How to Start PCB or SMT Assembly at Your Facility Without the Hassle

Many of our core customers are first time users of SMT equipment required to build their end products in-house. Typically, they have farmed out their assemblies overseas or to local contractors with unsatisfactory results driven by lead times, quality issues, failures, escalating costs and excuses. Many customers have turned to Manncorp because of our experience and patience with first time adapters trying to scale and simplify their business.

When looking to start production in-house, companies often run up against the traditional equipment sales model, where it can be very difficult to get pricing upfront and properly evaluate the equipment they'll need. We’ve heard many stories of customers requesting pricing from manufacturers and haven’t had any response for several weeks or months. Often customers receive quotes after they are filtered through layers of independent reps, regional managers, application engineers, and inside salespeople causing unnecessary delays.

At Manncorp, we simplify this entire process, selling direct with all prices available to view online. Our dedicated sales team is comprised of seasoned veterans in the SMT industry to help you through the entire process. During the first inquiry, customers will receive a rough quote. Firm pricing can be provided after answering a few questions:

  1. What volumes are you anticipating?
  2. What is the number of placements on your board(s)?
  3. How many unique part numbers are on one side of the board (maximum)?
  4. What is the maximum board size?
  5. Are there any 01005 chips or special parts that are of concern?
  6. Do you have space allocated for the equipment? What is an estimate on the area size?

Once these questions are answered, our team can recommend the best equipment for your application. The selection of the pick and place is based on four key items: feeder slots, board size, speed requirements and budget.

Choosing the pick & place machine enables us to provide you with a rough budget for your full line.

Our pick & place options range from manual to fully automatic, with placement speeds up to 20,000 CPH.

Pick & Place machines variety

For the most accurate quote, we recommend sending a few of your worst-case-scenario BOMs to our sales team to review. With a free BOM analysis from Manncorp, you’ll know exactly how many 8mm feeders, 12mm feeders, stick feeders, tray holders, etc., you'll require. Feeder requirements are key in getting firm prices, as they can make up a significant portion of the cost for your SMT line.

After evaluating your BOM and reviewing your answers to the standard questions listed above, we will provide you with 2-3 recommended options for your production line. With these options, you can compare the production speed, overall cost, and the available space for your line to find the perfect fit. We can also supply custom line drawings of the equipment layout to confirm the exact amount of space required, and how the SMT line fits in your production area.

 

Line Drawing Example for Tight Space Utilization

Full Equipment Support

Working with a one-stop-shop equipment supplier like Manncorp is highly beneficial to our customers because we supply the whole SMT line and offer the support to back it up. Other equipment suppliers, using a traditional layered sales process, only provide part of the solution. For example, a pick & place company is only able to assist with their machine, and are unable to help with concerns involving other equipment. To reach a solution, you must bounce between different companies for support. It is much easier to have access to full support in one place.

When you purchase equipment from Manncorp, unlike our competitors, you receive a direct service phone number. It goes straight through to our technicians, with our senior technician as the first line of support. Eric, our senior technician, has been with the company over 25 years. Our other technicians, Gerald and Andy, have each been with Manncorp for over 15 years. Our team is always available by phone and email to troubleshoot issues with software, hardware or your process. Most issues are solved in the first phone call. Supplying an internet connection will help us remote-access your equipment to solve issues on the spot. With direct-selling and dedicated service, the benefits of working with Manncorp are clear. Our experience shows with over 55 years in the industry.

 

A Few Recent Customer Stories

Our relationship with many customers begins when they decide to bring SMT assembly in-house. Some of our partnerships now exceed 10 years and are still growing. We work with companies in different industries worldwide to configure the best production line for their in-house assembly. Check out these customer stories:

CoralVue Inc., located in Slidell, LA, is a relatively new customer but has already seen the advantages to bringing assembly in-house by ditching insanely long lead times. CFO Brandi D’Aquin expressed, “We very much appreciate everyone at Manncorp. You all have gone above and beyond, and it just gives us so much relief here that you are always on standby to help us.” You can read CoralVue’s full story here.

Brandi and David D'Aquin shown with a printed circuit board from the SMT line at CoralVue.

Sensaphone, located in Aston, PA, first purchased a Manncorp SMT line over 12 years ago. Since then, they have increased production enough to add a second line to the mix, while the original equipment is still running strong. Read more: Sensaphone & Manncorp, A 12-Year Partnership, Still Growing

Manncorp Tech, Andy, reviewing equipment information with Sensaphone Project Engineer, Tom.

Antonio Ricaurte, founder of AR Technologies, began production in-house nearly 10 years ago in a very remote part of Ecuador, where this equipment is not typically seen. He purchased a full Manncorp line to build his own product to help locate lost boats. ­­­­He first visited our PA headquarters in 2013, and has kept in touch with our team since. Read more

No matter what industry you work in, and whether you are a start-up manufacturer, OEM, or contract manufacturer, Manncorp is here to support you. As a leader in the SMT industry, we are proud to provide our customers with exceptional service and consider each relationship a partnership.

Antonio Ricaurte of AR Technologies.