Mek (Marantz Electronics), a leading provider of Automatic Optical Inspection solutions and Solder Paste Inspection systems, has appointed Austin Jones as their new Sales Engineer for the North American geographic region.

In his new position Austin will be based in Florida, report directly to MEK Europe and work side by side with the sales rep network. He will assume an array of responsibilities that will facilitate sales growth and extend customer support for Mek AOI in the USA. Acting as the primary customer point of contact he will be answering technical enquiries and demonstrating the impressive capabilities of Mek products helping to grow the brand and establish MEK as a leader in AOI systems.

After receiving a Bachelors in Geographic Information Systems with a minor in Business Administration in 2016 from the University of Florida, where he specialized in satellite imagery analysis, Austin began his career in the defence industry with Leidos Corporation, performing satellite imagery analysis for a group of United States intelligence agencies. From Leidos he moved into the world of Aerial LiDAR, where he wore multiple hats: calibrating and troubleshooting plane sensor equipment, analysing and processing raw 3D LiDAR data, and managing flight operations.

His most recent role was as Senior Associate, Production Operations for the F-35 Program at L3Harris Technologies Corporation where he managed the manufacturing of high-performance electronics for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, leading assembly technicians and engineers to meet production goals.

Henk Biemans, Managing Director of Marantz Electronics, commented “Austin joining the Mek team will be highly beneficial as his boundless enthusiasm and experience in demand creation and engineering solutions sales will be instrumental in the continued growth of our key markets in North America.”

www.marantz-electronics.com

About Mek (Marantz Electronics Ltd)

A former division of Marantz well known for its high quality Audio/Video products, Mek Japan (Marantz Electronics Kabushiki Kaisha), developed its first AOI system in 1994. Developed to inspect PCB assemblies for correct component placement and soldering, the company’s original AOI system was designed for use in Marantz factories. Proving to be a highly successful, cost-effective alternative to traditional human inspection, Mek developed its first generation commercial system in 1996. With a steadily growing installed base, MEK Japan and its European/American headquarters, Mek, have sold over 8000 units worldwide to date. Well established as a leading force in AOI technologies and 5D post-print SPI systems, the company now also manufactures Conformal Coating Inspection systems drawing on the proven technology.

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (July 20, 2021) – ADCO Circuits’ culture of excellence is reflected in its continuous capital investments that provide customers with unmatched quality, on-time delivery, and a culture of precision and accuracy. ADCO’s most recent investment is three brand-new, world-class Yamaha YSM20R surface mount machines. With the world’s fastest mounting speed in its class, the machines feature a new wide-scan camera with improved component adaptability.

ADCO’s three flexible high-speed production lines feature top-of-the-line equipment that incorporates solder paste inspection (SPI) and automated optical inspection (AOI). These technologies allow customers to optimize boards, which minimizes defects and maximizes accuracy.

Before the current capital improvements in the SMT line, ADCO’s entire equipment list experienced upgrades. ADCO has an impressive suite of equipment, including Koh-Young SPI, Yamaha pick and place machines, Yamaha post reflow 3-D AOI, and X-Ray for fine pitch SMT and BGA components. ADCO also offers through-hole soldering via two Ersa select-wave lines and one Electrovert wave line.

“This capital investment allows us to keep abreast of the continuing miniaturization and complexity of electronic components,” says Marc Damman, ADCO’s Vice President of Sales. “The complex industries we serve, like aerospace, medical device, and defense, rely on our consistency, accuracy, and precision. Our continued investments in equipment, people, and processes allow us to stay ahead with quick handling of today’s component challenges.”

ADCO’s pristine 53,000 sq. ft. facility and its advanced equipment set it apart from other leading high-performance manufacturers and assemblers. Automation throughout the plant includes component storage, paperless documentation, and robotics.

Of particular note are the six automated vertical storage units that span 18.5 feet high and create enormous material handling and data management efficiencies. In addition, automated reel counters and bar code labeling support WIP inventory counts. ADCO’s fully automated warehouse capabilities benefit customers by ensuring superior levels of accuracy and efficiency with every order.

About ADCO Circuits

ADCO Circuits, Inc., established in 1981 in Rochester Hills, Michigan, provides electronic circuit board assembly and module services to a wide range of companies in the industrial, medical, automotive, telecommunications, and aerospace/military equipment markets. As a full-service turnkey supplier of custom electronics, ADCO provides support from design and prototyping to new product introduction and full-rate production. Its state-of-the-art, 53,000-square-foot facility handles low- to medium-volume assembly and test. Advanced capabilities include an automated stockroom, automated selective soldering, and Flex-SMT lines with STI and AOT and off-line X-Ray. ADCO Circuits is IS0 9001, AS9100, and IATFI6949 certified, and ITAR and GIDEP registered.

