![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.minco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Minco-homepage-slider-Minco-Cares-062821-162x300.jpg\")
Minco products go in applications all over the world, from medical devices to passenger planes and spaceflight. Every one was designed, crafted, and inspected by the Minco team \u2013\u00a0 and each is the result of the skill and effort of drafters, engineers, supervisors, and highly trained production specialists.<\/p>\n
Whereas standard training curriculum from the Global Association for Electronics Manufacturing, IPC, largely relies on book learning and exams, the Minco training team insists on a hands-on approach. Dustin Young, Senior Training & Development Specialist, is one of the people who helps employees learn how to make even the most technical of Minco products \u2013\u00a0 ensuring each one meets the highest level of quality standards.<\/p>\n
There are still books, and there are still exams, but to maintain Minco\u2019s reputation for unmatched precision and dependable quality, training teams like Young\u2019s have developed practical training methods and enforce stricter expectations of passing grades than industry standards call for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe build our own samples for one of the tests,\u201d Young said, to train employees on Minco\u2019s proprietary flex circuit technology, which is more exacting and challenging than rigid circuit boards. It\u2019s part of a training strategy than prepares Minco employees for the most demanding iteration of a task to ensure they become proficient at every level.<\/p>\n
Training for circuit soldering, for example, requires soldering production components in addition to practice components (both provided and produced in-house). Electronic devices and components are classified into Class 1 (general electronics like toys and flashlights), Class 2 (service electronics like laptops and microwaves), and Class 3 (failproof electronics like the ones made for medical, aerospace, and military applications). Young\u2019s team trains Minco solderers on Class 3 standards \u2013\u00a0 the most stringent. Minco trainers are themselves experts on the processes they train. That means experienced production personnel can lead by example to impart perspective that helps new personnel turn training into practice.<\/p>\n
That high expectation of quality, reflected in all aspects of production, is a necessity for the type of orders Minco \u2013\u00a0 and its highly trained workers \u2013 complete daily. A majority of Minco\u2019s customers customize and purchase Class 3 products that go in can\u2019t-fail applications like passenger planes and spacecraft.<\/p>\n
The critical nature of many Minco products requires tight tolerances, but Young says his training methods aren\u2019t centered around punitive action: \u201cIt\u2019s not just, \u2018Hey, do it right or else.\u2019 If something goes wrong, that\u2019s okay. Stop and fix the problem. You see that part didn\u2019t solder properly? What happened that caused it not to? Can you make a change to prevent it from happening again?\u201d<\/p>\n
In more than 30 years with Minco, Young has seen the production process from many angles. \u201cAs a drafter, I was designing things like solder pads and weld pads,\u201d he said. From drafter to engineer to supervisor and now training specialist, each position has given him a different take on the purpose and value of guiding by example. \u201cAs I\u2019ve gone through different job roles, your experience builds and gives you that background understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s quick to note that experience isn\u2019t a replacement for process. \u201cI don\u2019t rely on that when I\u2019m developing training,\u201d Young said. \u201cThe background knowledge is helpful, but it doesn\u2019t override any current documentation. I\u2019m still counting on process engineers \u2013\u00a0 they own standard process instructions [SPIs], and we\u2019re going to develop training to those. We\u2019re not just working in a vacuum. We\u2019re trying to involve people and make sure that the training is effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
The training teams at Minco leverage their experience to communicate more effectively with trainees while interfacing with the growing Minco knowledge base \u2013\u00a0 discovering what elements work best today while anticipating the training that\u2019ll be needed as engineering and development advance. At the same time, it makes training an institutional effort, where SPIs maintained by engineers are used to practically educate new learners.<\/p>\n