Test and measurement (T&M) is a complex science, as most test engineers will tell you. Setups can be very finicky and calibration issues can doom your measurements from the start. Perhaps most importantly, the operator of the test setup needs to be well trained and highly knowledgeable. And, as shown in a recent study commissioned by Keysight, getting any of the above wrong is apt to cost you dearly.
As was revealed in the third-party study conducted by Dimensional Research, nearly all companies that design and develop electronic products experience costly and preventable delays stemming from misconfiguration, maintenance, or training issues related to test equipment.
The survey of 305 R&D engineers across multiple industries found that 98% of respondents reported workflow issues related to calibration and setup, equipment misuse, or equipment failures. And 97% experienced delays that directly caused revenue loss to their business, with 53% reporting over $100,000 of waste per day while waiting to resolve critical technical support issues.
Other key findings from the survey of 305 R&D engineers across multiple industries, such as the technology and telecom sectors, include:
- Test-equipment-related problems cause delays for almost all companies: 97% of respondents said they experienced project delays stemming from test-equipment issues. Equipment failures requiring repair were the most common, cited by 63% of respondents, followed by equipment misconfigurations (56%) and equipment being out of calibration (50%).
- Costs of lost days due to test-equipment problems are high: 53% said their companies lost over $100,000 per day when R&D teams could not make progress due to test-and-measurement equipment problems.
- T&M equipment challenges are a regular problem: In a typical month, 95% of respondents said they needed to contact their test equipment vendors' technical support team at least once.
- The business impact of equipment problems: 53% of survey respondents said product yield was negatively affected by test equipment failing to work properly. Furthermore, 47% said a product was rejected by a buyer and 45% said they had experienced increased product returns.
- The value of expert test-related support services: 90% of respondents said they would value access to technical support expertise from outside the organization. Assistance with troubleshooting an issue was the most desired service (cited by 54%), followed by answers to technical questions and discussion (53%), understanding how a particular test or equipment feature works (49%), and calibration services (46%).
To that last bullet, don’t be afraid to lean on your equipment vendors for help. Application engineers at T&M vendors are paid to help customers solve their problems. Call them sooner rather than later before test issues overwhelm you and your team, impairing productivity and revenues.