Tokyo, Japan – July 20, 2021 – Saki Corporation, an innovator in the field of automated optical and X-ray inspection equipment, is pleased to announce the addition of a dedicated customer demonstration room available for pre-acceptance check of inspection equipment as well as a Parts Center for centralized management of inventory and supply at its Nara factory. The facility upgrade, which enhances Saki’s after-sales service at the Nara factory, forms part of Saki’s ongoing strategic investment in its operations to offer the highest customer service standards around the world.

The new demonstration room is located adjacent to a full production line, allowing customers visiting the factory to experience a complete and comprehensive demonstration of the actual equipment as well as the production process. The demonstration room provides a private space where pre-acceptance can be carried out smoothly.

Furthermore, with the expansion of the parts stock area in the Nara factory and the transfer of the centralized management system of parts from Saki’s Tokyo Head Office to the Nara factory, a comprehensive Parts Center has been created on the factory premises. The new set up ensures optimized supply chain control with efficient inventory and order management, as well as quick dispatch of a wide range of parts - ultimately providing customers with a timely and high-quality after-sales service. At the Nara factory, an upgrade to the facilities and equipment of its state-of-the art 90-seat seminar room has also been completed. With all these facility and process improvements, Saki offers a comprehensive range of after-sales services to its customers.

"Strengthening our customer support services is one of our key management priorities and we are constantly striving to improve them," said Norihiro Koike, President and CEO of Saki Corporation. "These initiatives, which allow us to demonstrate our solutions at our production sites and to deliver parts quickly and efficiently, are a result of our firm commitment to position customer service as one of our top priorities. We strongly believe that will contribute to enhanced customer satisfaction. We will continue with further innovations to our systems and structures."

For further information about Saki, visit www.sakicorp.com/en/.

Chairman, Eric Winkler at Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) provider, Ryder Industries founded the firm (then SciSys) in Hong Kong in 1979. A Swiss born in Hong Kong, Eric earned his MSc in Physics at ETH Zürich, then spent five years researching condensed-state physics, before entering the electronics business. Now with EMS facilities in mainland China, as well as Hong Kong, the company’s maxim, “Swiss precision – Chinese scale” stems from Eric’s personal commitment to the highest standards of corporate and engineering integrity and quality – allied to the scale and efficiency of China’s supply chain and driven forward by the continual innovation of Ryder’s teams. To develop his understanding of both the market and the business, Eric has always spent a good deal of time talking direct to customers, listening to their needs, pain points and feedback, as well as to Ryder’s people, to benefit from their frontline perspective.

“As part of our continuous improvement programme,” Eric tells us, “We have been making substantial investments to upgrade our tool-making shop, fabricating the moulds for our ever-growing plastic injection facility. While we have traditionally sub-contracted out the majority of our tool-making, the last few years have seen a growing desire to bring this back in-house, in the pursuit of better and more precise designs, as well as faster turnaround.”

Touring the EMS production facilities with MJ Choong, Ryder’s Vice President of Quality & Operational Excellence, Eric was surprised to discover that the company’s two most prized recent acquisitions were a pair of Swiss machines! Surprised because Swiss machines are, pound for pound, among the world’s most expensive – neck and neck with Japanese plant, and even more expensive than German machines. At the same time, the Chinese manufacturing environment is perhaps traditionally thought of as quick to recognise and minimise costs, and to be skeptical about promises of performance (“buy cheap, then figure out your way through somehow” being a typical approach).

Switzerland, meanwhile is expensive, as any visitor will tell you. Salaries are among the highest in Europe (excepting city-state, Luxembourg and its financial services industry), so Switzerland can only survive by selling expensive goods and services – and for that to work, they have to be exceptional. Hence, Swiss precision! Yes – watches, chocolates and the Matterhorn only make up a small proportion of Swiss GDP.

“And yet,” Eric recounts, “Here was MJ, enthusiastically explaining to me how these top-quality pieces of equipment were actually proving more profitable than their predecessors!” The machines in question – Mikron MILL E 800 Vertical Machining Centers – came from Swiss-based GF Machining Solutions, part of Georg Fischer Group and one of the world’s leading providers of milling machines for automating tool, mould and die making, and manufacturing high-value precision parts and components. The company prides itself on high quality, reliable machines that offer a combination of accuracy, consistency and efficiency: “Swissness inside”.

MJ explained the benefits with one qualitative and one quantitative element. From the qualitative perspective, the increased precision meant that tools have been coming out right on the first cut – with no need for iterations to adjust, raising the productivity of the whole tool shop. At the same time, from the quantitative perspective, the machines are so cleverly engineered that they run appreciably faster, increasing throughput again.

“Swiss precision – Chinese scale” once again!

About Ryder Industries

Ryder Industries has deep experience in China manufacturing, with some 40 years of operational history, originally as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and subsequently as an Electronics Manufacturing Service provider (EMS).

For further information visit; http://www.ryderems.com.