Building complex assemblies is now a standard practice for electronic manufacturing services (EMS) companies. This reality applies to firms that do work locally, nationally or internationally.

Nobody's perfect. Even the best trained, most experienced assemblers can make mistakes on the line, especially in high-mix production environments. Fortunately, a variety of software products are available to help prevent assembly errors.

For basic welding jobs, companies often rely on blueprints, tools and tape measures to build and weld the parts. However, when using these conventional tools, there's a high risk of mistakes being made and, at the end, having to break the parts loose, which is expensive and time consuming.

There are good and bad aspects to repetition. On one hand, it's a proven way to learn to expertly perform a task. On the other, it can lead to physical problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, and bad arthritis in the hands, arms, legs and back.