2005 Articles

Mark Cowell

Change is in the air at OK International, the manufacturer of hand soldering and rework systems. The company, a subsidiary of Dover Technologies, announced this quarter the consolidation of its Metcal, Techcon Systems and Impell brands under the OK name. And in June president Michael Gouldsmith stepped down, and vice president of engineering Mark Cowell was tapped to succeed him. In September, Cowell, a 22-year veteran of Metcal and OK, explained the drivers behind the move to Circuits Assembly’s Mike Buetow.

CA: Mark, congratulations on your recent promotion. What do you see as your top priority in the next six to 12 months?

MC: Short term, [our] top priority is a commitment to product leadership. In our core business of hand soldering and rework, the drive to lead-free has led us to develop new products that meet these solder alloys’ unique thermal requirements. At Productronica, we will be launching a complete range of soldering systems that we feel is the benchmark of hand-soldering performance and cost effectiveness. In the next year, attaining a leadership position in other electronics workbench products will continue to be a top priority.

Long term, any business desiring a profitable future cannot ignore the fast-changing business environment. Not only are our customers physically moving, but their expectations are changing daily. Much of OK International’s recent changes have been about ensuring that our operations are organized and located to deliver maximum value, whether it be in design, manufacturing, local support or distribution. Underlining this is the recent formation of a Global Supply Chain group that is responsible for every aspect of the procurement, assembly and delivery of high quality and affordable products to our customers.

CA: How was it decided to consolidate the manual soldering and rework brands under the OK name? And will we continue to see the Metcal name in the marketplace?

MC: Rebranding under one name was a difficult decision, one that was debated and analyzed at length. Metcal is strongly associated with niche market soldering products. With our business strategy focused on broadening the company’s product offerings to appeal to mid-market workbench environments, OK International was seen as the best brand identity to represent the soldering, fluid dispensing, fume extraction products and future product opportunities.

Also, although Metcal, Techcon and Impell were well recognized as separate brands in North America, OK International was more readily recognized in Asia and Europe, an important consideration for a global business.

By branding our products OK International, the company is consciously moving away from market extremes. The launch of the PS-800 Soldering System illustrates this well, having been designed for high-volume, labor intensive manufacturing environments that traditionally would have perceived Metcal’s SmartHeat technology as unaffordable.

With the lead-free deadline looming and production continuing to migrate, OEMs and EMS providers are re-evaluating their workbench equipment and suppliers. Customers want lower cost equipment, single source supply for associated worktop products and a global distribution/technical support capability.

By rebranding under the OK brand, we can focus our full R&D, manufacturing, sales, distribution and support resources on providing a broader range of products designed to appeal to a wider audience. The single brand will also help OK communicate the true breadth of this product portfolio with existing and new customers.

CA: Has the shift to lead-free taken hold for hand tools, or is the peak still to come?

MC: We believe the peak is still to come. Global manufacturers are still specifying and evaluating their automated lead-free reflow processes. Once implemented, the need for manual soldering and rework applications will become a priority. In response to this, OK has opened its Lead-Free Laboratory, an information center for customers, and our Website also includes a lead-free zone. OK is expecting a sea change over the next 12 months, with customers exploring the impact of lead-free processes on production hand soldering and rework.

CA: What advice are you giving manufacturers insofar as coping with the higher soldering temperatures of the lead-free solders? And how are you advising them to protect adjacent components?

MC: Through the Lead-Free Laboratory, we have a number of hands-on process experts who work closely with customers to resolve application problems in hand soldering and rework.

With the higher temperature solder alloys, the task is to make a quality lead-free connection, without damaging the substrate and without negatively impacting throughput. This has far more to do with delivering the right amount of heat energy than the actual solder temperature. Although lead-free solders melt at a higher temperature (typically 220°C), it is still significantly lower than the average solder tip temperature (around 375°C) – meaning that lead-free solders can still be melted using the same tips and temperatures. The real penalty is the time it takes to solder. This is easily remedied in automatic processing by lengthening the reflow oven while maintaining belt speed. In hand soldering, however, many people just turn up the temperature of the tip. This goes some way toward increasing throughput but has a negative impact on joint quality and may catastrophically damage the substrate.

The spearhead of our approach is how we deliver more power to the solder joint at a temperature that is safe for the substrate, without negatively impacting overall throughput. We have found that by evaluating the process and making adjustments to parameters, such as tip geometry and soldering technique, we can deliver the right amount of energy without the risks associated with the elevated temperatures. The attributes of fixed temperature and variable power inherent to [our technology] are ideal for this purpose.

In the case of array package rework, process control is king. Most semiconductor manufacturers specify that the component die temperature should not be raised above 245°C. When using eutectic solders that melt at 183°C, this leaves a very wide process window. Conversely, with SAC alloys melting at around 220°C, the process window becomes very narrow. Flux activation and cooling profiles also exhibit similar process constraints.

CA: Dover has been known for its management stability. Your appointment is just one of several recent changes in the upper ranks. Is this a sign of a change in Dover’s approach, or just coincidence?

MC: I can only comment on the changes within OK International. Dover actively encourages succession planning for key executives in all of its business units. When CEO Michael Gouldsmith announced his intention to retire from OK in 2006, the process of succession was straightforward to implement without significant disruption. This forward planning has led to a handover of responsibilities over a nine-month period. This reinforces Dover’s commitment to management stability by replacing an existing CEO with another senior executive who has longevity and an intimate understanding of the business.

CA: Dover Electronics’ book-to-bill dropped in the last quarter. Where does OK stand?

MC: Dover Electronics’ performance is an aggregate of a number of diverse business units within the electronics sector. In the case of OK International, although we do not publish individual company metrics, I can tell you that the indications are positive and that we are expecting healthy growth in the coming months.

CA: How would you characterize the markets in Mexico or Brazil today and going forward? Are you seeing gains there at the expense of the U.S. and Asia, or is growth in those regions organic?

MC: In Mexico we are seeing some resurgence of the manufacturing growth seen in 2000. In certain product areas such as automotive and large consumer goods, Mexico has a clear advantage with its proximity to the U.S. and Canada. Although quality and productivity are good, there is some concern that the recently instituted government trade barriers, particularly against China, will ultimately do more harm than good to the Mexican economy. In the case of Brazil, although we do business there, today it is not an area of focus. We believe that the opportunities in China, Korea and Southeast Asia are far greater for the foreseeable future.

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