v. 0v. 7.3. 7. 3.
C ENTR NTRA L PRO C ESSING IN G UNIT a n d M O THE HER RBOA RD
The CPU is the b ra in of th e PC. IItt is w he re a ll the d a ta p roc ess essing is c a rried ried o ut a nd whe re a ll the instr instruc uc tions a re interpreted . The mo therbo a rd is the nervous system, responsible for carrying data to and from other devices in the PC and c onne c ted to it. The CP CPU U fits fits into the m othe rb oa rd via a soc ket c a lled lled a ZIF socket. (ZIF stands for Zero Insertion Force, and the hundreds of pins on the base of t he CPU a re d esigne esigne d to slip lip effo rtless tlessly into into the soc ket.). The mo the rb oa rd
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provides the circuitry that forms the pathways between the CPU and the RAM, ha rd d rives, ives, op tica l drives drives (CD/ DVD d rives), ves), exp exp a nsion nsion c a rd s, and othe r devic es as well a s c arryi arrying ng d ata to a nd from from other c om p onents. onents. The m otherbo ard is resp esp onsible onsible for c a rrying ying p ow er to these these d evice s. CPUs are one area that causes people a lot of confusion and frustration. Ba sica lly, there there a re t wo ma jor co rp orations c om p eting in the PC a rena . These hese are: o
INTEL
o
AM D
The ma jor d ifferenc ifferenc e b etw ee n CPU CPUs is d ete rmined b y the fo llow ing o
Sp ee d
o
So c ket Typ Typ e s
o
Ca c he (Buil (Builtt in mem ory)
o
Dual-core/hyper-threading/64-bit processors
Stand ard Motherbo ard Fea tures tures The stand stand ard mo therb therb oa rd c onta ins several co mp onents that wo rk toge ther but a re a ssigne d for d ifferent p urpo ses. es. The y a re: o
CPU so c ket s
o
RAM slots
o
Chipsets
o
PCI expa nsion nsion c a rd slots
o
AG P/ PCI express express exp a nsion nsion slots slots (for vide o a d a p te r)
o
Ha rd d rive/ op tica l d rive c on ne c to rs (IDE (IDE// SATA) ATA)
o
Flop py d rive c onnec tor
o
Pow er c onnec tors
o
Co nnec tors for CPU CPU a nd c a se fa ns
o
Keybo ard soc ket
o
Mo use use p ort
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o
Serial/ p a ra llel llel po rt
o
USB p o rts
Other op tional motherbo ard features includ e: o
On board board video video a da ptor
o
On-boa On-boa rd m odem
o
On-bo On-bo ard network network ad ap ter
o
Additional USB ports
o
Firew irew ire ire p o rts
7.4.
RA NDOM NDO M A CC ESS M EM O RY
RAM (an acronym for random access memory) is a working memory space tha t PCs PCs use use to loa d d a ta a nd p rog ra ms tha t a re regu la rly a c c ess essed . The data stored in RAM can be accessed in any order (hence the word “ ra ndo m” ) as op p osed osed to, sa sa y, d ata stored o n ma gne tic tic ta pe s, which ha s to be read sequentially (this format is uncommon nowadays other than for b a c kups). kups). The m a in rea rea son fo r loa d ing d a ta into RAM RAM a s op p osed osed to accessing data directly off the hard drive is that it’s much faster to access d a ta from from RAM tha n it is from from a ha rd d rive. There There a re d ifferent fferent type s of RAM RAM but the c omm on mo de rn types are •
DDR RAM
•
DDR2 RAM
DDR stands for Double Data Rate, the word “double” because it is twice as fast as regular SDRA DRAM M (Sync (Sync hrono hrono us Dynam ic Ra Ra nd om Ac c ess ess Me mo ry). 7.5.. 7.5
HAR HA RD DR DRIV IVE E
The ha rd d rive is a c om p uter’s ma in storag storag e d evic e a nd is used used to s store tore d a ta such as the operating system, the applications, and the user’s files and documents, as well as system settings particular to the user. What goes on inside a ha rd d rive is is not imp ortant information w hen it co me s to b uilding uilding a PC. PC.
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8.
SA FETY C O NSIDERA TIO NS
In orde r to m a inta in hig hig h Qo S a nd a lso p rod uc e P PCs Cs tha t wo uld uld b e o f wo rld standard, certain precautions must be implemented during the assembly p roc ess ess. This will he lp red uc e m a nufa c turing turing fa ults a nd w a ste o f ma te rials d uring uring production. i.
