REDDITCH, UK – Altus Group, the leading distributor of capital equipment for electronics assembly in the UK and Ireland, recently partnered with SKALARKI electronics Ltd, specialists in flight simulator design and manufacturing, to further enhance its production capabilities. The collaboration aims to elevate SKALARKI’s manufacturing capabilities by providing state-of-the-art equipment from Essemtec.

Recognising the market need for flight simulators, Skalarki’s operations expanded over the years, and last year the company moved to its own state-of-the-art 900m² facility, providing a solid foundation for its ongoing growth.

In order to develop their production processes and meet the advanced requirements SKALARKI consulted with Altus Group to add to their assembly technology. The company invested in equipment from Essemtec, an industry leader in SMT pick-and-place equipment and intelligent production storage and logistic systems.

Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group, said: "SKALARKI’s commitment to delivering top-quality flight simulators and their drive to continuously improve production aligns perfectly with our mission to provide cutting-edge solutions to our customers.

“When we assessed SKALARKI’s requirements, it became evident that Essemtec's innovative equipment was the obvious choice. The Essemtec Fox SMT Pick and Place unit, with its remarkable versatility and compact size, along with The Lizard Convection Reflow Oven, offer SKALARKI the perfect combination of flexibility, efficiency, and precision.

“We are confident that these state-of-the-art machines will enhance SKALARKI’s manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to deliver quality products quickly and efficiently."

Marcin Kapera, SKALARKI Company Director, added: “Manual assembly has its limitations. As we expand to a commercial market, our products face advanced requirements and must meet higher expectations. Implementing automated assembly processes will allow us to meet quality standards quickly and efficiently.”

The acquisition of Essemtec equipment, including the Fox SMT Pick and Place unit and The Lizard Convection Reflow Oven, was driven by their commitment to delivering exceptional products and increasing production efficiency of more complex microcontroller-based designs which include BGA chips and SOM modules.

The Essemtec Fox stands out for its remarkable versatility and compact size. Occupying only 1m² of floor space, the system offers SKALARKI the flexibility to adapt and grow its manufacturing capabilities as required. With up to 200 lanes on a single standalone system, the Fox meets high-mix production requirements. The machine's multi-flexible feeder and multi-lane cassette options further enhance its adaptability, ensuring the smooth handling of various components and assemblies.

The automated assembly processes provided by the Fox system will enable SKALARKI to meet quality standards quickly and efficiently and achieve precise and accurate placement of components, resulting in high-quality products and superior results.

SKALARKI plans to maximise its investment in Essemtec equipment over the next 18 months, utilising the machines to ensure a seamless transition into full-scale production. Altus Group looks forward to seeing the impact of the Essemtec machinery on SKALARKI’ S production of PCBAs.

To find out more visit www.altusgroup.co.uk 

DULUTH, GA – BarTron Inc., headquartered in Michigan, is taking over Viscom representation in Michigan, Ohio and Western PA. Established in 1989, the company is a well-known and respected Manufacturer’s Representative firm. They represent companies supplying equipment and consumable supplies to electronics assembly and related industries. The main focus of BarTron is to provide assistance and solutions to customer’s process and manufacturing challenges. They do this by leveraging the knowledge and expertise of their Supplier Partnerships.

BarTron is taking on sales of the entire Viscom product range, from Solutions and systems for all inspection tasks in the electronics industry: 3D SPI, 3D AOI, 3D AXI, 3D X-ray, 3D Wire Bond, CCI, Battery as well as Viscom's latest AI solutions. BarTron successfully represents their principals, within the territory, to all sizes of customers. Their relationships with electronic assemblers, ranging from large-scale enterprises, like Viscom, to small businesses – this offers BarTron a comprehensive understanding of the industry landscape.

Bob Papp, President of BarTron: “We are honored to begin our partnership with Viscom. It is important that our Suppliers lead the industry in Technology, Innovation, and Support that BarTron’s customers have come to expect.

Viscom brings a culture of family first that includes their customers and employees equally, which is a throwback to earlier times. For these reasons, we at BarTron look forward to brokering long and successful partnerships with Viscom and our customers.”

