BOARD TALK

ALR Services to exhibit at Defence and Security Equipment International 2011

alreditor — Tue, 31 May 2011 14:22:02 +0000

~ PCB supplier set to promote AS9120 approval at the show ~

Thame based electronics firm ALR Services Ltd will be exhibiting at DSEi – Defence and Security Equipment International. The exhibition, which will take place on September 13-16, 2011 at ExCeL London, is an opportunity for ALR to promote its recent AS9120 aerospace approval. The PCB (Printed Circuit Board) supplier will be displaying its products at stand N9-220 in the International Electronics Pavilion.

ALR Services specialises in helping electronics companies reduce the costs associated with, and time spent on, purchasing PCBs, without compromising the quality or delivery of the product.

ALR was the first PCB supplier to gain AS9120 approval, in November 2010, allowing the company to offer its services to the aviation, defence and security markets. The standard covers organisations that procure parts, materials and assemblies and resell those products to customers in the aviation, space and defence industries. It addresses the chain of custody, traceability, control and availability of records and will form the centre piece of ALR’s exhibit at the show.

Another key service on display will be the company’s PSP (Panel Sharing Prototype) offering, where a customer’s boards are placed on a manufacturing panel alongside those belonging to another ALR Services client. This results in cost effective prototyping with a very short lead time.

“DSEi is the world’s largest fully integrated defence security exhibition. It provides a time-effective opportunity to meet the whole defence and security supply chain and showcase ALR’s full capabilities to key decision makers,” enthused Jo Saltman, sales manager at ALR Services

“Although we have over 50 years combined experience in the PCB industry, the company is a fresh face in the defence business. We hope that participating at this international event will increase our profile and illustrate how our expertise can be applied in the sector,” explained Jim Rosseter, ALR’s managing director.

Ends: 322 words

For further information contact:
Jim Rosseter or Jo Saltman, ALR Services,
9 Thame Business Park, Bertie Road, Thame, Oxon, OX9 3XA
Telephone: +44 (0) 1844 217487
Fax: +44 (0) 1844 217519
www: www.alrpcbs.co.uk
e-mail: Jim@alrpcbs.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ALRServices
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PrintedCircuitBoards

Press enquiries: Oana Baetica or Richard Stone
Stone Junction Ltd, Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire
Technology Park, Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: oana@stonejunction.co.uk or richards@stonejunction.co.uk
www: www.stonejunction.co.uk
Blog: www.stone-junction.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RichieStone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/technicalPR

About ALR Services: ALR Services was formed in July of 1995. The company specialises in helping electronics companies reduce their costs and time spent on the purchasing of printed circuits, without compromising on the quality or delivery of the product. It has continued to grow and recently moved premises to a larger facility in Thame, Oxfordshire. Through its network of manufacturing facilities both in the UK and offshore, it is able to ensure that each particular PCB type is placed at the production site that is most suited to that technology, quantity and delivery. One of the largest PCB brokers in Europe, ALR is BS EN ISO 9001: 2000 certificate no: 14516.

Ref: ALR003/04/11

PCB specialist launches bespoke prototyping service

alreditor — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:17:06 +0000

PCB specialist launches bespoke prototyping service

~ ALR Services set to help customers reach market more quickly and cost effectively ~

Thame based electronics firm ALR Services has launched a Panel Sharing Prototype (PSP) service that allows customers to share the cost of developing boards. The service provides OEMs with a true working prototype of their PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) at an extremely competitive rate with a lead time of just five working days.

The PSP service allows ALR’s customers to share the development panel with other users of the service, thus providing a small quantity of PCBs or a PCB prototype more cost effectively. Normally the inherent overheads mean that small quantities of PCBs are very expensive, with the price reducing per board as the quantity ordered goes up. By sharing the costs of a panel using ALR’s PSP service the price to each customer is dramatically reduced and delivery speed can be increased. Furthermore, unlike many of its competitors, ALR Services doesn’t apply a tooling charge on PSP projects, further reducing the customer’s investment in development.

One feature of the service that sets it apart from its competitors is the complimentary design rule checking, which means that, unlike many other prototyping services, the customer’s PCB data will be fully assessed using cutting edge front end software. If this process reveals any design issues, an ALR customer service manager will contact the OEM and help them resolve the problem.

