June, 2017
www.us-tech.com
Page 21 Tate Technology Says Yes to E by SIPLACE
mid-speed placement technology. But, its vision- ary leader knew that if the company was to grow, its placement capability needed an overhaul. “My job is to say ‘yes’,” explains Tate Technology presi- dent Scott Tate, who runs day-to-day operations at the EMS company that bears his family’s name. “We have built our business on taking the jobs that nobody else wants — an approach that has served us well, providing a foot in the door for some amaz- ing opportunities in markets as diverse as telecom, medical, industrial, and military.” With production volumes as small as a single
A
board and others in the tens of thousands, choos- ing a system that would offer a robust, hybrid so- lution and hold its own against the fast pace of technology was Tate’s task.
Evaluating the Field Armed with a binder, a complex
evaluation matrix and a list of eight placement companies with which he had meetings, Tate set off to the 2016 IPC APEX expo to begin his three- day machine analysis marathon. “When I arrived in Las Vegas, I
was definitely leaning toward one particular placement system,” recalls Tate, who had spent considerable time evaluating the machine at a lo- cal EMS colleague’s facility. “But, the
“Our equipment has to be able to manage the work that nobody else will take on, as well as the thousand-board jobs. My decision matrix (for pur- chase of a new placement system) was designed on this premise.”
more questions I put to the vendors on my list, the more my preconcep- tions changed.” The word nimble describes
Tate’s competitive differentiator. “I’ve had customers walk into my of- fice, put parts on my desk and ask how fast we could build the boards,” says Tate. “In one case, we finished the job in four hours while the cus- tomer waited in our lobby. That’s what sets us apart; everyone has de- cent people, equipment and process- es, but we have the ‘yes’ mentality. So, our equipment has to be able to manage the work that nobody else will take on, as well as the thousand- board jobs. My decision matrix was designed on this premise.” He sought answers to an im-
pressive array of questions: Does the machine self-calibrate? What is the human-machine interface? How is it programmed? How are parts taught? What are standard options and what are upgrades? How many feeders can the system accommodate and what is the feeder modularity? How long does it take to set up feeders? Are the JEDEC trays bolted or interchange- able? What’s the machine’s accuracy rating? Does it have edge conveyors, warp sensors, digital vision or laser inspection? How many nozzles on the placement head? What’s the cph? What is the machine’s footprint? What’s the largest-sized part it can accommodate? And that was only the start. “If
you look at Tate Technology and the markets we serve, where we need to be quick and nimble, I needed a placement system that gave me the best opportunity for success in all ar-
E by SIPLACE delivers advanced and economical placement capability to the mid-speed sector.
dmittedly a lower-volume contract manufac- turer, 25-year-old Tate Technology was an unlikely adopter of the market’s newest
eas,” says Tate. “After countless dis- cussions with multiple suppliers, ASM’s new E by SIPLACE stood out as the optimal solution, from both a flexibility and an overall capability perspective.”
Making the Difference Tate Technology was the first E
by SIPLACE Americas customer, purchasing two of the placement ma- chines and acknowledging that there was a bit of apprehension. “We are the antithesis of the early adopter,” notes Tate with a laugh. “So this was an anomaly for us, but an absolute necessity for our future. I knew we’d
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