Service winners go the extra mile.

A number of companies that go the extra mile were honored at CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY'S Service Excellence Awards ceremony during Apex. In the EMS category, the overall winners were Elcoteq (for companies with revenues over $500 million); Reptron Manufacturing Services (revenues between $100 and $500 million); and Key Electronics (revenues less than $100 million).

Also receiving awards were EMS companies with the highest scores in each of five individual service categories. (The overall winners were excluded from winning individual categories.) In the small-company category, ACC Electronix tied in the dependability/timely delivery category with APSCO Inc. APSCO also won the technology award. Masstech EMS won for manufacturing quality, and Electronic Systems Inc. received awards for responsiveness and value. In the medium-company category, EPIC Technologies, Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI) and MACK Technologies tied in the dependability category, with IMI also winning for manufacturing quality. EPIC and MACK also tied for the responsiveness award. MACK won in the value category, with EPIC taking home the award for technology.

Electronics assembly equipment award winners were Asymtek for dispensing; Assembleon for pick--and-place (with a perfect 5.0 score); DEK for screen printing; VJ Electronix for rework/repair; KIC for soldering; and YESTech for test and inspection.

EFD Inc. won the electronics assembly materials suppliers award in the solder paste category. Aegis Industrial Software Corp. received top honors in the manufacturing/supply chain management software category.

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Customers of the SEA participants rated each company on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (superior) in five service categories.

In presenting the awards, editor in chief Mike Buetow issued a challenge to companies that claim great customer service but avoid participating in the SEAs to put their reputations on the line in the 2007 program. "Many companies claim great service," he said. "These are the ones who put their reputations on the line."

A donation of $5,000 was made on the participants' behalf to the Surface Mount Technology Association's Charles Hutchins Educational Grant. Part of each participant's entry fee was included in the donation.

This is the 14th year CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has sponsored the awards program.

Robin Norvell is associate editor of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY; [e-mail].

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2006 SEA EMS Provider Winners

                                          Company
                       Large      Medium                 Small
                       Over $500  $100 million to        Less than $100
Category               million    $500 million           million

EMS: Overall           Elcoteq    Reptron Mfg. Services  Key Electronics
Dependability/timely              Epic Technologies      ACC Electronix
  delivery                        Integrated             APSCO Inc.
                                    Microelectronics
                                    Inc.
                                  Mack Technologies
Manufacturing quality             Integrated             MassTech EMS
                                    Microelectronics
                                    Inc.
Responsiveness                    Mack Technologies      Electronic
                                  Epic Technologies        Systems
Technology                        Epic Technologies      APSCO Inc.
Value                             Mack Technologies      Electronic
                                                           Systems

Each company was rated using the following scale: 5 (excellent), 4
(good), 3 (average), 2 (fair), 1 (poor).