WOOSTER, OH — June 2026 — RBB, a trusted leader in electronics manufacturing since 1973, RBB is pleased to announce the addition of Shawn Myers to its team as Engineering Project Manager.

Shawn brings a strong foundation in engineering, controls, and software development, along with hands-on experience gained through multiple internships and co-op rotations completed during his studies. His background spans quality engineering, controls systems, and hardware/software development within manufacturing environments.

While attending the University of Akron, Shawn participated in a year-long engineering internship at GOJO Industries, Makers of PURELL, where he developed system designs in Altium Designer and MPLAB X, supported hardware and firmware troubleshooting, and contributed to product development activities in a lab-based engineering environment. He also completed a firmware project supporting a marketing initiative, which involved Arduino-based system integration and custom hardware modifications.

Prior to that, Shawn completed co-op rotations with Schaeffler, where he gained experience in both quality engineering and controls engineering. His work included analyzing engineering prints, supporting manufacturing quality processes, evaluating PLC applications, and programming a FANUC robot to improve production station performance. He also served as Electrical Lead for the University of Akron NASA Robotics Design Team, where he led power distribution circuit design, coordinated team development efforts, and supported peers in Altium Designer and circuit modeling.

In his new role at RBB, Shawn collaborates with buyers and sales account managers to manage all aspects of quote and order execution from RFQ through first production. His responsibilities include creating internal BOM structures and routings, preparing labor and material quotes, managing engineering change and revision control, supporting kickoff meetings, resolving order-entry issues, and working with suppliers on component quality and obsolescence challenges. He also supports production documentation within the Aegis system and helps identify alternate materials and sourcing strategies to improve cost and reliability.

Atlanta – The June market sentiment index average measured by ECIA’s Industry Pulse survey hit a five-year high at 154.1. The all-time high in the average index was achieved more than five years ago, in March 2021, at 157.7.

“The June survey results are surprising,” commented ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford. “Especially given that the June forecast in the May survey called for the average index to drop by over 15 points, to 131.1. The actual change between May and June in the average index was a 7.5-point improvement.”

In spite of the actual results in June compared to the forecast, survey participants continue to lack confidence in the future market direction. The forecast for July predicts a drop of nearly 17 points, down to 137.2. “To balance this analysis, it is important to note that the forecast component index averages still range between 129 and 147 – very strong scores well above the 100-point threshold for growth expectation,” Dale concluded.

For the complete summary report click here.

ECIA’s Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment provides highly valuable and detailed visibility on industry expectations in the near-term through the monthly and quarterly surveys. This “immediate” perspective is helpful to participants up and down the electronics components supply chain.

The complete ECIA Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment Report is delivered to all ECIA members as well as others who participate in the survey. All participants in the electronics component supply chain are invited and encouraged to participate in the report so they can see the highly valuable insights provided by the Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment report. The return on a small investment of time is enormous!

Incap Electronics Slovakia has invested in cleanroom production capability at its Námestovo facility to support growing customer demand for contamination-controlled assembly, particularly in semiconductor-related applications. The investment enables customers to carry out final product assembly in protected environments, which is critical because even the smallest particles can affect the performance and long-term reliability of the final product.

“Demand for contamination-controlled manufacturing is increasing, particularly in semiconductor and other high-technology sectors,” says Miroslav Michalik, Managing Director of Incap Slovakia. “This investment strengthens our ability to support customers with specific requirements for controlled final assembly and enables us to take on more demanding high-tech manufacturing projects.”

Semiconductor-related manufacturing processes operate at extremely small scales, where even minimal particulate contamination can directly impact product functionality and manufacturing outcomes.

With this investment, Incap Slovakia can perform final assembly under ISO 6–7 conditions and support the manufacturing of particle-sensitive products across the full production cycle. The capability focuses on contamination-sensitive final manufacturing steps, including material management and the monitoring and control of pre-assembly processes, culminating in box-build assembly where electronics are integrated into finished products under controlled conditions.

Incap Slovakia, based in Námestovo, provides competitive-cost volume manufacturing and specialised electronics manufacturing services for customers across Europe. The factory offers PCB assembly, electromechanical assembly, and complete product build services, as well as a dedicated production hall for the automotive business. Operating since 2008, the factory has 6,400 square metres of production space.

