INTRODUCTION

Framatome Connectors OEN Ltd. was incorporated on 2-6-1981 by Mr. K. A.

Mathew with equity support from Kerala State Industrial Development
Corporation and OEN India Ltd.
Report contains all the details about the companies major products, departments,
procedures, organization structure etc. Aim of the report is to give a brief
description about the institutional training under FCI OEN Connectors Ltd.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

AN OVERVIEW
FCI OEN Connectors Ltd is the India's prime supplier of Professional
Grade Connectors. The company is a subsidiary of FCI France (earlier called
Framatome Connectors France). It was incorporated on the 2nd day of June
1981.
FCI - Framatome Connectors International
OEN - Oak Electro Netics

LOCATION
FCI OEN is located far away from the madding crowds of the city of Cochin
in Kerala, on the outskirts of Mulanthuruthy, atop a hillock aptly named
Electrogiri, the Company commands a calm and peaceful milieu.

GIANT STRIDES
Way back in 1984, when the Company commenced its commercial
operations, the product range was limited. However enriched by the
technical backing of the joint venture partner, M/S FCI France and its
subsidiaries, also catalysed by the Company's ever continuing quest for
excellence and completeness, the accretion of the Company every passing
day has been prodigious. The result FCI OEN Connectors Ltd. is today
capable of producing Hard Metric Connectors Smartcards, Rack & Panel
Connectors, Terminal Connectors, Circular Connectors, PCB Connectors,
Heavy Duty Connectors and IC Sockets.

FCI France is the technology supplier of the Company since inception. In

1989 they acquired 26% of the Company's equity share capital. In August
1993, the equity stake increased to 40%. Immediately thereafter, the stake
further increased to 51%. In 1999, their equity increased from 51% to
61.5%. Currently FCI France holds 67.83% ownership in FCI OEN.

FCI - THE PARENT COMPANY

Created in 1989, FCI - an AREVA Group company - rapidly secured its
place among the world's top three manufactures of connectors and
interconnect systems.

AREVA
With manufacturing facilities in over 40 countries and a sales network in
over 100, AREVA offers customers technological solutions for nuclear
power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. The group
also provides interconnect systems to the telecommunications, computer and
automotive markets. These business engage 70,000 employees in the 21 st
century's greatest challenges: making energy and communication resources
available to all, protecting the planet, and acting responsibly towards future
generations.
ACCOLADES
The company is embellished by the many laurels it has won to its credit.
This includes the National Productivity Award, Elcina Award for Export and
Quality, Kerala State Productivity Award, C- DoT Vendors Productivity
Award, DOE Award for Excellence in Electronics etc. company won the
National Award for Excellence in indigenisation of defense products
instituted by the Ministry of Defense, Government of India. The Award was
in recognition for the indigenisation done for Bharat Electronics in back
plane assemblies including contacts for a military communication project.

CERTIFICATIONS
Quality is a way of life and an article of faith at the manufacturing site. FCI
OEN Connectors is the first connector manufacturer in India to receive ISO
9002 Certification. The Company has also received QPL approval from the
Defense Electronics Study Centre, USA, for manufacturing Circular
Connectors; making it the first Company in Asia to receive such an approval.
This will enable the Company to market the products in the US & European
aerospace and defense markets. During the year 2003, the Company certified
ISO TS 16949 and recertification of ISO 9002 to ISO/TS 16949:2002 an ISO
Technical Specification which aligns existing US, German, French and
Italian automotive quality system standards with the global automotive
industry.

PRODUCTS
FCI has the largest range of connectors and inter connectivity systems. Their
products range includes connectors and inter activity systems for :
• Communication and IT
• Automotive and Energy
 • Consumer products
• Industry and Instrumentation
• Defense and Aerospace

Some of their products are :-

• Delta D - for Delta Markets

• Euro - for Tele communications
• IC Sockets - for Tele communications and Electronic Industry
• D Sub - for Industry, Military, Tele communications
• Modular Connectors - for PCBs

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT

FCI OEN Connectors is engaged in the manufacture and sale of electronic
connectors for the past 20 years. Its product range find a wide range of
applications in telecom, data, automotive, industrial and aero-space. Due to
the technology transfer from the Collaborators the company could come out
with the state of the art connectors and thereby compete in global market.

