12.19.14
Over the past two years, Calumet Electronics has invested close to $3 million in capital equipment, infrastructure improvements, and technology upgrades, reinforcing its commitment to quality and turnaround time for their customers. Calumet has built a reputation on producing high-performance printed circuit boards with some of the industry’s highest defectfree manufacturing (DFM) rates.
Due to such investments over the prior decade, Calumet has thrived at a time when 70% of its competitors have shut their doors. Ten years ago there were more than 700 PCB manufacturers in the U.S. Due to the recession and an increase in outsourcing, closer to 230 exist today.
Calumet views its commitment to quality as the driving force behind its success. Under the vision of its board and the leadership of top management, Calumet’s strategic investments in contemporary process technology have kept them at the forefront of industry initiatives.
“We’re constantly increasing quality, capabilities, and turn-around times. We have a great capital reinvestment plan,” said Mike Kadlec, vice president of corporate development.
Calumet’s 46-year track record is largely driven by investments that improve their ability to increase manufacturing productivity and efficiencies. One recent example is the purchase of a new Orbotech Paragon 16W Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) machine, which provides high accuracy and high volume imaging and allows Calumet to image a pattern directly onto dryfilm for better feature resolution and front-to-back registration. Other examples include a fully automated ANSP doubledensity tester and new flying probe tester by MicroCraft to ensure world-class quality, performance and reliability with decreased turnaround time during the critical testing phase. Additional investments include a CO2/UV Dual-Head Laser Drill, an additional OPTEK VideoMic, Eclipse metalization line and Penta HASL/LFSL with WISE Pre/Post Clean lines.
Consistent with continuous improvement, capital investments at Calumet contribute to cost savings and accelerated turnaround times for customers. Ongoing investment and Calumet’s unique emphasis on enhanced PCB lifecycles aim to exceed customer expectations and hallmark the company’s leadership in North American PCB solutions.
Due to such investments over the prior decade, Calumet has thrived at a time when 70% of its competitors have shut their doors. Ten years ago there were more than 700 PCB manufacturers in the U.S. Due to the recession and an increase in outsourcing, closer to 230 exist today.
Calumet views its commitment to quality as the driving force behind its success. Under the vision of its board and the leadership of top management, Calumet’s strategic investments in contemporary process technology have kept them at the forefront of industry initiatives.
“We’re constantly increasing quality, capabilities, and turn-around times. We have a great capital reinvestment plan,” said Mike Kadlec, vice president of corporate development.
Calumet’s 46-year track record is largely driven by investments that improve their ability to increase manufacturing productivity and efficiencies. One recent example is the purchase of a new Orbotech Paragon 16W Laser Direct Imaging (LDI) machine, which provides high accuracy and high volume imaging and allows Calumet to image a pattern directly onto dryfilm for better feature resolution and front-to-back registration. Other examples include a fully automated ANSP doubledensity tester and new flying probe tester by MicroCraft to ensure world-class quality, performance and reliability with decreased turnaround time during the critical testing phase. Additional investments include a CO2/UV Dual-Head Laser Drill, an additional OPTEK VideoMic, Eclipse metalization line and Penta HASL/LFSL with WISE Pre/Post Clean lines.
Consistent with continuous improvement, capital investments at Calumet contribute to cost savings and accelerated turnaround times for customers. Ongoing investment and Calumet’s unique emphasis on enhanced PCB lifecycles aim to exceed customer expectations and hallmark the company’s leadership in North American PCB solutions.