“We believe that our PSP service will help raise developmental standards and speeds in the electronics industry and help customers who otherwise might have experienced delays and found development costs prohibitive, reach their market,” explained Jo Saltman, sales manager for ALR Services. “It’s all about peace of mind for the client. For example, all PSP prototypes are bare board tested to the original manufacturing data using flying probe test machines. This gives our clients an assurance that the PCB is fault free,” she concluded.

The PSP service also offers a semi matt green, photoimageable solder resist. Moreover, options include white component ident which can be applied on either or both sides and the choice between a lead free hot air level and an electroless nickel gold surface finish is also available at no extra charge.

Ends: 375 words

Press enquiries: Oana Baetica
Stone Junction Ltd, Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire
Technology Park, Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: oana@stonejunction.co.uk
www: www.stonejunction.co.uk
Blog: www.stone-junction.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RichieStone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/technicalPR

Ref: ALR004/02/11

PCB broker climbs aboard the Future Proof Assembly Line

alreditor — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:02:56 +0000

~ ALR Services provides PCBs for innovative National Electronics Week project ~

Thame based electronics firm ALR Services Ltd has sourced the PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) that will be used on the National Electronic Week Future Proof Assembly Line at the NEC, between April 12 and 13. The line can be found on stand number N401, where you can follow the PCB production process step by step and find out about the machines and consumables in use. Visitors can even take away a completed PCB as a memento of the occasion.

The production technologies on show include Package on Package (PoP) and the accurate placement of minute 01005 components. The former process allows for higher density stacking of components, which is ideal for the mobile phone and PDA markets, where real estate is in short supply. Meanwhile the latter procedure demonstrates the outstanding levels of accuracy the line provides.

ALR Services specialises in helping electronics companies reduce the costs associated with, and time spent on, purchasing PCBs (Printed Circuits Boards), without compromising the quality or delivery of the product. Services include a panel sharing prototype offering, where a customer’s boards are placed on a manufacturing panel alongside those belonging to another ALR Services customer. This results in cost effective prototyping with a very short lead time.

“I think this project demonstrates the flexibility our service provides,” explained ALR Services’ Managing Director, Jim Rosseter. “PCB brokering was once about nothing more than shifting units at the right price. We believe that it’s now a case of acting as a technical and logistics partner for our clients.”

The live production line will see ALR Services line up alongside electronics luminaries including Almit Ltd, Asscon, DEK Printing Machines, Jaltek IDMS, Juki Automation Systems, Micro Robotics Ltd, Nikon Metrology, Nutek UK Ltd, Wurth Electronics, X-Tek and Zen Production Equipment.

Ends: 308 words

About ALR Services: ALR Services was formed in July of 1995. The company specialises in helping electronics companies reduce their costs and time spent on the purchasing of printed circuits, without compromising on the quality or delivery of the product. It has continued to grow and recently moved premises to a larger facility in Thame, Oxfordshire. Through its network of manufacturing facilities both in the UK and offshore, it is able to ensure that each particular PCB type is placed at the production site that is most suited to that technology, quantity and delivery. It is now one of the largest PCB brokers in Europe.

Ref: ALR013/02/11

New facility for Thame based PCB broker

alreditor — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 10:00:39 +0000

~ ALR Services HQ move lauded by MPs and mayor ~

Thames based PCB broker ALR Services has moved into new headquarters on Thame Business Park. The move will allow the company to continue to meet and exceed customer demands, in light of increased business every year since its inception in 1995.

The new facility provides improved office space, better testing and quality assurance facilities and a greater storage capability. This allows the company to improve its purchasing and delivery offerings which already range from Kanban, buffer and consignment stock to 24 hour delivery for technology up to two layer PTH (Plated Through Hole) circuits and 48 hours for up to four layer multilayers.

The company received best wishes messages from MPs and local dignitaries including Mark Prisk, Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, councillor Adam Buckland, Mayor of Thame, Catherine Bearder Liberal Democrat MEP representing the South East region and Sharon Bowles MEP, Liberal Democrat Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and MEP for South East England.

