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July, 2011 ElEctronic Mfg SErvicES Automated Circuit Design: The Quality’s Built In By the Staff of Automated Circuit Design, Richardson, TX
a design service bureau. Founders Chuck Michie and Darrell Vaughn not only took a chance starting a cir- cuit board design company, but also took a leap of faith buying a newly released CAD system, Cad netics. It was the first of many decisions
B
that would build and grow the vision of ACD to offer high-technology engi- neering services in a schedule that meets the customer’s needs. This vision would later come to include printed circuit assembly.
Rapid Growth ACD quickly grew to be one of
the nation’s largest design houses. This growth was due to its ability to lay out very complex boards in short turn times. Over time, ACD would add more services, excelling at each. These included laser photo plot-
ting services, becoming a manufac- turers’ representative, and even becoming a value-added reseller (VAR) for computer-aided engineer- ing and design tools. ACD offers R&D through production support for electronics OEMs.
ased in Richard son, Texas, Automated Circuit Design (ACD) was founded in 1984 as
Assembly Services Added Today, it still offers circuit
board design and, in 1999, led by
as well as a national leader of elec- tronics manufacturing services. The assembly services support R&D engineers with prototypes, sup-
software, servers, and numerous other behind-the-scenes improve- ments. This has been a more exciting year: ACD began 2011 with a total production floor makeover and capacity expansion. The cornerstone of this expansion was the transition to Juki Automation Systems as the major surface mount placement machine. ACD purchased not one but two new lines, each rated at 140,000 placements per hour. These lines are fronted by new DEK Horizon screen printers and end with Heller Industries’ Mark III ovens. However, ACD has not stopped
The production floor and one of the new lines of Juki autoplacers.
President and CEO W. Scott Fille - brown, it added consigned and turnkey assembly services to its offerings. This addition would trans- form ACD into one of the fastest growing companies in North America
port production ramp-up with pilot builds and handle typical domestic production. The company’s latest added production capability is its ability to handle high volumes through its international production option — offering the overseas price point with a domestic service and warranty.
Change in Ownership Owners Scott Fillebrown and
Steve Schwaebler purchased the company in 1999 from original founders Chuck and Darrell. Scott had been working there since 1990, and Steve for a couple of years. With the new ownership came a new com- mitment to reinvest in the company on an ongoing basis. So many times owners are eager to take the profits out of a company for personal use. This is not the case at ACD. This year alone the company expects to reinvest close to 13 percent of the total revenues projected for 2011 sales. In the previous five years, ACD has averaged close to 5 percent of annual sales in reinvestment. This is even more significant considering what the economic climate has been like over the last two years. What does ACD
invest in? During 2009 and 2010, it was mostly for improvements in infrastructure. While it may not be considered a glamorous or exciting way to spend money, a 35 percent increase in sales was planned, and there was a serious need to have the facilities and systems in place to operate effectively. These upgrades included building expansion, Valor DFM and DFA software tools, paper- less production, and enforced routing
there. The company has expanded its support operations with more per- sonnel and equipment. The most no - table addition is Aqueous Technol - ogies’ Trident Quad wash system, increasing the production lines’ throughput and quality. “You will find that our infrastructure and com- mitment to production equipment are second to none. We believe the competitive advantage is won through capability,” said Fillebrown. One of the other winning strategies is the company’s MIS (Management Information System) resources.
Overseas Manufacturing “Our goal is to offer the capabil-
ity and expertise of a tier one con- tract manufacturer, with the friendly customer service of a regional compa- ny,” commented co-owner Scott Fillebrown. The product offering, however, is just one portion of ACD’s success; to look at just this one offer- ing is not fair to the whole. The company’s offshore manu-
facturing uses facilities in the Philippines, and this depends on cus- tomer requirements. There are actu- ally company employees sent there to monitor the overseas vendors to make sure that they follow both the contract in place and the scope and status of the work. ACD has hired an industry expert with 15 years’ expe- rience doing this sort of thing, with
CEO Scott Fillebrown with PCB assemblies made overseas.
just these shops. Finally, the compa- ny follows the Ronald Reagan view: “trust but verify everything.” That means extensive in-house testing of boards brought in from overseas
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