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 

REDDITCH, UK – Altus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment for the electronics industry in the UK and Ireland, is excited to announce the latest addition to its portfolio, the innovative AQUBE MV 3 One multitool developed by Kolb Cleaning Technology. The system is specifically designed to provide lower volume productions with multiple cleaning processes, providing a cost-effective alternative to purchasing several machines for each process in PCBA production.

This fully automatic system offers process-safe fine cleaning for screens, stencils, PumpPrints, and other flat products. Moreover, with an optional function package, it is also suitable for PCB assembly cleaning too. The AQUBE MV 3 One quickly and thoroughly eliminates contaminants such as SMD paste, SMD adhesive, conductive materials, flux, oil, grease, or dust. Its efficient configuration with two tanks and two independent circuits, along with ClosedLoop water treatment, ensures short throughput times, making it the economically perfect choice for smaller quantities of different cleaning materials.

Joe Booth Altus CEO said: “In the electronics industry, the importance of cleaning processes cannot be overstated. Altus understands this critical need and are pleased to add the AQUBE MV 3 One multitool to the portfolio.

“This innovative multitool optimises productivity while minimising costs, making it an ideal choice for businesses seeking to maximise efficiency. With its intelligent design and cutting-edge features, the AQUBE MV 3 One streamlines the cleaning process for various processes through PCBA production, ensuring the highest level of cleanliness by eliminating contaminants.”

One of the standout features of the AQUBE MV 3 One is its intelligent connectivity, which allows seamless integration into Industry 4.0 environments. This feature enables networking for traceability, remote control, remote maintenance support, bidirectional machine-to-machine communication, machine-to-product communication, and integration into comprehensive monitoring systems. With its retractable touch screen and integrated industrial PC, the system offers state-of-the-art connectivity for advanced operations.

The Kolb AQUBE MV 3 One also offers a range of other key features that enhance its performance and versatility. Its two-tank system with two separate circuits ensures efficient cleaning processes, while the fully automated 4 Step process (cleaning, MediumWipe, rinsing, and CWA high-performance compressor drying) guarantees optimal results. The system’s vertical rotor system, equipped with ASYNCHRO spray rotors, ensures thorough wetting without any blind spots. Additionally, the integrated condensate recovery in the process chamber further enhances efficiency.

Designed for optimal productivity, the AQUBE MV 3 One boasts short cycle times offering the flexibility to use a cleaning/rinsing medium instead of water allowing for water-free operations. It also incorporates an EDGELESS design and VARIccess maintenance access, providing the highest capacity and easiest maintenance on the smallest footprint. Its robust construction enables it to withstand high temperature cleaning up to 80 °C, expanding its applications to a wider range of industries.