“ALR has grown rapidly from humble beginnings and is providing a vital service to the rest of the electronics industry – a sector which is an important part of the rest of the UK’s economy not only in its own right, but also because it acts as an enabler to so many other sectors,” stated Prisk.

“This move is going to allow us to increase capacity to manage the business we have and the work we expect to take on in the future,” enthused ALR Services’ Managing Director, Jim Rosseter. “We have grown year on year since 1995, including the recessionary period British industry is only now emerging from. This is something we are genuinely proud of and a pattern we plan to perpetuate going forwards.”

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Further notes: Selected best wishes messages in full:

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the opening of your new facility and on ALR’s success, which has led to it. ALR has grown rapidly from humble beginnings and is providing a vital service to the rest of the electronics industry – a sector which is an important part of the rest of the UK’s economy not only in its own right, but also because it acts as an enabler to so many other sectors,” Mark Prisk MP, Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

“I am delighted that ALR Services have chosen Thame for the location of their new electronics Facility. When a company opens a new facility, office, factory or retail premises in this historic market town it not only offers the promise of new employment opportunities for local people but it demonstrates to the outside world that Thame is moving forward, is progressive and is leading the way in market towns in Britain. I would like to offer Jim Rosseter and all the staff at ALR Services my wholehearted support and wish them all the best of luck in the future!” Councillor Adam Buckland, Mayor of Thame

Press enquiries: Richard Stone
Stone Junction Ltd, Business Innovation Centre, Staffordshire
Technology Park, Beaconside, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0AR
Telephone: +44 (0) 1785 225416
e-mail: richards@stonejunction.co.uk
www: www.stonejunction.co.uk
Blog: www.stone-junction.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RichieStone
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/technicalPR

About ALR Services: ALR Services was formed in July of 1995. The company specialises in helping electronics companies reduce their costs and time spent on the purchasing of printed circuits, without compromising on the quality or delivery of the product. It has continued to grow and recently moved premises to a larger facility in Thame, Oxfordshire. Through its network of manufacturing facilities both in the UK and offshore, it is able to ensure that each particular PCB type is placed at the production site that is most suited to that technology, quantity and delivery. It is now one of the largest PCB brokers in Europe.

Ref: ALR001/11/10

Europe is second largest electronics producing region, says new report

alreditor — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:35:25 +0000

The electronics industry is worth €1.14 trillion, compared to the car industry’s €1.8 trillion, according to a new report from French analytical house DECISION. The company’s latest analysis entitled ‘World Electronics Industries 2008-13’ gives an interesting insight into the state of the global business and where it might be headed. According to DECISION, half of the industry’s production comes from Asia, and half of the industry is in the data processing and telecommunications sectors. Europe and North America are, respectively, the second and third biggest producers of electronics equipment, together representing up to 40% of world electronics production in 2008. Component manufacturers represent 30% of the equipment value in average and sub-contract manufacturers represent approximately 20% of the electronic equipment industry in 2008.

Gazing into its crystal ball, DECISION predicts that…

That this year, the electronics market is expected to decline by up to 6.8% in 2009 for the first time since the 2001 telecom crisis

But…

That between 2008 and 2013, the electronics market will grow at 2.7% and recover its 2008 level in 2011.

DECISION points to continuing R&D investment as being a crucial growth driver over the next decade and beyond; R&D which will translate into permanent new product introduction. The company highlights societal needs in energy, security or health which will rely on electronic solutions that are still to be developed, providing long-term growth perspectives for the overall industry for the next decades.

Looks like there will be an even bigger market for our new Online Panel Sharing Prototype service, to be launched soon!

Europe Is Second Largest Electronics Producing Region. (Mannerisms)

It’s RoHS Jim, but not as we know it

alreditor — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:04:00 +0000

The US version of EU RoHS is currently making slow and painful progress through the Senate. But not without some significant changes. We found this post which gives some details of the nature of those changes.

The Environmental Design of Electrical Equipment (EDEE) Act has recently been put before the House of Representatives as a proposed amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The scope seems to be more limited than that of EU RoHS and refers to products that are "directly used to facilitate the transmission, distribution, or control of electricity, or that use electrical power for arc welding, lighting, signalling protection and communication, or medical imaging, or electrical motors and generators".