MARKET AND MARKETING NETWORK

With central marketing office at Cochin, the company has regional offices in
all major cities with field personnel carrying forward the work put in by our
Design/ Production/ Quality team.

SALES NETWORK IN INDIA

• New Delhi
• Mumbai
• Hyderabad
• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Cochin
 VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS

The various departments in FCI OEN are:

• Production
• Automation
• Document Control
• Engineering
• General Service
• Industrial Engineering
• Logistic and Customer Service
• Maintenance
• Marketing
• Material Control
• Production Planning
• Sub Contacting
• Vendor Development
• Quality Control
• Tool Room
• Project and Cost Management
• Human Resources Department

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
The production department at FCI OEN is responsible for the production of
all components. The production process at FCI OEN has the following steps.
 Marketing department attract negotiate and signs contact with the
customers.
 The planning departments decides on the tome required to produce the
 required quantity of product keeping in mind the lead time for quality
analysis packaging.
 The work order of the various departments is then generated along with
bill of materials.

The production department can be divided into:

• Fabrication
• Plating
• Assembly

FABRICATION
This department is responsible for the molding of the insulator and the
fabrication of the terminals. Fabrication department is headed by Deputy
Manager Fabrication who reports to D.G.M operations.

PLATING
The Plating department takes care of electroplating of terminals used for the
connectors. The plating department is headed by Assistant Manager Plating
who is assisted by 3 supervisors. Assistant Manager Plating reports to DGM
operators.

ASSEMBLY
The assembly department is responsible for the assembly of connector from
its components. There are 2 components, they are
• Insulator: It is the plastic shell that forms the base to which the
terminals are attached.
• Terminal : It is the metallic end of the connector that actually
connects two devices.
The assembly department is headed by Deputy Manager assembly. He
reports to DGM operators.

AUTOMATION DEPARTMENT
This department is headed by senior manager automation. He is assisted by
senior engineer. The also employs one draftsman, two fitters and two
mechanists.

The department designs and makes non standardized tools used in connector
manufacture. The manufacturing is mostly out sourced. The design is done
in house using CAD (Computer Aided Designing).

Once marketing department receives an order the automation department

decides on the time required time the delivery time is fixed. The automation
then proceeds with design and production (in house or out source) of the
tool.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
This department is headed by Senior Manager Quality Assurance. The
Quality Assurance Department mainly functions to ensure that the raw
materials and finished goods are of the desired quality. The Department has
three main functions.

i. Incoming Quality Assurance

The raw materials are usually bought from two sources

• Local Vendors
• Imported Items
 • Sub Contracted Items

The raw materials are checked for visual dimensional other physical
properties. Random sampling technique is used to take samples. If the
samples do not meet the required standards the whole lot is rejected.

The incoming also deals with FCI products made in other units which are
meant for sale in India. These products are called as resale items which are
made in FCI units are not checked for assurance; they are checked only for
visual defects.

The item bought from sub contractors are checked for visual dimensions,
fitting and other physical properties. The rejected are then sent back to the
vendor to rectify the faults.

ii. Finished Goods

The finished goods are transferred to the finished goods store, where they are
stored till they are packaged and transported. At the finished goods store the
goods are checked for visual defects, dimension and intermating/ fitting.
The samples are drawn by random sampling method. The defective items are
sent back to the concerned department along with a NCR (Non Conformance
Report)

iii. Military and Aviations Industry Division

This is the special unit of the quality assurance department that does the
quality assurance for products meant for defense and aviations industry. The
work is done as the military and defense specifications.
• Milli Spec - US Military specification
• JSS (Joint Services Specification) - Indian defense specifications
 DOCUMENT CONTROL
This department is headed by Senior Manager Quality Assurance. This
department controls the movement of technical documents between the
various departments. The various functions of the department includes :

• Release of new document

• Modified documents distribution and recollecting old ones so as

to prevent confusion.

• Transfer of documents between various FCI units.

• Allocation of serial number to products as per the work order.

The technical documents after approval by the Engineering Department is

sent to the document control which retains the master copy of the drawings
and sent copies to all the required departments. In case of modifications (all
major modification require approval from Engineering Department) the old
documents are recollected from the departments and new documents are
distributed.

