# 186: How Bringing Clean Water to Africa Led to Digitizing the Electronics Industry with Andrew Scheuermann, Co-Founder and CEO of Arch Systems

- Show: [Manufacturing Happy Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour)
- Published: 2024-05-21
- Length: 56m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr
- Listen: http://manufacturinghappyhour.com

## Summary

Andrew Scheuermann, Co-Founder and CEO of Arch Systems, explains how his company evolved from a clean water initiative in Africa to a leader in electronics manufacturing intelligence. He details the pivot from monitoring wells in Tanzania to solving predictive maintenance and bottleneck issues for major electronics manufacturers like Flex and Jabil. Scheuermann emphasizes that Arch Systems leverages data and analytics to provide 'intelligent automation,' helping factories overcome labor shortages and identify root causes of defects and inefficiencies.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=0) Introduction: Andrew Scheuermann and Arch Systems
- [3:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=192) Setting the Scene: Amandine Lounge and Arch's Value Prop
- [6:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=360) Origin Story: Stanford, Peace Corps, and Well Done International
- [12:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=739) The Pivot: From Nonprofit Wells to For-Profit Technology
- [24:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=1460) Balancing Nonprofit and For-Profit Models
- [29:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=1766) Finding Product-Market Fit in Electronics Manufacturing
- [37:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=2229) Arch Systems in Action: Data, Flex, and Jabil
- [44:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=2649) Case Study: Solving Bottlenecks in Automotive PCBA Lines
- [48:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=2880) Intelligent Automation and the Labor Gap
- [52:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr#t=3141) Remote Work Strategy and Final Lessons from Africa

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Arch Systems (company)
- Well Done International (company)
- Flex (company)
- Jabil (company)
- Plexus (company)
- BAE Systems (company)
- Harman (company)
- Applied Materials (company)
- Stanford (other)
- World Bank (other)
- Rockefeller Foundation (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [AI, Digital Transformation, and Innovations with Arch Systems Cofounder and CEO, Andrew Scheuermann](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-11-14-ai-digital-transformation-and-innovations-with-arch-systems-cofounder-and-ceo-an) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [EMS@C-LEVEL Season #2021 Episode #8 with Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, Instrumental](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2021-08-09-ems-c-level-season-2021-episode-8-with-anna-katrina-shedletsky-instrumental) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [IoT Data: Using Smart Tech to Outsmart Analog Competitors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2021-06-22-iot-data-using-smart-tech-to-outsmart-analog-competitors) (Over the Air)
- [Why Connecting Machines And Companies Unlocks Real Factory Value with Koh Young's Michael Zahn and Joel Scutchfield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2025-12-11-why-connecting-machines-and-companies-unlocks-real-factory-value-with-koh-youngs) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [Managing in a Pandemic | Intel: Meet The New Boss | Arm @ 30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-01-22-managing-in-a-pandemic-intel-meet-the-new-boss-arm-30) (EE Times Current)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2024-05-21-186-how-bringing-clean-water-to-africa-led-to-digitizing-the-electronics-industr. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Manufacturing Happy Hour.