Augsburg , Paderborn and Sömmerda are locations where we produce more than 2 million PCs per year. When we talk about PCs,one of the key competencies we are focused on at the Augsburg plant isthe system board - the heart of every PC. High quality and high volume system board production runs 24 hours, 5-6 days a week with 10 production lines.Each production line consists of solder printer, component mounting systems, oven, through-hole technology mounting and the testsystem. To fulfil our requirements in quality, runtime, price and volume we need to use best-in-class equipment.Strategic partners such as Siemens with SMD mounting systems and Digitaltest with the test systems are helping us to satisfy our customer and to compete on the market.Our business is always changing.Some years ago production volume consisted mainly of PCs with standard configuration. Nowadays three out of four computers are configured by the customer.Offering this capability is one of our key market skills but to achieve this we need well organised production and test processes. Flexible test solutions are embedded into our processes, so that test, diagnosis,repair and quality management can be performed cost-effectively.Robert Schmid, Manager of Test Development System board, is responsible for the implementation of test strategies.When we started this business, we looked for a partner who would offer more than just a test system.We expected a complete solution which could be integrated into our environment. Data from product development needed to be prepared for production and test. Software became a more and more important factor when looking for a test solution.

Digitaltest was an early pioneer of high-performance test systems supported by the integrated software package C-Link/Testpro,says Schmid.Continuous improvements in yield,reliability, time- to-market, and customer satisfaction all depend on quick and safe ways of testing our products. The methods of test arelimited. A test strategy may contain optical, in-circuit (ICT) or functional test stages in different locations in the line. With PCsystem boards we have to guarantee a quality level better then 99.4%. A test strategy which ensures good quality, allows controlling and improving processes,makes diagnosis and failure analyse easy and moves within the cost limits is essential.Most board faults arise during production. Failures such asshorts, wrong or missing components and open pins can be covered by using the higperformance hybrid, non multiplexed ICT and for this we use Digitaltest.Many common test requirementare anticipated during board design, which ensures that ICT-testmethods are fast and efficient.Using a bed-of-nails we are able to contact each net of the board and this achieves the highest fault coverage. Since we deliver oursystem boards to several assembly factories, who expect zero defects,we cannot rely on local tests prior toassembly.

Final system tests on the assembled PCs should only confirm a failure-free system board.At the end of each system board line we one MTS845/SPRINT incircuit test system testing the board.On lines where we produce the high format server boards which have more then 4000 nets an MTS888/OMEGA is used. The MTS888, developed in 2004, meets all our requirements for the large server boards and is also able to replace the software compatible MTS845 test systems when necessary. Two of these flexible test systems with eight power supplies and analogue and digital capability are now in use at our system boardmanufacturing plant. With this test system we will cope with currentand next generations of PC- and Server products.Today s products do face unprecedented cost and time-tomarket pressures,says Maier. The complexity of computer electronics has increased rapidly. Margins shrink and test cost has become an important issue. Overall test cost including initial cost for the system, the costs for maintenance, the operator among other things have to be taken into consideration. Digitaltest is still the leading company providing low-cost test solutions without lacking onthroughput or performance. For example, non multiplexed pin architecture guarantees easy use and quick change of fixture and test software.By working with Digitaltests incircuit test systems at the end of each line we are able to ensure a quality of more than 99%. This is only possible because the SPRINTtest system provides both analogue and digital features as well as functional test capabilities.Customers no longer accept delays due to manufacturing or supply problems. Reliable test systems means high volume and zero downtime. With Digitaltests systems the maintenance costs are quite low an nearly every failure can be repaired by our own maintenance group.Probably the most important characteristic which contributed to the purchase decision is the flexibility of non multiplexed pin architecture. Changes in board design can easily be done.

The bedof-nail vacuum fixture can be modified as simply as the test program. New programs can be generated within one day and debugged within one week.Considering that a typical application for us has around 800components and 1500-2000 nets,this is a very good value.While technology is Fujitsu SiemensComputers core business,environmental protection has been and remains a vital corporate concern.

The company pursues an end-to-end environmental policy,meaning that environmental issues are taken into consideration from the start of a products life cycle,beginning with the selection of materials that will not harm theenvironment. In the early 1990s standards were set for environmentally friendly product design, and the company was one of the first companies to qualify for environmental approval for PC systems.Bernd Bischoff, CEO of Fujitsu Siemens Computers, recently stated We use our creativity and innovative technological skills to preserve our environment.The same is expected from manufacturing partners. Low power consumption and minimal heat loss are further criteria that Digitaltest test systems have to fulfil.Of course, the company has considerable advantages over itscompetition, being able to work very closely with parent companies,Fujitsu and Siemens. This collaboration provides access to best-in-class technologies and combined research and development investments of about 9 billion euro.The slogan of Fujitsu Siemens Computers is 'We Make Sure' and one promise is to deliver best-inclass products. Using the most advanced production and test equipment, creating good processes and motivating employees contribute to this success,says Maier.In todays competitive business environment, a close relationship with your suppliers and partners is important. In 2005 Digitaltest celebrates its 25 year anniversary jubilee. The companys philosophy has always been to develop and provide test systems and software which meets the customer needs. To get a complete test solution from one partner covering automatic test equipment (MTS tester family) together with powerful software(C-Link for test development and QMAN as our repair and quality management software) has helped Fujitsu Siemens Computers optimize its service.It is worth mentioning timely and professional support from Digitaltest,concludes Maier.

Netest requirements such as vectorless test with OpensCheck, polaritycheck of electrolyte capacitors and device programming tools have always been fulfiled quickly.For the future Fujitsu Siemens Computers will concentrate on emerging end-user markets in order to provide customers and partners with the most attractive product portfolio for personal computing, with a strategic focus on Mobility and Business Critical Computing,recognising that these are positioned as key drivers of the Information Age in the 21st century.Fujitsu Siemens Computers is at the forefront of technology developing new ideas, inventions and processes for tomorrows world.