At the American Electronics Manufacturing Summit, Alok Sharan, Director of Quality Management at Micro Systems Engineering, took the stage for a fireside chat on improving manufacturing performance through advanced process engineering and continuous improvement.
The conversation focused on how data, DOE, and stronger process control can help manufacturers improve yield, consistency, and scalability while reducing variability. Alok also shared insights on the importance of connecting R&D and manufacturing more closely, helping teams create smoother product transitions, stronger quality outcomes, and systems that support long-term operational excellence.
In this post-summit speaker spotlight, we take a closer look at the key themes from Alok’s session and the practical lessons manufacturers can apply to strengthen performance, innovation, and quality across their operations.
Can you introduce yourself and share more about your career journey leading up to your current role as the Director, Quality Management at Micro Systems Engineering?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Technology and a PhD in the same field from Carnegie Mellon University. My career has centered on electronics packaging, assembly, and wafer fabrication, with earlier roles at Lucent Technologies - Bell Labs and Hewlett Packard before I joined Micro Systems Engineering in 2009. Over the last 25 years, I have had the opportunity to work across process
development, component development, and now quality management. Throughout this trajectory, I have remained engaged by the intersection of technical problem-solving and collaborative leadership. I take particular satisfaction in building effective teams, mentoring employees, and establishing systems that support the growth of both individuals and organizations. For the last 2.5 years, I have led the Quality Management
department at Micro Systems Engineering, where I can apply my background in electronics assembly to strengthening quality systems in a practical and meaningful way.
Where are you seeing the greatest opportunities to enhance performance through process optimization and continuous improvement?
In electronics assembly, the greatest opportunities come from reducing reaction time and preventing variability before it becomes a defect. For me, three areas stand out. First is stronger control of incoming materials, because many downstream issues begin with variation in components or suppliers. Second is real-time process monitoring, so teams can catch drift while the process is still running rather than after yield or quality has already been affected. It is about getting ahead of problems before they occur. Third is better traceability and feedback loops, which make it easier to connect defects to specific materials, equipment conditions, or process steps and respond quickly. We are living in an era where handling large datasets to connect the dots is increasingly common. Generating large amounts of relevant process traceability data allows us to evaluate and improve processes with additional granularity.
What role does data-driven process engineering play in identifying and resolving production inefficiencies?
In electronics assembly, data-driven process engineering acts as the "nervous system" of the factory floor. Instead of relying on anecdotal evidence or trial-and-error, engineers use granular data to pinpoint the exact source of variability, transforming the assembly line from a black box into a transparent, measurable process. It is about establishing traceability of components and processes at various levels of assembly and using data to detect drifts, determine root causes of a problems, and drive process improvements. Data analysis plays a significant role in establishing methods to implement proactive actions – it can be used to identify and make corrections for a maverick lot of a component, detect process drifts over time, support implementation of preventive maintenance, and more.
How do you design processes that maintain consistency as production volumes increase?
Where do organizations typically struggle when it comes to managing variability?
Managing variability in today’s world of electronics assembly is particularly challenging because the products are becoming denser while the "process windows"—the allowable margin for error—are shrinking. Some of the factors that add to the challenge of minimizing variability include continued reliance on manual processes, poor incoming material and environmental control, lack of materials and process traceability across the factory, lack of process standardization and inadequate real-time feedback loop in operations. Many organizations rely too heavily on manual controls or delayed feedback, which means they discover problems after the fact instead of while the process is still recoverable. In my experience, managing variability well requires both technical discipline and organizational
discipline.
What best practices help accelerate time-to-market while maintaining quality and performance?
Accelerating time-to-market without sacrificing quality begins with reducing unknowns early. The most effective practices include designing for manufacturability from the outset, learning quickly through rapid prototyping, and identifying key risks before scale-up.
Organizations must be proactive in road-mapping and developing new capabilities ahead of need, designing products to match manufacturing capabilities, building rapid-prototyping capacity for fast learning, designing for testability, and leveraging existing knowledge wherever possible. It is essential to identify key risk areas in new-product development early and to address unknowns upfront as much as possible.
Many issues that arise during new-product development stem from interactions between systems and from challenges encountered during scale-up. Being mindful of these pitfalls and adopting a risk-based approach to mitigate them helps ensure a faster and more effective
time-to-market.
What frameworks or tools have delivered the most measurable impact in your operations?
The key initiatives that have delivered the greatest dividends over time at Micro Systems Engineering include investments in incoming-material evaluation and screening, factory digitization, automation, implementation of feedback control, a robust Quality System, and rigorous training programs. We have invested in developing a positive work culture in which employees have a voice and strong teamwork exists across departments. We take pride in the integrity of our work and in maintaining strong working relationships with our suppliers and customers. Beyond the technical tools, rigorous training has also had a measurable impact, because even highly automated environments still depend on capable people making sound decisions. For me, the best frameworks are those that make problems easier to detect, easier to diagnose, and faster to correct.
We would like to thank Alok Sharan for joining us at the American Electronics Manufacturing Summit and for sharing his insights on process engineering, continuous improvement, and the systems needed to support stronger manufacturing performance.
His session offered valuable perspectives on how electronics manufacturers can improve consistency, reduce variability, and build more effective connections between R&D and manufacturing.
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