Essemtec Interview with Don Jeka

Essemtec AG is a privately held Swiss equipment manufacturer, specializing in high–speed fluid dispensing as well as flexible high-mix SMT placement solutions. The company offers advanced systems that offer solder paste jetting and pick and place in one package. All technologies leverage the company’s vast equipment and process know-how gained since 1991 to help customers achieve significant competitive advantages. The company’s goal is to improve its customers’ workflows, setup times, defect rates, traceability and overall manufacturing efficiency through superior software and by providing managed SMT storage. To meet that goal, the company must stay innovative and relevant, which is does by increasing coverage and presence in important global markets and by creating new products to solve the industry’s dispensing and placement solutions. We recently spoke with Don Jeka, Business Development Manager, to find out about Essemtec’s newest growth plan, including the launch of new product technologies.

Don, we understand that Essemtec has been strengthening its presence throughout the United States market recently. Why is now the right time for this?

Essemtec has firmly established itself as a market leader in Europe. The company offers products that work perfectly in the lower–volume/high–mix segment, which has been growing in North America. Our proven success at many major companies in the industrial, aerospace, and military defense market segments make investing in our US operations critical. We view North America as the market with the most growth potential for our advanced systems.

What general strategy are you using to grow this area of the world? Does an increased rep base play a role?

Having a world–class sales representative team is crucial for success in this market. I am proud to state that we have virtually complete coverage in the United States, Canada and Mexico with some of the finest, most experienced companies representing Essemtec. I have known and worked with most of our rep groups for years, which helps us collaborate successfully. So, yes, a complete representative base does play a role, and the effort placed on working together helps give our customers confidence. We also have made a major initiative to use some of the home office downtime over the last year to offer extensive training modules and live sessions to all of our representative teams, empowering them with greater knowledge of our unique solutions and system performance.

We also have read a little about Archerfish, the company’s new solder paste jet dispensing technology.Can you give our readers a brief description of the technology behind this product and tell us how it’s been doing in the US market?

The Archerfish technology was developed to offer the ability to jet dispense solder paste onto a PCB quickly and accurately. The goal was to offer solder paste jetting that could accommodate both fine–pitch and small 01005 components,and be able to jet dispense paste for a complete PCB. This allows for rapid design changes in the prototyping environment and quick changeover in the high–mix environment. On our multifunction systems, the Fox and the Puma, this means not only eliminating screen printing but also combining solder paste dispensing with component placement on one platform.

The Archerfish uses dynamic shockwave technology to jet the solder paste, which is unique to Essemtec, and we are engaged in further development of this technology for future applications. We believe we are now at the forefront of solder paste jet dispensing for the SMT industry. The US market was positively ready for the next level of solder paste jetting technology, and consequently we have seen excellent sales and growth with the Archerfish solder jet solution.

What industry challenge does this system address/solve?

As previously stated, quickly dispensing solder paste for small and fine–pitch components was one of the challenges we embraced in developing the Archerfish solutions. In PCB prototyping and development, solder paste dispensing is a true asset. It also offers excellent capability in rework applications. Screen printers and new stencils areunnecessary with solder paste jetting, freeing up floor spaceand time spent waiting for new stencils. Additionally, design changes can be made much more rapidly, and there is none of the cost associated with purchasing new stencils. From a logistical standpoint, each design modification can represent a time delay and the new stencil then must be stored properly.Also, screen printing is facing its own challenges as design complexity increases and solder paste jetting is in the unique position to overcome some of those challenges.

Can you explain Essemtec’s concept of the Tortoise vs.the Hare to our readers? How does this apply to our industry, and what benefits does it provide to your customers?

The Tortoise and the Hare is an age old fable highlighting the fact that being fastest doesn’t necessarily equate to reachingthe finish line first. Our Fox and Puma systems lead their classes for feeder count capability. For example, the Fox has a small 3 ft square footprint but can have 180 feeders in a standalone format while offering the combined function of solder paste jet dispensing.

Consider that kitting and loading feeders on a pick–and–place system can take up to four hours. Now introduce the low–volume, high–mix requirement into that equation. Simply put, changeovers can impact production time greatly, so the standard machine IPC – CPH quoted number begins to have much less of an impact on production time. When we work with customers to determine their requirements, how many changeovers and how many placements per month help us establish what they need. Often a customer assumes faster is better and believes CPH is the best indicator. When we analyze their data together, we prove that an Essemtec system with a single placement head is capable of exceeding their requirements. So, acknowledging that we do not have the fastest CPH in the industry, but rather the ability to make very rapid changeovers helps us prove that we actually can improve job turnaround time. It really is the classic tortoise vs. hare story.

What medical device applications does Essemtec have in the United States?

We have entered into some very exciting medical projects over the past year and some of them are directly involved in COVID-19 testing. Our use in the med tech market often focuses on dispensing. We are sealing implantable devices, dispensing hotmelt wax for diagnostic testing, and dispensing solder paste and placing components on PCBs using a variety of medical applications. Our systems can be ordered cleanroom compliant, which is another asset and reinforces our commitment to this market segment.

Do you envision growing your presence in the medical device industry in the coming months?

Absolutely, this is an ever–growing market segment, and we plan to be a supplier of solutions to this industry for the extended future. In many ways. Essemtec’s dispensing equipment with its capabilities and versatility is a perfect fit for medical device manufacturing.

How has COVID-19 affected Essemtec?

Like most businesses, we have had to adjust the way we conduct day–to–day business. We have adapted to virtual meetings and have conducted most business with customersin this fashion over the last year. Our customers also adapted to these changes and now we are routinely selling high dollar equipment to customers without visiting their operation, visiting them in person, or even shaking their hands. We have been fortunate that except for Q2 last year, business has remained robust. Our technical service team has continued to travel on an as–needed basis, and in some cases we are even installing and training virtually because of site visit limitations.So, we have had success in training, sales meetings, and customer interactions using the tools and technology available.

At this point, I give serious recognition to Essemtec’s Customer Application Engineering team. Over the course of this last year they have done an outstanding job with virtual presentations and demonstrations. They are now a multi–camera, technologically advanced studio that doubles as the customer application laboratory. On a personal level, I miss meeting with customers, visiting their facilities, and shaking their hands. I also really miss working with our sales representatives in their territories.

In your opinion, what are the most significant ways that the pandemic has changed the way we do business today?

As expressed above, it has been a year without visiting customers in person. We have not had our traditional trade shows and events. Often, when I am meeting with an engineer virtually about a product or application, we are both in our home offices. Virtually meeting and connecting have become the new standard.

What would you most like the industry to know about Essemtec?

Essemtec has some of the most advanced technology in the industry today. Our system designs are fresh and modern and offer outstanding performance and quality. Essemtec systems are unique and our designs are organic, adaptive and thoughtful. Quality in design and the componentry used to manufacture the systems is of paramount importance, and this is reflected in our performance. Our commitment to providing customers with the highest standard of professionalism, quality, and support is something that all of us at Essemtec are fully committed to.