'Gaining traction' in automation.

A valuable byproduct of the acquisition frenzy of the late 1990s was the influx of thousands of talented engineers and managers who were thrust onto the electronics scene. Some came from disparate industries; others, like George Szekely, were pulled in from the semiconductor side.

[TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

Through the better part of his career, Szekely was involved in back-end semiconductor processes and high-speed, precision assembly automation. When Tyco Electronics (tycoelectronics.com) went on a buying spree of PCB assembly equipment suppliers in 1998-2001, rolling up companies like Quad Systems and Multitroniks (formerly Dynapert) into Tyco Electronics' Automation Group, Szekely was named general manager of the new entity. CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY spoke with him in July.

CA: What has surprised you to date about 2005?

GS: With oil prices hovering around $60 per barrel, I would have expected worse market conditions than we see today. On the other hand, a year ago my bet was that we would see further improvements in the assembly equipment markets, which has turned out to be much more sporadic than anticipated.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CA: When we talked at Apex, you mentioned how label manufacturers were latching onto Tyco's RFID assembly system. Where does this stand now, six months later?

GS: We are gaining traction, especially with those customers whose focus is active and hybrid tag inlay. This market is very much in its infancy; we are closely monitoring it, and by doing joint process development with our customers, and developing patentable technology solutions, we are positioning ourselves for the long run.

CA: Tyco Electronics is a major supplier of connectors and passives. Does this provide the Automation Group with added insight into the placement of future generations of connectors?

GS: We do some joint roadmapping with the product divisions, but generally speaking our approach is very pragmatic: when the customer has a problem, and our product/equipment system approach provides a superior solution by Tyco Electronics as a single supplier, it is a win-win situation.

CA: Tyco offers a full SMT line, from printer to placement to reflow to AOI. Are customers generally aware of the breadth of your products, and how often do they specify a complete end-to-end solution from you?

GS: Most of our customers are aware of the breadth of our product offering, but to be honest, as far as complete SMT lines are concerned, we offer these more as a convenience to our customers than a cornerstone to our sales and marketing efforts. Our emphasis is on "Helping Our Customers Build What's Next"--you may recall, this was our tagline at Apex, and we mean it. This is why we have embraced niche processes like press-fit connector and pin insertion, selective soldering and stress-free depaneling.

CA: How has demand been for Tyco's line of selective soldering equipment during the lead-free transition?

GS: Demand has been quite steady. What has also helped [is] we can configure our Harmony [selective wave soldering] systems such that leaded and lead-free boards and components can be processed with zero changeover time. We have multiple customers who take advantage of this in their Lean manufacturing environment.

CA: Are capital equipment buying decisions at global EMS companies still being made near the company headquarters, or is this being pushed to the plant level?

GS: This is a very good question, and, even if I disappoint you, I am not going to answer it. There are strong arguments pro and con. The global EMS companies have varying practices; all of them are our customers, and you are not going to get me in trouble with them on this one.