'Every field has its forward thinking leaders. In quality management, the new leaders are Smith and Whitehall. "Optimizing Quality in electronics Assembly" guides us into the 21st century with creative force and proven practicality based upon scientific education. Much as Buckminster Fuller revolutionized architecture by designing more with less, Smith and Whitehall eliminate the waste in electronics assembly. Their principles offer exhilarating opportunities for every open-minded electronics assembly professional' - Maynard Eaves, Non-Conforming Manager, Hewlett-Packard Co., Integrated Circuits Business Division.'The last decade and a half has witnessed a plethora of material about quality. Yet, few have matched the reference points established by gurus like Deming, Crosby and Juran; that is until "Optimizing Quality in Electronics Assembly". Seasoned practitioners and new incumbents in the field of electronics assembly can only generate a wealth of benefits from this new reference point which objectively defines and enables the application of quality as a realistic business improvement tool' - Keith Joyner, Customer Satisfaction & Quality Executive, Lucas Aerospace.' There is no substitute for the understanding gained from application and liverally dispensed here. This book will help many quality professionals find their path and it should become required reading for the associated disciplines of desing and manufacturing. A thoughtful and provoking treatise, educational, solution-oriented and very readable, this is a book I know I will use again and again' - Prof. John Roulston, Technical Director, GEC-marconi Avionics.'Until the 1980's the role of quality was grossly underestimated - and now it is grossly exaggerated. Drawing on a wealth of experience, logical analysis and systematic thinking, "Optimizing Quality in Electronics Assembly" is the first book to put quality in its proper place. Moreover, the authors teach how to gain much better bottom-line results without paying needless lip service to the conventional wisdoms of quality' - Eluyahu M. Goldratt, Founder of Theory of Constraints. 'I have reviewed "Optimizing Quality in Electronics Assembly" and have found it to be both scholarly and practical, a combination that is not frequently found in today's business writings' - Maury Flynn, General Manager, ITTA Motors & Actuators Worldwide.