Production Director, Peter Haertel, is the man in overall charge of the Gigawave Production and Test
Departments. Assisting Peter Haertel is a highly experienced team of departmental managers, engineers and technicians. Together they are
responsible for all aspects of manufacturing from the point that an
order is received
to
the point
that
it is shipped
out of the factory.
Apart from CNC machining, PCB manufacture, and spray painting, which
are carried out by specialist sub-contractors, all manufacturing from
basic sub-assemlies to final assembly and testing is carried out in-house.
The object of this is to ensure consistent quality. At each stage in
the manufacturing process every component and sub-assemblies are rigorously
inspected and tested. Finally products are soak tested before being shipped
to Gigawave customers around the world.
Gigawave do not normally manufacture goods for stock and production
is planned a month in advance to ensure that all components are in
place to meet current orders.
However,
Peter
Haertel
is
very adept
at
dealing
with
urgent last minute orders from broadcasters who need additional equipment
in a hurry.
The production team is split into two separate teams. One team is responsible
for the assembly and testing of microwave transmitters and receivers,
whilst the other is responsible for the manufacture
and testing of antennas and peripheral items, such as filters.The reliability
of Gigawave products is in part due to the strict control of manufacturing
procedures, and also due to the extensive testing procedures that are
carried out at every stage of the manufacturing process.
In addition to testing all sub-assemblies prior to final assembly all
electronic products are
'soak'
tested for
a minimum of five days. During this time each unit undergoes an extensive
test and alignment procedure. This is carried out by a
team of highly experienced engineers.
Prior to a customer's order being shipped, each item is assembled
in the packing area and checked against the Job Schedule to ensure
that everything, including interface cable and documentation, is
in place. Finally, the order is carefully packed by the transport department, prior to being shipped to the customer. |