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
The department is headed by Deputy Manager Engineering who reports to
GM Operations. The department also consists of 7 engineers (four in product
development and three in tool design).
The Engineering Department basically looks after the R&B in the company.
It looks after:

• Product Development
• Tool Design
Product Development

The development of the new product is done using CAD. Communication

Data Consumables are mostly designed by the Engineering Department.

Tool Design

They estimate the cost of developing and manufacturing tools. The

controlled product drawings are receive from the product designs which are
then used for two designs.

GENERAL SERVICE

This department is headed by DGM General Services. He is assisted by

Deputy Manager General Service and four Clerks. The Major functions of
this department include :

• Import and Export clearance

• Dispatch of finished products
• Insurance
• Printing and Distribution of Stationary

Import and Export Clearance

The department takes care of the Import and Export of raw material and
finished goods. This department takes care of freight forwards consolidation
of cargo and booking of airfreight, bringing materials to port and from port
to factory, payment of duty etc.

Dispatches

The department also takes care of dispatch of goods from the factory via.,
RPP, Couriers, Lorry and Airfreight. The company has tie-up with Blue-Dart
and First Flight Courier Services for local deliveries and DHL for
international couriers.

Insurance
The company has tie-up with New India Assurance for various coverage
like:
• Fire
• Breakdown
• Marine Transit, Air Transit
• Health and Accidents

Printing and Distribution of Stationary

The various functions include :

• Maintaining stock and distribution
• Internal stationary (letter pads etc.) Stock maintenance and
distribution

LOGISTICS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT

This department looks after the demand management and customer service.

Demand Management:

This is done mainly with aid of various forecasting techniques and with the
help of sales orders that the company receives. The forecast is one region
wise and is based on the FCI Calendar. (January to December)

The forecasts are done for a period ranging from 3 months to 3 years. The
data required to do the forecasting is supplied by the Marketing Department
which has a number of offices throughout India.
The various forecasting methods used include : Value based technique,
house product line forecasts, product forecast

 Customer Service:

 The customer service function has three main elements such as :

 Pre Transaction Elements (Corporate Policies Programmes)

 Transaction Elements (Physical Production Facility and on time

delivery)

 Post Transaction Element (After sales support and services)

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

The maintenance department is headed by DGM Maintenance. He is assisted

by Assistant Manager Maintenance and two Supervisors (one each for
electrical and mechanical maintenance). The department also has four
operators. These are four shifts (A, B, C and General Shifts) with one
operator per shift. The major functions of the maintenance department
include:

 Breakdown Maintenance : Maintenance and repair of machinery.

This is done when a machine has a breakdown. The concerned
department gives information and repair report. The report is signed
by the concerned department confirming that the repair has been done.

 Predictive Maintenance : This is carried out by observation (Visual

and audio), diagnosis and maintenance.

 Utility Service : This function includes maintenance and repair of the

air compressor, water supply, generator etc.
  Calibration : V\ Calibration of the various temperature, pressure,
quantity gauges and values. This is done using a calibration meter.

 Machine Installation : The machine installation is done as per the

instruction manual. A machine installation report is also generated.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

This department is headed by a Senior Manager Business Development. He

is assisted by a Business Executive. The department functions to find out the
total cost of doing business worth a customer.

MATERIAL CONTROL DEPARTMENT

The department is headed by DGM Material. He is assisted in a Store Keeper

and five unskilled labours. The material control department is mainly
concerned with:

■ Receiving and Storage of Incoming Material : The materials are

received along with a receiving request. The incoming materials are
stores in the incoming store. There is separate are for each material.
Metals and other materials that are susceptible to humidity are placed
on special dehumidified chamber. The also issue raw material against
the working order.
■ Packing and Dispatch : The goods are packed and dispatch. The
goods are packed and send according to the customer pick-list which
specifies the total quantity and the lot meant for each customer.

PURCHASE DEPARTMENT
The department is concerned with the procurement of raw materials, piece
parts, chemical etc., that are used for production. This department is headed
by DGM Materials. He is assisted by Deputy Manager Purchase. The various
functions of department include :

• Coordinate with supplier

• Evaluation of quotations based of quality, delivery and cost aspects.