Double-c Double-c hec k that the CP CPU U a nd mo therbo therbo ard are c om pa tible: tible:
ii.
The Eng ineer should c hec k the sp ec ifica ifica tion c a refully efully b efo re op ening the item s to e nsur nsure e tha t the C PU and mo therb therb oa rd are c om pa tib tib le
iii. iii.
Kee p CPU CPUs s in the ir p a c kag ing until req uired uired : A mo d ern CPU c a n ha ve
almost almost a thousand thousand p ins on the b ase ase to a llow it to c onnec t up to a mo therbo therbo a rd . These hese a re very sma sma ll, thin, a nd fra fra gile a nd very ea sily d a ma g ed . When When the time c om es to ta ke the C PU out o f the p a c ka ging, the Engineer Engineer must must ta ke great c are not to damage the CPU (or to cut himself—CPUs can be well packaged and diffi diffic ult ult to remove from from the p lasti astic c bub b le p ac kaging). iv.
Store the mo therbo a rd in the origina origina l p a c kag ing:
v.
While While loo king king a t a nd exam ining ining the mo therbo a rd , the Eng ineer must must b e careful not to flex or bend the board (minute cracks and fractures can wreck a motherboard); take precautions against zapping it with static elec tricity tricity a nd return itit to th e ES ESD ba g a nd b ox for storag e. No othe r components should be kept in the same compartment used for storing the motherbo motherbo ards
vi. vi.
Store your hard d rive in a well protec ted bo x a nd wrap wrap pe d in in a n antistatic antistatic b a g : This is the wa y the d rive rive is sto red w he n it wa s p urcha sed .Kee .Kee p it sto red like like t his unt il it is req uire uire d .
vii. vii.
The ha rd drive drive should be protec ted from from falls falls a nd sha sha rp k knoc noc ks b ec a use use it’ s a sensi ensitive me c ha nica l d evice .
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vii viii.
The c onnec tors at the end of the d rive must must be protec ted from from da ma ge . The se c on ne c to rs c o nsis nsistt o f s sma ma ll p ins tha t a re ea sily ily b en t o r broken o ff. A b ent p in ca n b e s str tra a ig htene d with a p a ir of twe ezers ezers if the Enginee Enginee r is very c a reful (and very luc ky), ky), but a b roken pin mea ns a d ea d d rive.
ix. ix.
Ha rd drive drive should b e insta nsta lled at roo m tem p erature. If the ha rd d rive ha s be en stored stored in a c old, humid humid environme environme nt, the d rive should should b e a llow ed to come up to room temperature naturally over a few hours before installing it. This will will d ra ma tica lly red red uc e the a mo unt of w ea r a nd tea r tha t the d rive will will exp exp erienc erienc e w hen firs first switc switc hed on. IIt’ t’ s a lso lso a go od idea to d o t his his too if it’s just just b ee n d elivered to you a fte r transit transit in in the m a il. il.
x.
Never p ee l a ny la b els off the d rive; this c a n inva lid a te your wa rra nty.
xi.
Stuc k po we r c ab les and d ata ri rib bo ns: ns: The po we r c a bles and d a ta ribb ons are p rime c and ida tes for bec om ing stuck a fter being fitted fitted . Never Never tug on the wires to remove them because this can easily damage the c a b les. es. To sa sa fely rem ove the c onne c tor, fir firmly grasp grasp the c onne c tor and p ull on it g ently, grad ua lly lly inc inc rea sing the force until it g ives wa y.
9.
STA FF Q UALIFIC UALIFICA A TIO N:
Em p loym e nt o f sta sta ff is a c ritic ritic a l sa sa fe ty iss issue . The Sta ff in the a ssem b ly pla nt m ust ust be mentally and educationally sound. It is advised that the engineers have the prop er profess professiona l certifi certific c a tion tion a nd ac a de mic qua lific fic ation.
10. 10 .
