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PCB Cloud Based DFM – Why You Should Care

By Atul Khiste

The Covid -19 pandemic has been a reality check for organizations of all sizes. Due to these uncertain
times, more organizations, especially electronic manufacturers, are moving towards cloud adoption and
digital transformation.
It is evident that cloud based solution adoption has accelerated greatly in recent times given the
pandemic situation.

If you are involved with PCB Assembly layout, and you’re still using external consultants for DFM
analysis,
it is not too late to change the gears and start building your cloud strategy- “But why should I?”
you probably ask.

I am sure that you are aware of the benefits of moving to cloud in general, but I would like to emphasize
the benefits of adopting a cloud based DFM solution.

Let’s start by listing the benefits of a cloud based DFM solution

Online DFM Cost Saving

A Cloud based SaaS platform can give eminent return on investment for several reasons. First, it takes out the forthright expense of procurement of hardware equipment, skilled IT resources, on-going costs like support and maintenance. Rather than spending a lot of cash on equipment establishments, SaaS applications can be effectively downloaded and kept up with. Moreover, pay-per use model helps organizations to pay for just the thing they are utilizing and not pay intensely on un-utilized services.

SaaS can be particularly profitable for small to medium businesses since it gives access to powerful technology and software that may have been generally un-attainable via traditional software purchase strategies. Likewise, the membership/subscription-based strategy can offer more flexibility in terms of usage.

Time

For most of the Cloud based SaaS applications, installation is as simple as having internet access
and signing in. A Cloud Based DFM product can be a significant time saver and true to the saying “
Time is money”.
This actually shifts the responsibility of maintaining a software application from your local IT onto
the Vendor itself.
In traditional on-premises applications, new version integration can cause severe downtime and
sometimes results in a rollback in case of a major bug in the new version.

Scalability

If your business is growing and you expect it to grow exponentially, you would certainly need a
software vendor that is there for you to meet scalability needs without costing you a fortune.
As your business grows, it can be reassuring to know what you have a software vendor that is
there to meet your scalability needs and grows your capabilities in line with your company
without costing you a fortune.

Compatibility

In traditional on-premise software, if you have a big workforce, one of the most talked about
concerns compatibility/version mispatch issues. Normally, any upgrade to a software represents a
significant amount of time and money wasted due to maintenance downtime..
Since the introduction of Cloud based SaaS applications, users simply sign in to the most recent
version of the application, and updates are conducted online.

Increasing Business Agility and Fostering Collaboration

With the power of the cloud, a global workforce can be brought under the same umbrella when
two departments are located in multiple countries. Similarly, your suppliers who are located
across the globe can be easily connected using a single system. This ability not only eliminates the
silo’s in your organization but truly enables close collaboration,which is essential for sustainable
growth.

With PCBflow, you can enable true collaboration with your business partners/suppliers at no
additional cost. If you are a hardware innovator using PCBflow – you are able to bring your
manufacturer onboard and use their manufacturing rules to check the PCB manufacturability
before it goes to production and effectively collaborate with manufacturer and get instant
feedback. This capability significantly reduces the number of design spins and cycle time.

On the other hand, if you are a new startup looking for a manufacturing partner, you can review
and connect to the globally listed manufacturers using the networking module in PCBflow.

Enabling digital transformation

Those who adopt cloud solutions can increase the productivity of their workforces, innovate, and
unlock new sources of revenue compared to their peers.
Once you are on a cloud platform, the possibilities are virtually endless.

Accelerating growth

Cloud based SaaS has a lot to offer. If it’s used properly, it can help your business save money, time, and
human resources. By eliminating problems like software maintenance and incompatibility, SaaS can
provide streamlined focus and greater productivity.

Why PCBflow’s Cloud Solution?

PCBflow is a cloud based SaaS platform that brings the whole ecosystem of PCB Design, Manufacturing
and supply chain to you by providing the right tools as part of the offering.
PCBflow platform uniquely places itself in the middle where your company can utilize DFM analysis
capabilities using world class Valor NPI engine that can validate your PCB against thousands of rules in
minutes. PCBflow can support auto scaling to meet customer needs of any size.

PCBflow offers pay per use subscription model as part of its paid plans.

The PCBflow platform not only allows customers to run DFM analysis on their PCB Design but offers
others features that help to build the network, to invite business partners to collaborate on PCB or

start a conversation with your potential fabricator or assembler of PCB about the quote that you
received.

Signup today for to get started with your cloud based DFM journey with https://www.pcbflow.com

This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/pcbflow/2021/08/15/pcb-cloud-based-dfm-why-you-should-care/