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What are the top 3 traits or skills every component engineer must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your component engineer expertise?

StepBeyond client companies all hire component engineers.
john at stepbeyond.com
www.stepbeyond.com

StepBeyond.com tm specializes in electronics product companies and the EMS companies (like solectron, flextronics, sanmina-sci, jabil, celestica, foxconn, plexus, ...) that serve them.

We have a job board for employers to post, and do research by the hour, and fee paid searches.
Positions filled:
SMT, sheet metal Enclosures, supply chain management, automotive electronics, manufacturing, assembly, engineering, npi, IE EE ME ChemE, smt process, pcba, mcm, DoD defense contractors, CEO COO CFO CTO CIO cxo, operations manager, business unit manager, business unit director, vice president, buyer, purchasing director, test engineer, ict, functional test, DFx dfm dft dfa, ...

Host said: What are the top 3 traits or skills every component engineer must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your component engineer expertise?

The traits would depend on whether the Component Engineer was supporting the R&D group or Manufacturing.

For a R&D Component Engineer
1. Keeping current with the technology trends
2. Good researching skills
3. Excellent communication skills

Manufacturing Component Engineer
1. Excellent understanding of obsolescence management
2. Excellent alternate sourcing skills
3. Excellent communication skills

Hi, to excel at Component Engineering you need to not just look at what you have in front of you but to think of about the implications to other buisness units, they are all your customers. You have to be able to balance lots of differnt requirements from these groups.

We are a cross functional, technical support group, I believe the most cross function roll in Engineering.

To do this you need wide crossfunctional knowledge and experience.

Example, Regulatory Implications, Stores, Purchasing, Production Engineering, Inspection, Design, Reliability, Cost, Time to Market, Suppliers, Manufacturers, QA, Components of course:-) etc.

Do not panic, this takes time and a lot of hard work but if you want to excel, rather than be Joe Bloggs you need this knowledge. You also need to learn available tools to be able to be efficient. To excel though you must be able to apply this knowledge.

So the list of 3:
1. Knowledge
2. Wisdom to apply that Knowledge
3. Excellant communication skills

1) Understand the fundamental electrical properties about the type of component you are dealing with, i.e. passive components, discrete semiconductors, and asics, etc.

2) Must know component packaging technology: TSOPs, QFNs, flip chip bga, etc, to name a few.

3) Must understand relationship between component form factors and pcb layout and placement implications.

4) Must be knowledgeable in all component attributes: mechanical, electrical, as well as environmental (think MSL and ROHS status here...)

Join JEDEC as well as other professional associations and become involved in amateur radio :-)

To excel at Component Engineering, U must know the basic and fundamentals of electronics. u must be very good in searching,
updation of new technologies.

1. Knowledge of component attributes.
2. Military standard and JEDEC standard.
3. Rohs (Restriction on hazardous substances).
4. About TIN Whisker.
5. Finding Alternates.
6. Some of the tools like Excel, Access and other softwares.

Jaikumar in Singapore, Singapore said: To excel at Component Engineering, U must know the basic and fundamentals of electronics. u must be very good in searching,
updation of new technologies.

1. Knowledge of component attributes.
2. Military standard and JEDEC standard.
3. Rohs (Restriction on hazardous substances).
4. About TIN Whisker.
5. Finding Alternates.
6. Some of the tools like Excel, Access and other softwares.

I have 3+ years experience in the component engineering filed.If you are still in need of this service, pls let me know.

Regards,
VRK

vrks in Bangalore, India said: I have 3+ years experience in the component engineering filed.If you are still in need of this service, pls let me know.

Regards,
VRK

Dear All,

what all above people said are right of course. If one needs to excel in this field, one should have lot of patience, continuos research skills, components specifications and their importance, searching/research techniques, good rappo with manufacturers and distributors, Sourcing skills through mail and phone worldwide, convincing and/or bargaining skills with distributors while dealing with low-cost, MOQ projects with least lead-time.

Those days are gone, when one has to be an expert in core electronics to become comp engg. Now the trend or working style has been changed as a comp engg, one must require continuos research or updation of latest product release/technologies, excellent research/googling skills, finding alternates for eol,nrnd and obsolete parts keeping FFF in mind (this requires comparision skills). And finally Sourcing for alternate, hard-to-find or any technical information from mfr or vendors.
If you have the above skills then pull-up your pant, tie your lace and get ready.

Best of luck with your success,
contact me/web in case you need free component engineeirng services for free of cost.
componentengineeringhelp.weebly.com/