A SSEM BLIN BLING G THE PC
Befo re a PC c a n b e a ssem b led , a t the ve ry lea lea st, the follow follow ing c om p one nts must must be ava ilab le. •
PC c a se
•
Motherbo Motherbo ard with on-bo on-bo ard vide vide o a nd a udio
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•
C PU
•
RAM
•
Ha rd d rive
•
CD/ DVD drive drive
•
Keyboard
•
Mouse
•
Monitor
Below is a summary of the steps involved in assembling the PC from the scratch. The c onfiguration onfiguration of ea c h PC PC c ould b e d ifferent fferent b ut the p roc ed ure ure is the sam sam e. •
Each component that will be used in building the PC is tested separately e.g Testing esting the PSU with a mu lti-me lti-me te r to e nsure nsure the line line vo ltag e rea d ing is correct,
checking
the
HDD
pins,
testing
the
RAM,
reading
the
mo therbo therbo a rd m anua l a nd testi testing ng it etc . •
Co up ling ling the va rious c om p one nts into the PC c a sing , ensur ensuring ing tha t eve ry sc rew is in pla c e.
11.
•
Loa ding the Op erating erating system ystem softwa re a nd other ap plic plic ations
•
Gene ral test test runni running ng and c onfiguration onfiguration che c k
•
Pac kaging of the PC
•
Sto ra g e
MARKETING.
Direc irec t sales sales and d ema nd-d riven produc tion tion A more fundamental destabilizing force in the industry was the success of the d irec irec t sa sa les, es, build build -to-ord -to-ord er (BT (BTO) stra tra teg y exem p lified ified b y Dell a nd Ga tew a y. Under this model, PC makers assemble systems as orders come in, usually allowing customers to choose from a set of configurations, and ship the product directly to the customer .Direct sales bypass distributors and retailers, taking out their profit profit m a rgin. Mea nwhile, nwhile, b usines usiness s p roc ess esses we re fund a me nta lly a ltered b y the shift hift from sup sup p ly-dri ly-driven ven (build (build -to-forec -to-forec a st) to d em a nd -driven -driven (build (build -to-ord -to-ord er) p rod uc tion. The d irec irec t sa sa les/ es/ b uil uild -to-ord -to-ord er mod el red red uc ed inventory ac ross oss the
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sup p ly c ha in, g iving it a si sig nifica nifica nt c ost ost a dva nta g e. It It a lso a llow llow ed PC m a kers kers to achieve product differentiation through customization, in an industry whose products were otherwise almost impossible to tell apart (Kraemer et al., 2000; Ded rick a nd Krae me r, 2002 2002))
12.
CONCLUSION
The m a in co mp et itors of PC PC Ass Assem b ly in N Nige ige ria a re Zinox® Zinox® a nd Om a te k® w ho both started recently. As new comers into the PC assembly arena, emulating Dell’s direct-sales/build-to-order strategy and its competitive pressures can send our orga niza niza tion str stra a ight to the top of the ind ustry ustry.. To b e the num b er one PC PC Co mp a ny, there ha s to b e a n ag g ress essive sup sup p ly and d istr istriib ution cha in to red uc e c osts osts a nd resp resp ond mo re q uickly uickly to d em a nd s signa igna ls.
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REFER RE FEREN ENC C ES •
Tho m a s M. Fure Furey y (1999); Decision elements in the design of a consumer electronics assembly plant ; Unp Unp ub lishe lishe d The sis fo r MBA, Unive Unive rsity rsity o f California.
•
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes and Kathie Kingsley-Hughes (2006); Build the ultima ultima te c usto usto m PC ; Wyley Pub lishing lishing Inc ., US USA.
•
Jason Dedrick and Kenneth L. Kraemer (2005); The imp a c t o f IT IT o n firm firm a nd industry industry struc struc ture ; Californi California a Ma na g em ent Review; Vol 47. 47. No. No. 3
•
www.nolo.com
•
www.entrepreneur.com
•
www.thetimes100.co.uk
•
www.entrepreneur.about.com
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G LOSSA LOSSA RY QoS
Qu a lity lity o f Servic e
ESD
Elec trosta trosta tic Disc Disc ha rge
PSU
Po w e r Sup p ly Unit
C PU
C e nt ral ra l Proc e ssing Unit
ZIF
Ze ro Inse Inse rtio n Fo rc e
RAM
Ra nd om Ac c ess ess Me mo ry
USB
Unive rsa rsa l Se ria l Bus
SATA ATA
Seria eria l Ad va nc ed Tec hnolog y Atta c hme nt
PCI
Perip erip heral Co mp one nt Interco nnec t
AG P
Ac c elerate d Grap hics Port
C RE RED DITS ITS: SANYA-ISIJOLA, SANYA-ISIJOLA , ADEMUYIWA 08023866188
[email protected] [email protected]
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