The substance restrictions and maximum permitted concentration values, within homogeneous materials, are the same as EU RoHS although bill HR2420 does stipulate certain exemptions such as products or equipment designed with a voltage rating of 300 volts or above, fixed installations, certain medical equipment and electrical wire and cable products and accessories.

The bill also contains some, but not all, of the substance application exemptions currently within scope of EU RoHS, and under review at present as part of the so called "RoHS2" proposals.

Restriction would apply to products manufactured after 1 July 2010, although it is not yet clear on how the date would be applied to products manufactured outside the US.

Guidelines for the testing of products must be published with one year of the Act’s effective date.

Directive Decoder

RoHS-but not as we know it? (Directive Decoder)

Have we turned the corner?

alreditor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:32:53 +0000

A respected IC industry analyst in the US says that recent chip industry data indicates that the worst of the recession might be over, in the US at least. Bill McClean of IC Insights points to recent better-than-expected figures as clear evidence of a resurgent electronics industry.

According to solid-state.com, industry group Gartner has revised its forecast of a 33% slump in sales to 22% and the SIA says its April sales came in with a better-than-expected ~6% increase. A revival in PC sales and inventory building seem to be the reason for the unexpected upturn.

McClean is quoted on solid-state.com:

Going even further, IC Insights has put its stake in the ground by flat-out proclaiming that the industry did indeed hit bottom in 1Q09, citing 1Q09 data and 2Q09 projections from 56 semiconductor suppliers representing about 75% of the worldwide semiconductor market (not including five pure-play foundries the firm also tracked). What it found, McClean writes, was "very enlightening and encouraging": based on midpoints of guidance, the top 25 chipmakers expect an 8% increase in sales in 2Q09 (4% excluding foundries); everyone outside the top 25 sees even better 13% growth Q-Q. The firm noted multiple mentions of positive sentiments like "stabilizing," "improvement," "expansion," "inflection point," and "better than expected." In the next few months, the firm expects the tone of conversations and data-analysis to sound less like handwringing doubt, and more like anticipating "how strong will the recovery be?" McClean also pointed out that typically companies offer conservative guidance, preferring to exceed goals instead of underperform.

- 32 IDMs: +4% ($30.8B; vs. $29.6B in 1Q09)
- 24 fabless companies: +8% ($6.5B; vs. $6.0B in 1Q09)
- 5 pure-play foundries: +82% ($3.64B; vs. $2.00B in 1Q09)

And McClean says the "stunning" SIA/WSTS numbers for April bear out his optimism — if one looks at them in a bit different comparison than the typical Q/Q or Y/Y. According to the SIA/WSTS figures, from January to April IC unit sales have surged 35%, with a 22% increase in dollars, McClean says. If May and June follow normal patterns, 2Q IC sales should rise 16%-20% from 1Q; and unit volumes are already on pace for >20% Q/Q growth.

The main drive behind the rise on sales appears to be inventory re-stocking. The entry into recession prompted a lot of companies to “burn inventory” to convert cash tied up in stock into income. With a glimmer of a new dawn on the horizon, many appear now to be re-stocking in anticipation of increased production. True, these figures relate to the US and IC sales in particular, but signs of growth in any sector of the electronics industry has got to be welcome news.

Analyst: Don’t be afraid to be optimistic

Federal RoHS Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives

alreditor — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:02:36 +0000

The Obama administration has followed through with its pre-election promises to align US and European policy on RoHS. As reported on EIATrack, a bill restricting the manufacture of electronic equipment containing toxic substances was place before the House of Representatives. You can read the full story by following the link at the bottom of this post

On May 14, 2009, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) introduced H.R. 2420, which proposes to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCA”) to prohibit the manufacture after July 1, 2010 of “electroindustry products” that contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (“PBBs”), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (“PBDEs”) above the maximum concentration levels specified in the European Union’s Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment 2002/95/EC (“RoHS Directive”). See H.R. 2420, § 4(a).

