Offboard programming is programming the device before it goes on the board. So if you could imagine something like an automotive application where the required standards are very, very high. The off-board programming has evolved over many years from simply a task that needed to be done, into a task that needed to be controlled to quality standards such as one part per million, and the equipment that is used to provide offboard programming has evolved significantly as well.
Now within EPS, we have been providing offboard device programming services for the last 23 years, and I personally have been involved in the off board programming business for the last 35 years, so I've seen a huge evolution in the quality standards available in how you handle programmable components, from microcontrollers to memory and logic devices.
We ourselves have developed our own capability within EPS Global where we have a significant research and development facility in Brno city, Czech Republic, and we have evolved our own component handlers over the years. Now we not only provide off-board programming services, but we also enable 3D Coplanarity testing, AOI testing after the devices have gone back into tape, and various other functions within the programming cycle, such as securing the microcontroller. We have a product that we can stand over and guarantee the necessary quality standards.