Data analytics for T&M is yet to gain more traction, as industries focus on implementing data analytics for other applications. There is a potential change as many industries would require analytics services to manage their testing processes with Big Data analytics managed services and analytics as a service. OEMs can participate at the front of this disruption, or wait for broader or mainstream adoption.
There is an increasing need of the test data pulled from multiple test equipment to be simulated to increase yield and meet current project requirements. It is necessary to compare past yield test data levels and existing correlations. This is driving the requirement to have engineering data for the production floor.
Test data analytics and management services and simulations will become relevant to improve past yield and reduce the cost of test and operations in the manufacturing environment. There is a need to have a comprehensive view of the production floor with detailed engineering data.
Evolution of Test Data Analytics Services
Most companies do not provide a direct correlation between test data analysis and repair. Companies have manual inspection checklists with ERP systems looking at a limited number of KPIs (past yield).
New data analytics services solutions leverage the vast amount of untapped test data being collected by manufacturers. Companies are looking into implementation of a manufacturing process as part of a new service offering. Users are willing to pay for services focused on identification of root cause of production issues and customized reports that are specific to end customers. Users can look at yield split by a variety of parameters including how operators are performing, how is the production performance of each operator, actual test equipment used, current number of operators running the test, the environmental temperature, identification of low performance, and training identification.
New test data analytics services identify the root cause of a failure and identify variations at manufacturing test. Any product that fails a test is logged into a reporting. The reporting tool services can scan the unit’s serial number displaying the failure test and identify the type of failure. Today’s new services allow users to combine test results with repair (identify the moment a unit fails a test process and when will it be repaired).
Competitive Landscape
The top 5 test data analytics and management services for manufacturing market participants contributed 54.9% to the total market revenue in 2016.
Virinco AS continues to lead the global market in 2016. The company focused on test development reducing the complexity and time to handle test data in the manufacturing stage. WATS is the company’s off-the-shelf automated manufacturing test data management product offered under a cloud-based service.
IntraStage held the second position in test data analytics and management services for manufacturing in 2016. The company is strongly focused on providing yield and test data analytics for electronics manufacturing products. IntraStage’s 6.0.2 software provides six sigma tools for process improvement in the manufacturing and engineering environment.
Tequra Analytics has a strong expertise in manufacturing tests. The company serves as a data analytics solution provider in industries such as aerospace, electronics, automotive, and medical devices. Tequra Analytics pulled test data from different sources such as NI’s Labview, TestStand, and other routes.
Averna is providing a data analytics and reporting tool called Proligent Analytics. The company is bringing a service solution to support high-tech product manufacturing and supplier performance. Proligent Analytics captures test data from multiple test stations sites and suppliers.
Last Thoughts