• Placing purchase order.

• Follow up of purchase order and payment.

• Liaising between vendor development department and vendor

development activities.

• Rating vendors and sub - contractors.

• Cost reduction activities.

Steps in Purchasing Procedure

The following is the routine followed by the purchase department of FCI

OEN Ltd.
i. Various departments are requested to send their requirements on a
proper requisition form in accordance with time period specified. This
authorizes the purchase department to procure the
requisitioned items i.e., to issue purchase order.
ii. Purchasing department consolidates the requirements from various
departments to know the total requirement for each item,
iii. Market exploration is made to locate the goods and serviced of desired
quality and quantity at the reasonable price,
iv. Potential suppliers are identified from catalogues, quotations and past
 records,
v. Purchase order in specified form is prepared and sent to the approved
suppliers. Purchase order is the commitment of the buyer to the
supplier establishing a contractual relationship between buyer and the
seller,
vi. After some time of placing the order, follow-up process starts to get
quick delivery of items. The follow up procedure implies
acceptance of the order and promise to supply of items on desired
date,
vii. The items are received by the purchasing department at the time of
delivery and the items received are compared with purchase order.

The checking of the delivery goods is done with regard to :

■ Prices charged and quoted

■ Approval of the invoice

■ Ascertainment of quality and quantity of the items

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

This department is headed by Senior Manager - HR and is assisted by
Deputy Manager - Training. The department also has two clerks.

The major functions of the department include:

• Communications between management and workers.

• Recruitment, Selection:

The HR department as collection of data of applicants. These

are usually the checked foe suitability like qualification,
training, experience etc. if no suitable candidate is found then
 candidates are recruited through advertisements.

• Manpower Planning:

The manpower planning is done by the respective department

based on the workload. The manpower requirements are than
given to the HR department.

• Performance Appraisal

• Personnel Records Maintenance:

There is a computerized system for the maintenance of

personnel records of the employees.

• Administration of PF, ESI, Gratuity

• Training of new recruits :

Arranging in House Training programs both executives and non

executives, Nomination of employees to external training
programs, implementation annual training plan, general
orientation and training for all new recruit to the company and
coordinate the post training evaluation activities.

• Canteen Management

• Safety and Security

PRODUCT RANGE

OEN Connectors Ltd., manufactures wide variety of connectors as

given below:

—► D Connectors
Standard D Series D
 Delta D Series ID
Compact D Series ICD
DP/8656 Series DP/8656
MILC 24308 Series DM
—► Card Edge Connectors - Series 8607/8607 E
—► Flat Cable Connectors - Series 8613
—► IC Socket Connectors - Series 8604
—► Post and Bon Connectors - Series 8614
—► Circular Connectors
MIL C 26482 Series 1 Series 851
MIL C 26482 Series 2 Series 8526
MIL C 38999 Series 3 Series 8 D
—► DIN Connectors - Series 8609
—► DIN Power Connectors - Series 5159
—► Electrical Connectors

Some of the connectors are manufactured on sub-contract basis and on

customer need.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

The Production department in FCI OEN Ltd., is responsible for the

conversion of raw materials in to finished products, which passes through a
series of activities - molding, fabrication and electroplating. The production
department is the basic core on which other departments are built upon.

MANUFACTURING FUNCTIONS

Operation Flow Chart

1. MOLDING
The factory has got to injunction molding machines which churns out male
and female. Insulators are indigenised and fabricated in the plant itself. The
raw materials used for the production of insulators are thermo-set plastics
like PBT, PPT, Nylon etc.

Initially the PBT granules are heated at 250°C and fed into high pressure
molding machine and is then pressed with a caste to form the shape that is
needed. In the molding process insulation fabrication is done.

2. FABRICATION
Contacts are being processed in the fabrication department. The basic raw
materials used for contacts are Phosphorous, Bronze, Brass, Stainless Steel
etc. Altogether there are 9 machines in the fabrication department.

There are stamping and forming machines. Some of the machines used are:-
3Brudder, 2 Brudder, Kyori, Yamada - a tool

Stamping is a process by which the reels are punched to the desired shapes.

