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Simtek EMS’ technical director, Richard Samuel, shows howinvestment and diversification has ensured the company is celebrating its seventh successful year as an independent, privately owned business
Simtek EMS’ technical director, Richard Samuel
Back in 2004, following amanagement buyout by the current owners Richard Samuel and Lee Boulton, the company operated froma tin shed,
equipped with the surfacemount equivalent of two bicycles, 20 employees, a £900k turnover and an overwhelming reliance on the seasonalmarine electronicsmarket. Looking at the company now, the differences are striking. Following relocation to an 18,000ft2
purpose built facility in 2007,
Simtek invested in Europlacer surfacemount systems, including a state-of-the-art Iineo placementmachine. The company now has the SMequivalent of three F1 racing cars. Headcount stands at 40,
while 2004’s £900k turnover was surpassed in Q1 of 2011. Seasonal demand has been smoothed by the diversification into
othermarkets which, in turn, increased turnover four fold. This growth was achieved despite a difficult trading environment
over recent years. The investment has helped Simtek remain competitive in the UK and globalmarkets. This competitiveness clears the way to concentrate on customer service which has resulted in 93 per cent of the current customer base being gained through recommendation alone. Simtek’s operation is controlled by a SAP database system
incorporatingMRP coupledwith component and assembly traceability. The SAP systemwas key to the company achieving ISO9001:2008 and attractingmajor customers fromthemedical electronics industry.
www.simtekems.co.uk
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20 | June 2011
www.electronics-sourcing.co.uk
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