An Ounce of Cure

Opportunities in the Telecom Industry

By Oleh Artym

In a recent "Plant Tour Study" prepared by Cahners Research, information was gathered from electronics component manufacturers, in order to gain a better understanding of the electronics manufacturing industry and to gain a better understanding of their specific production needs. The results were intriguing, because the results could be very beneficial to you. For instance: Two out of five respondents' companies assemble/manufacture products for the telecommunications market. Over one-third assemble/manufacture for the aircraft, aerospace and/or computer industry...nearly 80% of respondents describe the scope of their company's manufacturing as full design through build and test. More than one in ten describe the scope of their company's manufacturing as prototype design, build and test. In the near future, nearly two-thirds of respondents think that their assembly designs will dictate an emphasis on the newer package styles. And more than 75% of respondents have been in electronics manufacturing for more than 10 years, but nearly a quarter have been in the business for under 10 years.

The implications are clear. More and more electronic component manufacturers are focusing on the telecommunications industry. In fact, it is the fastest growing sector in US manufacturing. But what does this mean to you? The fact is that most electronic components fail because of corrosion. Newer electronic package styles are even more susceptible than they have been in the past. More electronics manufacturing industry companies now have their own R & D. capabilities. The R&D lab is where Cortec® VCI's often find their way into the process. Every electronics manufacturer should be using Cortec products in their process.

It's important for us to remember that in the telecommunications market, signal continuity, extended component life, increased reliability and reduced downtime are all critical quality issues. Both digital and analog systems require frequent fixes. The point at issue then becomes: Is an ounce of prevention really worth a pound of cure? The answer is yes, if you apply Cortec® VCIs.

For example, cell phone transmitter site repair, parts replacement and labor costs can range from $25,000 to $500,000 per occurrence in order to maintain electronic equipment at peak operational capacity. According the studies by Battelle Research, the effects of corrosion costs business over $350 billion dollars in lost revenues each year, in America alone. Most of these losses can be prevented. Unfortunately, today new age electronics are often being treated with old age solutions. As much as 90% of the traditional corrosion protection methods utilized are using toxic ingredients and out-dated petroleum-based technologies.

Recently, I talked with a cell phone antenna installer that replaced a cell sight antenna repeatedly, in a very short period of time. (Three antennas were replaced before the culprit was discovered.) Shortly after each replacement the antenna's power output continued to drop - a repeat of the original problem. Was there a transmitter problem? No. The culprit was a corroded support bolt which was interfering with the originating transmitted signal with its own sympathetic vibrations. Even though, the primary cause of electrical and electronic failure is loss of continuity, caused by corrosion, many component manufacturers avoid metal protection fearing signal loss or signal alteration. The fact is that very few installers or manufacturers really concern themselves with life extension past expected duty life.

Where there is an elevated potential for corrosion, electrical and electronic products experience protracted downtime and turn-around time due to frequent service calls and replacement. Humidity, acid rain, and salt-laden atmospheres can and do literally consume circuitry conductors. Traditional corrosion prevention technologies oftentimes are less than effective. It was less costly to react to failures than to try to prevent them. Even though the impact of corrosion prevention reduces maintenance, extend the life of hardware and provide over-all better quality customer service, many fail to recognize this issue. In fact, extending electrical/electronic life and performance on an ongoing basis is not a common practice. Instead companies opt for replacement over proactive protection and maintenance. This is a plan for disaster.

Cortec®'s VCI innovative high tech corrosion control solutions are real, they work and they don't impact the environment. Cortec technology is breakthrough in the way we traditionally think about protecting electronics. VCIs can be used on high and low voltage applications, RF equipment, contacts, switches, and circuits and many telecommunication components. VCIs do not alter characteristics such as dielectric strength, resistance and electrical, electronic or optical characteristics. VCIs defend against corrosion at a monomolecular level, protecting metals electrochemically with a barrier that re-heals and self-replenishes itself. The technology works at the free ion level to actually change and neutralize the galvanic composition of a corrosion cell site. Cortec® VCI technology changes everything. It's easy, fast and sure and doesn't contain any carcinogens or ingredients that harm the environment. It's the 21st century technology corrosion solution for 21st century electronics.

In today's electronics, corrosion destroys at unseen microcrystalline levels. As electronic circuits become more micro, corrosion won't reduce, in fact the effects will be even more devastating. When electrons stop flowing, communication components fail. VCIs prevent these failures. For pennies a cell phone could be protected with VCI technology that would virtually eliminate electronic failure. Electronic interface connections, control boards, cellular components, and antennas, telecommunications companies leave high-end missions to environmental chance. Something as simple as a rusty bolt or a corroded chip can dash the promise of real-time connectivity and result in consumer dissatisfaction and unrecoverable profit loss. Corrosion prevention is the solution. Lowering the risk of component failure reduces product liability, and the loss of customer good will. Advanced chemical technologies, such as Cortec VCIs have been developed with superior results allowing high-capacity infrastructures to work efficiently sparing limited customer access. The growing market must meet increased demands for service as well as training, replacement positions for additional technicians and advanced technologies that improve product performance and longevity.

With newer, faster, and smaller e-technologies looming on the horizon, customers are demanding more. The viability and reliability of electronics are dependent on transmission wire media and metal construction. All of these systems are susceptible to environmental destruction. Replacement may serve the economics of supplier and distributor, but they do not serve the customer. Prevention is the necessary and reasonable solution. Cortec® VCI products make the solution possible.