Incorrect configuration of test equipment, lack of maintenance and training seriously affect product delivery

Keysight Technologies Inc. recently released a survey of test and measurement engineers conducted by Dimensional Research, which shows that nearly all companies involved in designing and developing electronic products have encountered problems with test equipment misconfiguration, maintenance or training, resulting in costly expenses and delays that could have been prevented.

The survey found that 98% of R&D engineers encountered workflow issues related to calibration and setup, equipment misuse or equipment failure. 97% experienced delays that directly led to business losses, and 53% wasted more than $100,000 a day waiting to resolve critical technical support issues. More than half (59%) encounter 6 or more issues that require technical support each month. To alleviate these problems, 89% of R&D engineers said that their test teams would be more efficient if they could get test expert guidance and various document assistance more quickly.

"Electronics companies are under constant pressure to shorten new product development cycles to meet time-to-market goals," said John Page, president of Keysight Global Services. "These companies cannot afford to wait days or weeks to resolve technical support issues for test and measurement equipment; they need fast, expert responses with a commitment to reliable response times."

Key findings from the survey of 305 R&D engineers across multiple industries, including technology and telecommunications, include:

Problems related to test equipment cause delays for almost all companies: 97% of respondents said they have experienced project delays due to test equipment problems. 63% of respondents said they often encounter equipment failures that require repairs, followed by equipment configuration errors (56%) and equipment that is out of calibration (50%).

The cost of losses due to test equipment problems is high: 53% of companies said their company loses more than $100,000 per day when R&D teams cannot make progress due to test and measurement equipment problems. 12% of respondents even said their company loses more than $500,000 per day.

Challenges with test and measurement equipment are a common problem: In a typical month, 95% of respondents said they need to contact their equipment vendor’s technical support team at least once. Meanwhile, 59% of respondents said they experience six or more technical support issues per month, with 13% claiming to experience more than 20 issues per month.

Impact on business: 53% of respondents said that product development or mass production was negatively impacted by test equipment not working properly. 47% said products were rejected by buyers, and 45% said returns increased. 28% experienced product recalls. This directly led to a hit to their quality record and reputation, which is not easy to recover.

The value of expert test-related support services: 90% of respondents said they would value access to technical support expertise from outside their organization. Help with problem solving was the most requested service (54%), followed by technical questions and discussions (53%), understanding specific test equipment and capabilities (49%) and calibration services (46%).

"Manufacturing test and R&D engineers are truly on the front lines of this battle," said Ted Burns, global director of KeysightCare at Keysight Technologies. "In the past, they had the time to become experts in test equipment and standards, but as the test matrix spiraled and use cases proliferated, they simply didn't have the time to study the capabilities of their test equipment, how to optimize test configurations, or how to troubleshoot in complex test environments. The result is a reactive firefighting approach that leads to delays, lost revenue, and engineering teams working late nights and weekends to catch up."

To help companies meet these challenges, Keysight Technologies offers KeysightCare; a comprehensive, scalable test and measurement support model. KeysightCare provides instruments, software and solutions for design and test engineers, while experts also provide dedicated and proactive support. It provides a priority connection to highly skilled field technical experts, as well as a knowledge center with technical content and programming examples. KeysightCare provides committed response and turnaround times for repair, calibration and technical support to accelerate customer innovation and product launch cycles.