The stampers used are:-

i. High speed stampers:-

The delicate thin contacts required for the connector are manufactured using
high speed stamping presses. The input of these machines are Phosphor -
bronze rolls. The machine operates at the stamping speed of 400 to 500
stamps per minute. The machines require carbide tools, which ensure fast
and precise cutting. The contacts are rolled on to the rollers and send to the
plating department. Quality is assured at every step of stamping.

ii. Shell Stampers:-

The outer cover of the connector is usually referred to as a SHELL. The shell
is usually a metallic component coated with nickel, cadmium and copper
depending upon the requirements. The shell stampers are fed in with sheets
of high carbon steel of various width. The shelling takes place within the
stamper in 3 phrases.

a) Cutting of the internal groove

b) Punching the metal with a dye to give it shape

c) Cutting of the shells individually to separate them from the strip

iii. Sleeve Turning Machine:-

The importance of IC in this generation is indesirable, but have we ever
thought of how this component is being made?

The answer to the latter lies in the sleeve turning machines at FCI OEN Ltd.
The sleeve is basically the leg of the IC holder socket. Here 182mm brass are
fed into the sleeve turning machines and are converted from meter long brass
rods into millimeter long sleeves.

The machines are fully automated and machine has a capacity to produce
109,000 sleeves per day.

iv. Wirecon Machine:-

The connector pins are held together using a thin brass. A thin copper metal
strip is also used as contact to fed into the wirecon machine. The wire is
accurately measured, cut and inserted into the brass mat. This machine is
developed at the company itself.

v. Circular Connector Machine

The circular connectors are considered to be the highest class of connectors.

These are used for military and telecom cables. The raw materials used for
these machines are aluminium pipes and the output received is the body of
the connector.

2. PLATING

The contacts and shells that are manufactured in the fabrication department
is the input received by this department. Plating is done to improve its
conducting property and also to give a finishing touch. The plating
department of FCIOEN has four divisions.
a) Barrel Plating:- Is used to plate shells
b) Vibratory Plating :- To plate small objects like sleeves, clips etc.
c) Selective Plating:- Multiple plating on contacts
d) Electroless Plating:- For circular contact

a) Barrel Plating
It is a unique technique which is an inexpensive and a quick method of
plating. The barrel plating has four types of plating.
■ Cu Plating
■ Tin Lead Plating
■ Zn Plating
■ Cadmium Plating
The entire operations from washing till electroplating is done by the
machines with little human help.
b) Vibratory Plating
Done to plate the smallest parts available. The parts to be plated are put into
a vibratory pan. The pan has metallic contacts inserted in it, which comes in
contact with the parts to be plated. The entire pan is vibrated constantly to
ensure uniform plating. Before plating, the parts undergo a preliminary
treatment, which includes Ethylene wash, Soak wash, Cold water wash.

Process chart of Barrel and Vibratory Plating

4 types of plating are done after this stage.

i) Tin lead plating: Catholic cleaning follows the process of primary

cleaning. The parts are then washed with solder ion acid to ensure proper
plating. These are then dipped in tin lead electrolyte for plating.

ii) Nickel plating: The primary cleaning is followed by acid dip. The parts
are then washed with water and dipped into nickel electrolyte for plating.
After plating the parts are again washed.

iii) Gold Plating: Gold plating is an expensive method. This is to ensure

more of plating life. The parts are initially given a very thin coating of gold
called gold strike.

iv) Copper plating: The parts are sent for activation using H2SO4 after
preliminary wash. Then they are dipped into electrolytic solution for
plating.

c) Selective Plating
These machines are a wonderful creation of new technology. These
machines are completely automated. The advantage of this machine is that it
allows multiple plating on the same material with great efficiency. The
contact rolls are fed into these machines.

d) Electroless Plating
Electroplating requires high voltage to be applied between the two
electrolytes. This is a very costly method. However, only nickel and
cadmium plating for circular connectors are currently being implemented
here.

ASSEMBLING

Plated contacts and materials from the store is brought to this department for
final assembling.

FCI OEN has 2 assembly departments-Assembly I and Assembly II. In

assembly I millipac machines are used and each finished product is being
tested. 20% of the turnover comes from Assembly I and 80% comes from
Assembly II.

