TABLE OF CONTENTS Success is in the detail
Keywords AT&S, China
During a conversation with Willi D rflinger, the AT&S Chairman (Plate 1), you discover that barely one week back the company was awarded qualification to TS16949. During a tour of the 12,500 m 2 plant with Paul Barlow, Operational Director, you understand why it was that the European ISO team, who came expressly to China for the vigorous examination, left with the words Congratulations, you ve passed, and companies don t come any better than yours .
What is difficult to begin to understand is the enormity of the work undertaken by those tasked with the creation of this PCB plant that lies on the south-western side of the city of Shanghai. For those in the West who still believe that environmental legislation is an exclusive obsession of Brussels, or the EPA, the regional government of Shanghai is about to introduce legislation that makes ISO14001 look like a picnic. To that requirement add in the factor that in this city the temperatures in summer can ascend to 42 C with 100 percent humidity, and in the winter they can fall to well below freezing, and you may catch a glimpse of the brief given to the designers. It is no surprise therefore that, as a part of the Paul Barlow tour, you are taken up onto the inside roof of the building to see the climate control systems, the solvent scrubbers, the hepa filters...
