Z-World selects Cogiscan for lead-free material control

Z-World has completed a strategic investment in the Cogiscan platform for their factory in Davis, CA. Z-World will be deploying the Cogiscan system to identify and track all of its materials in production from receiving to shipment of complete assemblies.

Jes Vargas, Director of Operations at Z-World: "We feel that this is a very strategic investment for our facility. A lot of our products are sold on the European market and we cannot afford to miss the upcoming deadline for Lead-Free. Instead of waiting until the last minute we feel that we can gain market share if we take a pro-active role and become compliant as soon as possible."

"The Cogiscan system is one of the key elements of our Lead-Free program. Early on we identified material logistics as being one of the key factors for success and we knew that our current methods and systems for controlling materials had to be upgraded. Since we cannot rely on consistent supplier part numbers and labels, we have to rely on our own systems to recognize, identify and keep track of all materials, including components, soldering materials, etc. During the transition it becomes critical to use a higher level of automation to avoid mixing up Sn/Pb and Pb-Free materials. We were also concerned with the effect of the higher reflow temperature on moisture-sensitive components and the potential impact on our production yields and the reliability of our products. Last but not least we need a robust traceability system in order to clearly demonstrate that we fully comply with the guidelines specified in the new legislation."

"Cogiscan was a logical choice because of their expertise and focus on material tracking for the electronics manufacturing industry. Their complete suite of applications means that one system can meet all of our requirements. Another significant benefit of their product is the fact that it can be deployed quickly and it can integrate with our existing systems."