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SMT Equipment Investments Increase in 2010
March 31, 2010 |Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
— This month, Siemens Electronics Assembly GmbH (SEAS) released its research on order bookings for October 2009 through February 2010, showing more than 3× growth over the same period 1 year ago; Universal Instruments Corp. installed an additional line at an existing customer site, which is increasing capacity. BPM Microsystems also announced a major sale to a programming center in the U.K.
Equipment Sales On the Rise
According to the latest market analyses conducted by Siemens Electronics Assembly GmbH & Co. KG (SEAS), electronics manufacturers are heavily investing in SMT equipment again. The main growth engines continue to be plants in China and the rest of Asia, but orders from Europe are also on the rise for SIPLACE and other equipment suppliers. In the first five months of its current fiscal year from October 2009 through February 2010, the SIPLACE team recorded as many orders as during the entire twelve months of the previous fiscal year. SIPLACE was also able to significantly increase its market share in several regions. Especially popular was the new SIPLACE SX, which enables completely new manufacturing concepts in terms of placement performance and feeder capacity. For the period from October 2009 through February 2010, global new order bookings more than tripled compared to the same period last year. China played the dominating role, but since the middle of 2009 order bookings from Europe have begun to recover as well, posting an increase of 30% from January to February alone. SIPLACE benefits from the worldwide recovery. For the first five months of its current fiscal year (October 2009 through February 2010), the SIPLACE team has booked as many orders as during the entire twelve months of FY 2008/2009. At the same time, the company was able to raise the share of its placement machines as part of the total SMT equipment market by up to 4% in parts of Asia and several European regions, according to SEAS.
H3C Invests in Additional UIC Genesis Line
H3C Technologies Co. Limited (H3C), supplier of IP-based products and solutions, purchased an additional Genesis Platform production line from Universal Instruments. The new line will be configured similar to H3C’s existing Genesis line and used to build the company’s most complex products that demand the highest quality and yields. The decision to purchase the Universal equipment was based on the success of the initial Genesis line in building these same products.
Based on the success of the Genesis line purchased in 2004, H3C chose to invest in the same line configuration for their expanding production requirements. H3C’s placement needs range from small passives and flexible fine pitch to a high diversity of connectors. Of particular importance is the large board capability of Genesis, as one of H3C’s newest products is built on a 500 × 700 mm PCB.
In 2004, H3C purchased its first Universal equipment in the form of a Genesis GC-60D, GC-60D, GI-14D production line. The versatility of the Genesis Platform to excel in high-volume or high-mix environments, in combination with its unique attributes such as large board capability, made it the right choice for H3C’s high-end production requirements. “While the machine’s capability and performance have been outstanding, it was the advantages such as the platform’s reliability, cost performance, changeover tools, and new product introduction (NPI) software that have really helped boost our productivity,” commented the H3C General Procurement Dept, which is in charge of SMT machine evaluation and purchasing, adding that Universal’s strong service and applications support helped maximize efficiency and output.
With principal operations in Hangzhou, China, H3C employs 4,800 people worldwide. The company has applied for more than 2,000 patents, 85% of which are original invention patents. Guided by innovative IToIP architecture, H3C built a full series of IP products and solutions, including routers, LAN switches, network security, WLAN, IP multi-media, and intelligent management software.
Programming Investment by Lewmax
BPM Microsystems, in conjunction with its distributor Adaptsys, announced that Lewmax Programming Ltd., a global provider of device programming and other value-added services, has chosen the 4610 automated production programmer to accommodate its increasing programming demands. The machine is expected to increase production output by 10 million programmed parts per year.
“The 4610 allows us to achieve quality, fast turnaround and low price by programming, laser marking, and reeling all in one operation at high speed and with high accuracy,” said Mike Roberts, director for Lewmax.
This is Lewmax’s first BPM Microsystems automated production programmer purchase. The company also owns and operates a line of BPM Microsystems Concurrent Programming Systems models 2600, 2610, and 2700.
Established in 1993, Lewmax is now one of the largest programming centers in the U.K. As a device programming service, all devices are programmed with silicon manufacturer-approved algorithms using industry-standard hardware. The company offers other services such as laser marking, tape and reeling, baking, dry packing, and has recently launched a new design protection service using its laser technology. Lewmax also designs, supports, and builds its own range of socket adaptors and modules to fit any ZIF socket-based programming platform.
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