Juan Briceno, Vice President of Sales, Viscom Inc. stated: “The Midwest states covered by BarTron are very important to the growth of Viscom, Inc. and we are confident the BarTron team will help us to find opportunities where we can assist their customers in locating the best solutions for their needs.”

AUSTIN, TX – Recognized for its best-in-class achievement and transformational leadership to drive a new era of advanced, sustainable manufacturing, Flex (NASDAQ: FLEX) was named the 2023 Manufacturer of the Year for a large enterprise. The Manufacturing Leadership Council and National Association of Manufacturers presented Flex with the award at the recent Manufacturing Leadership Awards gala. This award is given to the company demonstrating significant scale in the deployment of digital technologies in manufacturing.

"We are honored to receive this prestigious Manufacturer of the Year award," said Hooi Tan, President of Global Operations and Supply Chain, Flex. "Our team is focused on providing our customers with advanced manufacturing services and solutions that are optimized for efficiency, flexibility and scale. The people who work in our factories in 30 countries are the ones who really deserve this recognition. It's their collective hard work that made this exceptional achievement possible."

In addition to the Manufacturer of the Year award, Flex also received two Manufacturing in 2030 awards. These awards are given to companies creating future-forward solutions that serve as innovative examples to other manufacturers. Flex's Supply Chain Joint Risk Management program and Supplier Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction program were both honored, and are the latest examples of the company's culture of innovation.

Flex's digital supply chain platform called Joint Risk Management (JRM) creates quantifiable visibility into potential supply chain risks for a product early in the product life cycle. Through an automated report and suggested mitigation plans, Flex is able to partner with customers to design resiliency into a product before it is manufactured.

To help accelerate sustainability beyond the company's walls and throughout the value chain, Flex committed that 50% of its preferred suppliers will set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets by 2025 and 100% of preferred suppliers by 2030. To support this goal, Flex launched a Supplier GHG emissions reduction program in partnership with preferred suppliers and CDP. Flex kicked off the program in 2021, inviting 500 preferred suppliers to participate, and within the first year, 60% of the preferred suppliers publicly disclosed operational emissions through CDP, 29% publicly disclosed GHG emissions reduction targets, and 7% had a renewable energy target.

TEMPE, AZ – Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: BHE), a global provider of engineering, design, and manufacturing services, today announced the appointment of David Valkanoff as the company's Executive Vice President (EVP), Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. Valkanoff will lead Benchmark's worldwide manufacturing operations in the United States, Mexico, Asia, and Europe. He will be instrumental in driving operational excellence and lean methodologies across the entire product lifecycle for its customers.

"I look forward to leveraging the diverse perspective that Dave brings to Benchmark. His extensive experience in Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) and precision machining, coupled with his global experience running manufacturing for a large original equipment manufacturer (OEM) like Carrier, makes him uniquely qualified to help Benchmark continue our journey to further optimize our operations and deliver for our customers," stated Jeff Benck, president and CEO at Benchmark. "With Dave's wealth of expertise, I am confident he will add tremendous value to Benchmark as we continue on our growth strategy."

With more than 30 years of global operations experience in the aerospace and defense, industrial, automotive, semiconductor, and electronics sectors, Valkanoff joins the company from Carrier Corporation, where he was the vice president of operations for its refrigeration segment. His prior experience includes executive roles at TPG, Celestica, Visteon, and Nissan, among others. While at Celestica, Valkanoff supported the communications, aerospace and defense, enterprise and cloud solutions, renewable energy, health tech, and semiconductor equipment market customers. He was also the executive sponsor of their Lean Six Sigma initiatives globally. Valkanoff holds a Master of Business Administration from Central Michigan University and a BA in Economics and Management from Albion College.

"Benchmark is a world-class engineering and manufacturing partner to some of the world's most innovative brands," said Valkanoff. "The company's unwavering dedication to customers, passion for innovation, and comprehensive solution offering is impressive. I am excited to join Benchmark and leverage the expertise of its talented team to propel our growth."

To learn more about Benchmark's executive team, please visit https://www.bench.com/leadership-team