The market and electronics industry as a whole continue to push the boundaries of design and innovation, which provides constant motivation for Count On Tools (COT) to evolve. This has fueled the team’s passion to not only offer products, but to also create solutions for everyday problems in the industry. For more than 25 years, COT has manufactured high-quality, low-cost pick-and-place nozzles and associated components for the SMT and electronics manufacturing industries. The company is comprised of four divisions: Contract Machining & Job Shop Services, SMT Nozzles, Tooling & Consumables, Quality Swiss-made Hand Tools, and Aerospike Ammunition Technology (A.S.A.T).
Family owned and operated, the company was founded in 1991 by Curt (president) and Renee Couch (vice oresident & CFO). Before co-founding COT, Curt had several years’ experience as a mechanical engineer in the electronics manufacturing industry. The company has grown steadily over its 27 years in business, from occupying a 5,000 ft.2 suite in its current building since 1998. Curt and Renee expanded the company in 2005, moving to three suites at the opposite end of the building. The latest expansion includes an additional suite, increasing the overall manufacturing facility to 20,000 ft.2
Upgrades from the recent expansion include opening an additional 5,000 ft.2 of production space, installing several new production cells with state-of-the-art Mazak machining centers, a new larger conference room, and more offices for a growing sales force. COT also installed energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the factory and office space.
Renee has always stayed behind the public eye, but has been there every step of the way. Her involvement early on was everything from front office order entry to customer service, purchasing, shipping, accounting and more. As with any small family business, Renee and Curt have had to wear many hats. And they did all of this while raising three children.
Renee commented, “Over the course of our business’ growth, we have been both blessed and strategic to bring on fantastic, talented, energetic and most importantly family-oriented co-workers to take on a continued and expanded role in building what we have today.” While she tends to stay out of the front spotlight, this absence doesn’t diminish Renee’s role. She adds, “I still continue to be involved daily with decisions related to the growth of COT, whether it’s signing off on machine/facility procurement, expanding our workforce, filing taxes or keeping us compliant with all of our time-sensitive certifications. Curt and I both consider each of the team members as a very integral part of our success. Yes, Curt and I did start this journey, but to be where we are at today, we would never have been able to do so without our talented team.”
Though they aren’t technically family, several team members have been with COT since the beginning, including Zack Shook, Donna Shook, Jeff Lancaster and Tate Strayhorn, to name a few. Curt added, “It has always been exciting to develop new ideas with my team at COT. We have such great people employed here, and I am honored to work with them. COT is an exceptional company because we handle adversity so well. We are never afraid of change and we are able to quickly adapt to most circumstances, including new challenges from customers.”
The company is committed to being the number one supplier of precision engineered components to a wide range of market sectors. Using only the most advanced CNC and other manufacturing capabilities, the company’s expertise is second to none in quality, price and delivery. COT then passes these advantages and capabilities to its customers and, in so doing, creates long-term relationships.
“We are honored at the thought of where we started and where COT is today as a company,” added the dynamic duo. “We came from humbled beginnings, but strived for excellence. This, combined with many other factors, has allowed us to continue to grow year after year. We’re proud of our 27-year track record of organic growth and sustained profitability while delivering global solutions for SMT nozzles and consumables to this industry.”
What’s most important to any electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company? Saving money and cutting build costs. COT provides engineered solutions for the SMT industry, and its nozzles and tooling are in use at many of the world’s leading EMS companies.
The company also maintains and supports a strong position in the hand tool industry, offering high-quality hand tools from PB Swiss Tools. These PB Swiss Tools compliment any and all high-tech environments that require optimum performance from both their equipment and technicians.
At the core of the business, however, COT is a single source supplier for precision manufacturing needs. A precision component manufacturer, the company specializes in all aspects of the machining industry. Whether their customers need fast turnaround, single parts, small lots, large quantities or a long-term supply with on-time deliveries, COT offers a variety of job shop services to meet those requirements. The company’s commitment to excellence is shown through its design and manufacturing processes as well as its skilled workforce and dedicated employees.
“Our success is a result of positive attitude, hard work, patience, learning from failures and, above all, being fair to customers,” added the Couchs. “Our company’s culture truly reflects the fundamental rule, which is treating people more importantly than business itself with an unwavering commitment to meeting our customers’ needs. We will continue to focus on excellence while building strong working relationships between our employees, customers, vendors and partners, and producing quality products with the best value in mind.”
To find out more about more about Count On Tools and its technologies, contact Curt Couch at 770-538-0411, ccouch@cotinc.com or www.cotinc.com.