Orbit Technologies Ltd, a UK-based contract electronics manufacturer, has reported significant operational and business improvements following its investment in Europlacer surface-mount technology (SMT) equipment, including the recent installation of an iineo+ pick-and-place system.

The company, founded in 1990, has progressively modernized its production capabilities in response to evolving customer requirements and increasing product complexity. Prior to its latest investment in Europlacer, Orbit Technologies relied on legacy placement equipment, which, while proving reliable, had now become a limiting factor in both efficiency and flexibility as the business grew.

According to Managing Director David Richards, the earlier production setup required a considerable level of manual intervention.

“At that time, we were running two older machines… they could not place all components, which meant a significant amount of work still had to be completed by hand,” he says.

This reliance on manual assembly, not only extended production times but also constrained throughput and introduced quality variability. An initial step towards modernization came in 2021 with the acquisition of an Access 4 system, which improved capability and enabled the company to take on additional work. However, as Richards notes, the pace of technological development in SMT meant further investment was required.

The installation of a Europlacer iineo+ system in March 2024 marked a further step change in performance. The company reports that production efficiency has improved significantly across multiple metrics. Typical job cycle times have been reduced by approximately half, with processes that previously required around an hour now completed in roughly 30 minutes.

Panel throughput has increased substantially, rising from fewer than six panels per hour to between 15 and 20 panels per hour.
At the same time, output on specific assemblies has increased from around 60 units per shift to over 100 units per shift, demonstrating a marked improvement in line productivity.

Richards emphasizes that the benefits extend beyond throughput alone, particularly in the context of high-mix electronics manufacturing.

“Since installing the iineo+, the impact on our business has been very significant,” he explains.

In addition to cycle time reductions, the company reports improvements in placement accuracy and a corresponding reduction in rework. Faster setup and changeover times have also contributed to increased operational flexibility, enabling Orbit Technologies to manage a wider variety of assemblies more efficiently, from relatively simple boards to more complex, component-dense products.

“The iineo+ has given us greater capacity, improved placement quality, faster setup times, quicker job changeovers, and higher throughput,” adds David Richards.

This combination of performance and flexibility has had a direct impact on business results. Orbit Technologies reports a five-fold increase in turnover since investing in Europlacer equipment, supported by improved responsiveness to customer demand and the ability to take on additional work.

The company has also expanded its customer base, with new business largely generated through word of mouth rather than active marketing. This, according to Richards, reflects the importance of consistent performance and reliability in building long-term customer relationships. Improvements in quality, traceability, and consistency have also been instrumental in the company achieving ISO 9001:2015 accreditation.

“The iineo+ system has been so easy to use… it has helped us switch from one job to the next quickly, save time on rework, increase throughput, and deliver a better service to our customers,” he says.

Alongside equipment performance, Orbit Technologies highlights the role of supplier support in its decision to continue investing in Europlacer solutions. The company reports that support has extended across both current and legacy equipment, contributing to continuity of operations and reducing downtime risks.

Looking ahead, Orbit Technologies is continuing to invest in its SMT production line. The company has ordered a Europlacer ii-P7 inline stencil printer, replacing an older system as part of ongoing efforts to improve process consistency and overall manufacturing capability.

More broadly, the company has strengthened its position as a flexible CEM capable of supporting a wide range of applications, offering services including fast-turnaround SMT assembly, turnkey manufacturing, engineering support, and product finishing.

With upgraded equipment, increased capacity, and improved operational efficiency, Orbit Technologies is positioning itself for continued growth while maintaining the flexibility required in high-mix, low-to-medium volume manufacturing environments.

Highlights:

• 500% increase in turnover since switching to Europlacer technology
• Job cycle times have roughly halved - processes that took around an hour now complete in about 30 minutes
• Panel throughput up from fewer than 6 to between 15 and 20 panels per hour
• Output increased from around 60 to over 100 units per shift
• Improved placement accuracy and a corresponding reduction in rework
• Faster setup and job changeover times, enabling greater operational flexibility
• Expanded customer base, won largely through word of mouth rather than active marketing
• ISO 9001:2015 accreditation achieved through improved quality, traceability and consistency

Learn more at https://orbit-tec.co.uk/

For more information about Europlacer and its advanced SMT solutions, visit www.europlacer.com.