The OEM should focus on total cost and alignment with business requirements.

The big story out of IPC Apex Expo last month – about the only story, really – was the introduction of an open communications standard by Mentor Graphics’ Valor division, followed by the rapid response by more than two dozen assembly equipment providers and software developers over shared concern that the solution to machine-to-machine communication might end up residing in the hands of a single company.

Getting lost in the inventory supermarket is no longer a fait accompli.

Be judicious when studying “game-changing” technologies.