Methods and systems for electronics assembly system consultation and sales

A method for developing an electronics assembly equipment sales offer to a customer during a particular sales session, the method comprising the steps of:

• a. identifying a set of customer requirements and constraints;
• b. selecting an electronics assembly configuration, comprising electronics assembly equipment or its, operating parameters or both, for accomplishing the customer requirements;
• c. establishing a model of an assembly system comprising the selected configuration;
• d. running the model on a computer to generate at least one performance measure;
• e. comparing the at least one performance measure against the customer constraints;
• and
• f. if the at least one performance measure satisfies the customer constraints, offering to sell at least a subset of the electronics assembly equipment of the configuration to the customer,
• wherein the offer is developed, with the benefit of the model, during the sales session, and
• wherein the customer's electronics assembly system comprising the selected configuration is modeled within approximately one half hour, and wherein the model comprises a simulation”.

A method for optimizing the performance of an electronics assembly system during a customer session, comprising the steps of:

• a. establishing, during the session, a model of an assembly system having a plurality of possible configurations;
• b. selecting a measure of performance for the assembly system;
• c. selecting for evaluation a subset of the plurality of configurations;
• d. selecting a criterion for the comparison of the subset of the plurality of configurations and selection of a preferred configuration;
• e. running the model on a computer to predict the measure of performance for the system, for each of the subset of the plurality of configurations;
• f. applying the criterion to the results obtained in step e to select a preferred configuration of the assembly system, and
• g. quantifying a benefit of the preferred configuration, wherein the quantified benefit comprises a cost of ownership measure,
• wherein the customer's electronics assembly system is modeled within approximately one half hour, and wherein the model comprises a simulation”.