-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueOpportunities and Challenges
In this issue, our expert contributors discuss the many opportunities and challenges in the PCB design community, and what can be done to grow the numbers of PCB designers—and design instructors.
Embedded Design Techniques
Our expert contributors provide the knowledge this month that designers need to be aware of to make intelligent, educated decisions about embedded design. Many design and manufacturing hurdles can trip up designers who are new to this technology.
Manufacturing Know-how
For this issue, we asked our expert contributors to share their thoughts on the absolute “must-know” aspects of fab, assembly and test that all designers should understand. In the end, we’re all in this together.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Counseling Startups From Design Through NPI
April 30, 2020 | Andy Shaughnessy and Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Andy Shaughnessy and Happy Holden sat down for an interview with Richard Marshall, CEO of Xitex Limited, a company based in the U.K. that provides consultancy to startups launching wired and wirelessly connected products. Richard explains some of the most common factors companies overlook when introducing a new product. He also discusses one startup’s new product—a Fitbit-type device worn by horses—and why he advises startups to “Make your mistakes close to home.”
Andy Shaughnessy: How did you get involved in electronics?
Richard Marshall: As a kid, I grew up having various bits of electronics around. You don’t realize until later in life how much you learn from your own father. I grew up with that stuff, soldering and knowing resistor color codes, long before I studied physics.
Shaughnessy: As CEO, give us some background on Xitex.
Marshall: Xitex has been going for about 25 years. It’s my consulting company that I’ve been in and out of for a chunk of time. My last major startup was Ubiquisys, which was bought by Cisco in 2013. They were a small cell company, taking a 3G base station and miniaturizing it into a consumer product. We did one of the world’s first femtocells, which we started working on back in 2006. Then, it went for the usual acquisition phase with Cisco. I came out of Cisco in the backend of 2014, and since then, I’ve been running my design consultancy.
Partly, I’ve always enjoyed startups because you have to be able to turn your hand to do a lot of things. You have to get things done. As I often say to founders, execution is king. If you want to convince investors to fund you and back you, then execution is king. The moment you don’t start fulfilling your promises, then your business is likely to stop. There’s also a feeling of wanting to give something back in life, mentoring and helping other startups.
A couple of years ago, I was involved in a startup event in the U.K. and was talking to a couple of the founders, who were at Hive, which was bought by British Gas. One of the founders mentioned how hard it was to find people who had been through NPI in OEM manufacturing. And of course, for those of us who have worked for OEMs with our own production facilities, we tend to forget the fact that the world has changed so dramatically since 2000–2005, when so much manufacturing was first outsourced. Obviously, the majority of electronics have tended to be outsourced to Southeast Asia.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2020 issue of Design007, click here.
Suggested Items
Reducing Nitrogen Consumption in Convection Soldering with Rehm Thermal Systems' Patented Mechatronic Curtain
03/28/2024 | Rehm Thermal SystemsCurrent developments indicate a need for larger throughput heights due to the trend towards e-mobility, which in turn increases nitrogen consumption for process inertization. Rehm Thermal Systems responds to this issue with an innovative solution: the mechatronic curtain.
ITW EAE Wins New Product Introduction Award for Electrovert® Wave Soldering Machine Deep Wave
03/26/2024 | ITW EAEITW EAE is proud to announce that it has earned a 2024 New Product Introduction (NPI) Award for Electrovert’s Deep Wave option for wave soldering machines. This new, innovative system provides the ability to pump up to a 20 mm wave height.
Apollo Seiko Presents the Next Frontier in Non-Contact Soldering at 2024 IPC APEX EXPO
03/12/2024 | Apollo SeikoApollo Seiko, a leading innovator in soldering technology, is pleased to announce plans to showcase its latest advancements at Booth 1408 during the 2024 IPC APEX EXPO, taking place April 9-11, 2024 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
Revolutionizing Soldering: Kurtz Ersa to Debut Cutting-Edge Lineup at APEX
03/12/2024 | Kurtz ErsaKurtz Ersa Inc., a leading supplier of electronics production equipment, is pleased to announce plans to showcase its latest advancements and a range of cutting-edge soldering machines at the 2024 IPC APEX EXPO.
Solderstar to Spotlight the Reflow Shuttle with O2 at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
03/11/2024 | SolderStarSolderstar will introduce the newly launched Reflow Shuttle with O2 measurement module. This product promises to redefine soldering process optimization, offering manufacturers unparalleled control and precision.