Ericsson Telecom Ingelsta Multilayer PCB Facility, Norrköping, Sweden

Not infrequently over the past few years it has been brought to Circuit World's attention that a multilayer production facility well worth a visit is the LM Ericsson plant at Ingelsta on the outskirts of Norrköping some 150 kilometres south of Stockholm, the major location of this, the largest electronics corporation in Sweden. The widely acclaimed reputation of the plant derives from its extremely high level of automation by European standards. Discussion with Dr Norman Nichols, recently appointed Director and General Manager at Ingelsta in February of this year, revealed, however, that it is not only the automation aspect which lends this production facility its uniqueness, but also an overriding concern for the human factor. Clearly, here, automation has not meant merely the introduction of programmed robots, with an associated dehumanising effect on the workforce.