EIATRACK: Regulatory Alert – Federal RoHS Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives

New PCB prototype service proves a success

alreditor — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:46:34 +0000

Our new PCB prototype service launched at Southern Electronics has proved a big hit with manufacturers seeking to reduce development costs and time-to-market for new products. We launched the new Panel Sharing Prototype (PSP) service in February this year, and has already secured 23 new customers as a result. Not only has it bought us new business, but it’s also proving an invaluable service to our existing client base as well.

Panel sharing – having boards from several customers produced on one panel – is one way for manufacturers to lower the costs of producing prototypes. However it is not always a successful strategy. In existing schemes, boards are not design-rule checked before production, nor tested afterwards, meaning that a simple error can result in a board that requires re-work before use, or has to be scrapped altogether. Either way, it’s an expensive waste of precious production resources that few companies can afford in the current climate.

With our new scheme, we process shared panel prototype boards in much the same way as we handle full production boards, ensuring the highest possible quality but at a comparable price to existing “no-frills” services; All PCBs are produced in the UK on top-quality, high Tg FR4 laminate. Design-rules checks are carried out prior to production, and – unlike rival services – finished boards are supplied solder-resist coated and screen printed with component identities and then tested. The finished boards are built to full production specifications giving customers the ability to accurately access their designs.

Crucially, the ALR PSP service includes bare-board testing at no extra cost, with free tooling and an impressive five-day turnaround on double or four-layer boards.Our service will provide a prototype that will give you a true representation of your finished product, at an extremely competitive price.

The added-value of ALR’s PSP scheme has proved popular with customers, not least because of the ease with which prototypes can be translated to the full production version with the minimum of effort. By handling the prototype in the early stages of design, we get to know the board intimately well; any idiosyncrasies are learnt at this early stage, allowing any potential problem areas to be highlighted or designed-out before full production.

ALR Services PSP boards are produced on 1.6mm High Tg FR4 (Ventec 150) with 1oz finished copper. Green solder resist and white silk screen component identity markings, are available on one or both sides if required. PCBs can be routed and/or scored and employ Lead Free HASL or Nickel Gold with a minimum hole size of 0.3mm.

ALR benefits from demand for higher quality PCB services

alreditor — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:03:20 +0000

The credit crunch is prompting PCB consumers to demand higher quality service and greater value, says Europe’s leading PCB supplier, ALR Services. After an exceptionally successful two-days at the recent Southern Electronics show, the Oxfordshire-based PCB specialist says that its trademark “positive attitude” approach to customer service is winning it new customers in increasing numbers.

Jo Saltman, sales manager of ALR Services, reports brisk business over the two-day event in Farnborough. “We’ve had probably one of our busiest exhibitions ever,” says Jo. “Despite the downturn, there is a lot of business still being done in the UK, clearly demonstrated by the number of serious enquiries we’ve dealt with in the last couple of days.” Over 80 new prospects were identified, some of whom have already been converted into sales. “As a company, we’ve always focused on delivering outstanding value and service. When budgets are tight, good value and good service are what customers are really looking for.”

Founded 15 years ago, ALR Services has built a loyal customer base across the UK and Europe through its innovative approach to PCB sourcing, the latest example of which is its new Panel Sharing Prototype (PSP) service, launched at Southern Electronics, designed to deliver production-quality prototype boards at extremely competitive prices. “Shared panel schemes have been around for a while,” says Jo, “But very much as a ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ service: files aren’t checked before they’re processed so that a simple error can render the resulting boards useless. Nobody can afford to waste money like that in the current climate.”

With ALR’s PSP service, files are design checked before processing, only top-grade FR4 laminates are used and solder resist and component IDs are screened onto the board as standard. “We even bare-board test it before delivery”, continues Jo, “Meaning the finished PCB is virtually production-quality, resulting in faster and more economical product development. Anything that helps UK electronics businesses to be more efficient and responsive is good news for everyone.”

There was good news also for two lucky visitors to the stand, whose names were pulled out of the hat for ALR’s prize draw. Colin Howard, managing director of Nightsearcher Ltd. walked away with a Sat-Nav system, while Simon Bell, Chief Engineer at Spark Electronics, won an iPod Touch. Both cards were picked by Angela Bond, sales manager of Derby-based contract electronics firm Tioga that was also exhibiting at the show, assisted by Jo Saltman.