Assembly I deals with the following types of connectors:

Delta D- Connectors, Compact D Connectors, 8613 Flat Cable Connectors,
D-sub Connectors.
Assembly II
This department is a combination of men and machines. Most of the
assembly work is done manually. The major connectors dealt with are:
 • 8609 Connectors
• IDC Connectors
• 8607 Connectors - 8607 with 2.54mm contact pitch.
8607B with 3.96mm contact pitch.
• 8604 - IC sockets - having 3 parts
i) Insulation
ii) Sleeves
iii) Clip
• 8614 terminal connectors
• Circular connectors

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Quality underlines all operational decisions. The level of quality of a

company seeks to achieve eventually determines how a product is made or a
service is delivered. Designing products, planning the production process,
locating and developing the production facility, designing jobs and work
activities, managing the supply chain and planning and scheduling the flow
of products throughout the system are all areas of operations management
that depend on quality.

Quality Assurance Department is responsible

• To guarantee compliance of a product delivered.

• Documentation and monitory control of total inspection and quality
assurance programme.
• Calibration of inspection, test and measuring instruments.
• Interaction with the customers regarding complaints.
• Taking effective corrective and preventive actions.
Assembly Line Quality Assurance
Basically, here there are 4 types of inspection:
• Physical (visual)
• Dimensional (using vernier/dial calipers)
• Electrical (Voltage capacity, contact resistance etc.)
• Mechanical

PACKAGING

Packaging may be defined as "all the activities of designing and producing

the container for a product". The container is called the package, and it
might include up to 3 levels of materials.
- Primary Package
- Secondary Package
- Shipping Package
Packaging is done depending upon the product and also the demand of the
customer. Primary packing is done by the quality assurance department and
after that, it goes to the shipping department for secondary and shipping
package.

Primary packing is done in 1.5 inch/2 inch top and bottom carton. First the
Thermo Cole sheet is kept and then the product. Finally, form sheet is
placed to maintain the same height.

Depending on the demand, the connectors are packed in thermoformed

trays. Trays to the dimensions of the connectors are used for exports. After
packing the items are moved to the dispatch section in the stores.

EXPORT DOCUMENTS
Purchase Order

Purchase order is the order made by the purchaser to the company. The
Purchase order contains the following:
■ Consignee Address
■ Billing Address
■ Order Number
■ Order Date
■ Supplier Address
■ Telephone Number

In export, 2 types of invoice are prepared.

1) Customs Invoice
The customs invoice are kept in the company itself.

2) Central Excise Invoice

The original of Central Excise invoice, original of AREI form, airway bill
and shipping bill is presented to the authority within 6 months as a proof of
export.

Terms of Delivery
FOB (Free On Board)
Free On Board means the expenses incurred till the goods are on board will
be taken by the company. The expenses procured will be changed to the
product.

CIF (Cost of Insurance & Freight)

In this the cost of Insurance and freight will be charged in the invoice
separately and will be added in the payment.
Some times, it will not be shown separately but may be adjusted in the
amount.

Form ARE I
The ARE I form is essential and without this shipment is not possible. It is
prepared by the company after preparing the Central Excise Invoice. Form
ARE I is prepared in 5 copies
The colours are different for different copies.
Original - White
Duplicate - Orange
Triplicate - Red
Quadruplicate - Green
Quintuplicate - Yellow
The ARE I form should go with the consignment. The original and duplicate
of form 26 is needed in order to over come check post.

Copies to be given to clearing Agents

♦ Fine copies of Customer invoice
♦ Customs purchase order
♦ G.R. Form (Foreign exchange control form issued by RBI)
♦ If DEPB is there, then its declaration
♦ Covering letter to the clearing agent.
The clearing Agent prepares the shipping bill. There are two types of
shipping bill.
1) Duty free shipping bill
2) DEPB shipping bill
 If the shipping bill is duty free then the colour will be white.
 If the shipping bill is DEPB then the colour will be blue.
They clear the customs
After this one copy is given to forwarder who prepares the airway bill.
 CONCLUSION

FCI OEN Connectors Ltd., a concern with a very good professional

background has all the requisites necessary for being a successful
supplier.

FCI OEN Connectors Ltd., has developed strategically over the years,
and it is certainly poised to become one of the leading supplier of
Professional Grade Connectors.