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Speedline Posts Highest Bookings Since '00
August 26, 2005 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
FRANKLIN, Mass. — Speedline Technologies' second-quarter 2005 bookings rose 44% over the first quarter, reaching their highest level since 2000. At the end of July, the backlog had climbed 68% vs. the end of the first quarter.
"We've witnessed a major upturn in business since April as large customers increased capital equipment spending to respond to growth in the consumer electronics and automotive industries," says Pierre de Villeméjane, Speedline's president and CEO. de Villeméjane also says that the trend toward lead-free manufacturing drove healthy global demand for new capital equipment. "Our process expertise in lead-free technology helped support higher bookings for our wave soldering and reflow oven products," he says.
Geographically, de Villeméjane says that European bookings surged at the end of the second quarter, following a slow first half. Hungary, Turkey and Russia remain bright spots as investment continues in those countries' electronics manufacturing sectors. Germany also showed continuing strength. "The Americas have been strong since the first quarter, with Brazil making a major rebound and Mexico improving," he says. "Asia was sluggish in the first quarter, but bookings were strong throughout the second quarter with China leading the way."
de Villeméjane credits the market's strong acceptance of the Accela printer and XyflexPro+ dispenser to the company's position in process and applications knowledge. "The Accela printer already has been accepted on Approved Vendor Lists at many worldwide OEMs and contract manufacturers," he says. "We shipped the first Accela systems in the second quarter and are booking new orders at significant levels. We're also seeing brisk initial order rates for the XyflexPro+ dispenser. These two products will have a substantial impact on results through the remainder of the year." He also reports that Electrovert wave soldering sales were bolstered by winning major competitive evaluations. "We secured preferred supplier status for these products at many of the top global EMS providers," he says.
Sales also were strengthened by the results of a marketing agreement with Tamura FA that introduced Speedline's AccuFlex printer into the Japanese market, according to Speedline. de Villeméjane predicts strong performance to continue through the end of the year. "We will see seasonal strength in the third quarter when bookings tend to peak," he says. "But with the lead-free manufacturing trend expanding, and our exciting stream of new products entering the market, we anticipate robust performance through the end of the year."