Jun17
What Are WIP (Work-in-Process), FGI (Finished Goods Inventory), and Semi-Finished Goods?

post on June 17, 2026
What Are WIP (Work-in-Process), FGI (Finished Goods Inventory), and Semi-Finished Goods?
Filgure: What Are WIP (Work-in-Process), FGI (Finished Goods Inventory), and Semi-Finished Goods?

WIP stands for Work-in-Process (or Work-in-Progress), which refers to products that are currently going through the manufacturing process but have not yet been completed. In a broad sense, WIP can include semi-finished goods that have already completed certain manufacturing steps. In a narrower sense, however, WIP refers specifically to products that have not yet reached the semi-finished stage.

In many electronics manufacturing factories, a product can be considered WIP as soon as the kitting process begins. Once the product has completed all assembly operations, is packaged, passes OOB (Out-of-Box) or OQC (Outgoing Quality Control) inspections, and is officially transferred into finished goods inventory, it is classified as FGI (Finished Goods Inventory).

read more…》

Management, Manufacture     WorkingBear    Views (109)     comment (0)
,

Jun09
How Pilot Production Helps Improve DFM, Process Stability, and Product Quality

post on June 9, 2026
Why Do New Products Need Pilot Production? Exploring the Challenges, Benefits, and Lessons Learned
Figure: Why Do New Products Need Pilot Production? Exploring the Challenges, Benefits, and Lessons Learned

Many manufacturing professionals aren’t exactly excited when they’re assigned to a new product pilot build. Pilot production is often complex, fast-paced, and difficult to measure in terms of productivity or performance. Schedules are usually tight, and in the early stages, even the Bill of Materials (BOM) may not be fully finalized. Many tasks still require manual work, and new manufacturing processes often need time to be refined and stabilized.

The challenges don’t stop there. New products typically introduce new components, many of which arrive as bulk parts or tube-fed components instead of production-ready reels. This can create headaches for SMT assembly lines, forcing operators to place parts manually before the boards can enter the reflow oven. The situation is often even more labor-intensive during final assembly, where a significant amount of manual work may still be required.

read more…》

Design, Management     WorkingBear    Views (286)     comment (0)
, ,

Jun03
Product Life Cycle (PLC) Explained: A Complete Guide to New Product Development in Electronics Manufacturing

post on June 3, 2026
Product Life Cycle (PLC) Explained: A Complete Guide to New Product Development in Electronics Manufacturing
Figure：Product Life Cycle (PLC) Explained: A Complete Guide to New Product Development in Electronics Manufacturing

Product Life Cycle (PLC) is a framework used to manage a product throughout its entire journey—from the initial idea and market validation to development, production, continuous improvement, and eventually End of Life (EOL). While the exact process may vary from company to company, most follow a similar path to guide products from concept to market in a structured and controlled way.

In the electronics industry, PLC is more than just tracking whether a product grows or declines in sales. It helps companies make decisions, align cross-functional teams, manage risk, and balance time, cost, quality, and market expectations throughout development and production.

read more…》

Design, Management     WorkingBear    Views (425)     comment (0)
, ,

May28
What is DFX? Understanding Common DFX Design Methods Like DFM and DFA

post on May 28, 2026
What is DFX? Understanding Common DFX Design Methods Like DFM and DFA
What is DFX? Understanding Common DFX Design Methods Like DFM and DFA

DFX is the general term for “Design for X.” It means considering all aspects of a product’s entire lifecycle right from the beginning of the design stage.

DFX originally stood for “Design for Excellence.” The word “Excellence” can be extended to many different areas, with the goal of making the product as outstanding and perfect as possible. Since perfection is almost endless, people started replacing “Excellence” with specific goals such as Manufacturability, Testability, Inspection, Repairability, Recycle, Cost, and so on — each representing an important aspect of the product’s lifecycle.

read more…》

Design, Management     WorkingBear    Views (486)     comment (0)
, ,

May21
Managing Color Variation in Plastic Parts: 7 Practical Tips for Better Color Control

post on May 21, 2026
Pantone card
Pantone color guides

A few days ago, a reader asked Workingbear about color variation issues between plastic injection-molded parts, and whether there are any good ways to better control color consistency.

The problem was probably caused by the purchasing team trying to reduce supply chain risk by placing different plastic molds with different injection molding vendors. During incoming inspection, each individual plastic part passed the color specification requirements and stayed within the defined upper and lower tolerance limits. However, once all the plastic parts were assembled into the final product, obvious color mismatch issues became visible between the parts.

read more…》

Plastic, Quality     WorkingBear    Views (499)     comment (0)