HOUSTON – Alert Tech SMT, a contract electronics manufacturer in Houston, Texas, is excited to announce Brian Laney's promotion to the role of chief operating officer. The announcement comes as the company gears up to expand into a new 35,000-square-foot production facility.

In this new role, Laney will be responsible for leading day-to-day operations, coaching team members and scaling the company to meet growing demands. He will balance both long- and short-term planning, strategically leading the company toward stable growth.

"My goal is to remove hurdles so everybody on the team can do what they do efficiently," he said. "I'm dealing with the day-to-day, but always looking ahead to the future."

Laney joined Alert Tech in 2008 and worked his way up through the ranks, most recently serving as vice president of sales and product. As vice president, he played an integral role in helping the company pivot from retail technology to full-service electronics manufacturing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His combined technical expertise, empathy and ability to excel under pressure helped steer the company through one of the most challenging experiences of its 30-year history, Alert Tech SMT Founder and CEO Marge Laney said.

"Brian is very hands-on. He got in there and really did the work," she said. "It served us well and continues to serve us well."

Today, fewer than three years after launching the surface mount technology (SMT) division, Alert Tech SMT is experiencing exponential growth as a U.S.-based manufacturer. The company boasts an impressive lineup of industry veterans and is in the process of expanding to a new facility to support increased production.

Brian Laney said the rapid growth is made possible by the company's commitment to quality and customer service, two things that go hand in hand under his leadership.

"We believe in a disarming level of transparency with our customers," he explained. "We are aligned with them as absolute partners."

As he transitions into the role of chief operating officer, Brian Laney will continue to build on the ethos of partnership and service. He said he's excited to help usher in this new chapter for the company and is working to ensure that as the company grows, the team is supported and the customer's voice is always heard.

"Brian's leadership skills are innate," Marge Laney said. "He's not only thoughtful and driven, but he brings a technical understanding to the role and has always served as the voice of the customer. He's earned this, and I trust him without reservation."

HALF MOON, NY – PVA, a global supplier of automated dispensing and coating equipment, will exhibit in Hall 4A, Booth 230 with SmartRep at SMTconnect, scheduled to take place May 10-12, 2022 in Nuremberg. The team will demonstrate the Delta 8 Selective Conformal Coating Machine.

Pieter Van Der Vorst will be on hand to discuss PVA’s PVA Conformal Coating Systems, including the PVA350, Sigma, Delta 6, and Delta 8. He will be available to answer questions about coating and dispensing, as well as other application solutions in the PVA line-up such as coating inspection, optical bonding and curing ovens.

Ideal for selective coating, potting, bead and meter-mix dispensing applications, the Delta 8 is designed for maximum flexibility and can be configured for custom assembly applications. The Delta 8 has many options and integrated features including robotic system repeatability of +/-25 microns and multiple dispensing applications or materials in one cell.

Pieter Van Der Vorst will be on hand to answer questions about coating and dispensing, as well as other application solutions in the PVA line-up such as coating inspection, optical bonding and curing ovens.

For more information about PVA, please contact PVA at info@pva.net or (518) 371-2684.

CZECH REPUBLIC – PBT Works s.r.o., a leading manufacturer of cleaning technology for electronic assemblies and tooling, and its German distributor factronix GmbH will exhibit in two stands (Hall 4A, Stand 110 and Hall 4A, Stand 207) at SMTconnect, scheduled to take place May 9-11, 2023 in Nuremberg, Germany. The team will showcase a range of cleaning systems for different manufacturing needs, including the HyperSWASH PCB cleaning system, HyperCLEAN maintenance cleaning system, MiniSWASH stencil cleaner and Go23 stencil printer.

PBT Works will showcase the flexible HyperSWASH that covers a wide assortment of needs – cleaning the most challenging assemblies with the largest BGAs and QFNs. The cleaner features an automated pushcart docking system, pushcart transloader for loading/unloading and customized MES connectivity.

Also on display, HyperCLEAN is a high- capacity flexible maintenance cleaning system that is compatible with all of the latest automation. Ideal for high throughput, handling of numerous or heavy objects is now easier using the included pushcart. HyperCLEAN is ideal for high-volume cleaning of large size solder pallets, SMT oven filters and other mechanical parts.

The MiniSWASH stencil cleaner is a budget-friendly system designed for small and medium manufacturers. The cleaner can handle stencil, squeegee, and misprinted PCB cleaning all in one system. The ideal solution for smaller capacity automated cleaning, the MiniSWASH’s integrated slide-in stencil clamping system can be easily adjusted for any size SMD stencil. PBT Works is EN ISO 9001 and EN ISO 14001 certified. For more information, visit www.pbt-works.com  

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, Bright Machines, an innovator in intelligent, software-defined manufacturing, announced that Gayle Sheppard will transition from co-CEO to Chief Executive Officer. A veteran technology executive with broad experience in business, technology, and leadership, Gayle will lead Bright Machines’ development of intelligent, software-driven automation solutions that are changing how and where products are manufactured. Previously she held leadership positions at Microsoft and Intel. As CEO, she will succeed Lior Susan, who will transition to Executive Chairman of Bright Machines and remain on its Board of Directors.

“Gayle combines a track record as a dynamic executive with a background in and a tremendous passion for software-driven businesses,” said Lior Susan, Executive Chairman and Co-founder of Bright Machines. “She is a champion of the company’s high-performance culture and has an extraordinary ability to inspire and connect with customers, partners, and employees. Gayle’s seasoned guidance will help Bright Machines have the right people, processes, and systems to accommodate long-term growth and profitability.”

With over 30 years of experience, Gayle joins Bright Machines from Microsoft, where she led digital strategy and execution as the Corporate Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Asia. Prior to this role, Gayle served as Corporate Vice President and Head of Global Expansion and Transformation for Microsoft Azure, a Fortune 50 company with over $143 billion in sales. She also founded and served as CEO of Saffron AI Group, later acquired by Intel, where she focused on business innovation and cloud-centric digital capabilities in manufacturing, financial services, and government industries.

In addition to sitting on the Board of Directors for Bright Machines, Gayle serves on the Board of Directors of Nutanix, a leader in Hybrid Cloud solutions, and is a Board Advisor to startups NovaSignal, a medical AI company, and AIXI Inc., an industrial AI company. She is also a Board Advisor to Sonder Connect, a not-for-profit organization that empowers female founders worldwide. Additionally, she advises women in data science, engineering and leadership and is a passionate advocate for using technology to eliminate child trafficking.

“After serving as co-CEO with Lior for the past three months, I’m proud to step into the CEO role to lead the company on its journey to fundamentally reshape how and where products are made across the global economy,” said Gayle Sheppard, CEO of Bright Machines. “Witnessing how the company has navigated the complexities of today’s market while cementing its place as a leader with some of the biggest global brands has been inspiring. I am laser-focused on ensuring our customers, technology, and company are well-equipped to meet the needs of modern industry. I look forward to working with, learning from, and growing the company with the outstanding team at Bright Machines.”

“On behalf of the board, we thank Lior for his unparalleled commitment and leadership at Bright Machines during his time as CEO,” said Steve Luczo, Bright Machines Board Member and Managing Partner at Crosspoint Capital Partners. “As Bright Machines pushes deeper into expansive solutions, I know the company will undoubtedly benefit from Gayle’s vision and passion for building high growth companies.”

Bright Machines is unlocking the full potential of factory automation, allowing its customers to optimize labor costs, overcome worker shortage constraints, and see improvements in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). In 2022, investors recognized Bright Machines’ growth and validated its mission by investing $100 million in the company through a Series B funding round.