Challenges In The Design & Manufacture Of Wearable Products (IDTechEx Wearable Europe 2016)

Flex (formally Flextronics) responds to customer design requests that come from virtually every market segment associated with electrical and electronics manufacture. This places us in an ideal position to monitor market trends, one of which is the embedding of electronics into wearables; this creates some interesting opportunities and challenges. In recognition of this Flex is investing into, and partnering to develop, new core technologies used in design and manufacturing processes in order to meet current and future demands within this industry. This paper provides details of some of these technologies and challenges that will provide life-style and life-saving benefits with numerous use-cases that leverage latest advances in communications, flexible electronics, batteries and materials.

There are a number of products developed and deployed today for the medical, industrial and life style markets that will be shown.

Keith is Senior Director and the Head of Innovation Services with Flex. He has over 30 years of experience with specifying and developing systems, controls, and sensors and has been responsible for the development of electronics hardware, software and electro-mechanical sub systems. Keith has a BA Degree from the Open University in Electronics and Systems Design, and an MBA, also from the OU.

 

Most of his career has been within the industrial market as a Design Engineer, then Chief Engineer developing systems and products for control applications, and then for security, metering and lighting systems. Specialities include sensors, telemetry and electromagnetic compatibility.

 

For the past 15 years, Keith has worked in global marketing, specifically focusing on business development and product management. He has extensive knowledge of Industrial, Aerospace, Defence and Marine markets from previous employments with Invensys, Schneider Electric, TE Connectivity, and now Flex.

Flex is a leading sketch-to-scale™ solutions company that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world. With more than 200,000 professionals across 30 countries and a promise to help make the world Live smarter™, the company provides innovative design, engineering, manufacturing, real-time supply chain insight and logistics services to companies of all sizes in various industries and end-markets.