Interview
Q4. How essential is it for principals
to provide you with engineering and
marketing support?
“Etek Europe Ltd
The winners
Both engineering and marketing roles
have a huge part to play in helping us sell is lucky that we
are coming
equipment and services to our customers.
Our engineering team is constantly being have several lines
trained on the latest range of equipment
from our principles. This also includes new
of equipment
software revisions and machine upgrades.
Etek is one of the few distribution
that we represent
companies that has its own in-house
marketing department. This along with
that are best-in-
our principles helps us get our message to
our customers by newsletters, websites and
technical webinars.
class. We know
Q5. The EMS landscape is constantly
the equipment
changing. Do you think distributors are
better placed to adapt to these changes
well and have
faster than principals?
the support
In many ways, distributors and reps are
the eyes and ears for the principals. We
structure to keep
deal with customers and their service and
support issues on a daily basis. During the
past six to nine months, many principles in
our customers
the marketplace have had to reduce their
service and support structures during the
running 24/7.”
recession.
Etek Europe Ltd has taken the
opportunity to take advantage of some
of the skilled engineers released into the
Q8. Materials suppliers came off the
job market and strengthen its engineering
bottom in January-March this year;
team. As a result, we can usually react
equipment suppliers seem to be
to our customers’ requirements almost
stabilizing and starting the long haul back
instantly. Sometimes it may be telephone
towards the next peak. Where do you see
support or technical advice that can help
the opportunities going forward?
our customers. In other cases it requires a
field visit. We are seeing a lot of opportunities in
cleaning (de-fluxing, stencil, wave solder
Q6. Why should an EMS customer come pallet), device programming, x-ray, AOI,
to Etek rather than shop around for best- dispensing and wave solder. There is still a
in-class equipment? huge amount of excess equipment in the
marketplace, but as technology progresses,
Etek Europe Ltd is lucky that we have
much of this equipment will not be
several lines of equipment that we
capable of some of the latest product
represent that are best-in-class. We know
process requirements.
the equipment well and have the support
Our current sales pipeline is looking
structure to keep our customers running
very healthy with many customers now
24/7. We have a few customers where we
looking at upgrading or replacing older
have local Etek engineers permanently
equipment in the coming months.
on-site to help support the equipment and
This November. Awards
processes.
to be presented at
Mike, many thanks for talking to us today.
Q7. With offices in the UK, Eastern
Trevor Galbraith.
Europe and soon, other locations, is this
part of a global expansion?
We are planning to open an office on the
Brought to you by
west coast of the USA, early next year. This
will help us expand into some of the large
corporate accounts we already support in
Western and Eastern Europe.
www.globalsmt.net Global SMT & Packaging – September 2009 – 37
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