Sutariya attributes this success to a number of factors, including:

1. No layoffs of personnel during the 2008-09 downturn;
2. Achieving UL certifications on multiple metal core materials;
3. Hosting technical sessions in webinars and IPC presentations;
4. Continuing a 5-year investment program that includes not only purchase and installation of new equipment, but also a total of 15,000 square feet being added to the existing 75,000 square foot facility.

Sutariya says that continuing to focus on long-term goals rather than short term reactions was the prominent factor in the domestic fabricator's increased share of the overall North American PCB market.

"2010 was a record year for Saturn Electronics Corporation", said Sutariya.  "Staying true to our core philosophy of reinvesting profits to stay on the cutting edge, we made a conscious decision to become more active intellectually and to share our resources through free webinars, presentations and white papers with the sole intent of helping our supply chain see the fabrication process in terms relevant to them.  In addition, we continued to invest in the capital equipment in order to maintain our capital equipment in order to maintain cutting edge technological capabilities to meet our customer needs, whether it be blind and buried vias or increased layer count."

2010 also included the acquisition of Saturn Flex Systems by Sutariya.  "As a group, we can now offer a full line of PCB technologies to our customer base," added Sutariya.

Sutariya, however, asserts that Saturn is not pausing to celebrate the historic achievements of 2010.  "There's no time reflection.  In 2011, we are breaking ground on a 10,000 square foot addition to our facility.  Just for the elbow room.  Because, as we continue to follow our long-term plans of reinvestment to be the number one resource to our customers, we are always looking to maintain an orderly production facility."

Always putting quality first, Saturn blasted into emerging markets by not only providing the latest cutting-edge demands for our customers but also providing

Getting the Heat Out

technical presentations as we maintained our reputation as the industry's trusted adviser. 

In the middle of a recession, while our competitors hedged their bets, we doubled-down. 

Continuing our strategic plan of diverging into variant industries, we elevated our capabilities as we reinforced our existing competencies.

The result: Saturn employees who once produced bare boards for the automotive industry are now fabricating circuit boards for end use in LED applications, Military / Aerospace, as well as past sectors already serviced that experienced high growth such as Industrial Controls and Telecommunications and finally coming full circle back to automotive by providing emergency production when necessary.

While others scrambled to meet the sudden rush of the LED market, we were not only prepared technologically but we also could point them to our thermal management webinar:
MCPCBs for LED Applications.

In addition to achieving UL certifications for thermal management materials to include offerings from Bergquist, Iteq, and Laird, we also achieved UL Certification for the Nelco 4000-13 series of materials. 

We also renewed our automotive safety, high reliability and under-hood application certification.

Saturn was able to attain these cutting-edge needs by refurbishing and retooling our metro Detroit facility that started in 2006--and continues to this day.

Multilayer Lamination 

SEC's Lamination Room

Fully operational since spring 2010, our completely-automated Burkle Multilayer Lamination Line is a three hot press plus one cold press system.  The new multilayer line quadrupled our production capacity--allowing us to meet the contingency needs of customers when the Chinese couldn't come through.

Via Hole Filling

Next, we installed a MASS Horizontal Selective Via Hole Filling VHF 300 VS with Vacuum.  Designed for PCB selective via hole filling, through holes, and blind vias, the VHF 300 accommodates a maximum aspect ratio of 1:40 coupled with selective via hole filling of through holes and blind vias.

In addition to projects already complete and fully-operational, we have several projects either already underway or in the works.

HASL Line

We'll be adding a lead-based Penta HFL 700 hot leveling plant with 320 strokes/hour capacity, 720 x 720 x 6 mm. plate size with the intent of using this finish on finer pitch devices.

Plating Line

To be completed this March, our Galvabau automatic reverse-pulse plating line will increase our copper plating capabilities for through holes ensuring layer-to-layer electrical connections, which are critical to making your designs function.

Art's Pancakes

What you will need: 

• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/4 tsp salt

Gradually add flour (in little bits at a time) to eggs, beating with beater.

 

Stir in milk, salt and butter. Pour into greased pie pan.

 

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Serve with powder sugar and lemon or syrup.

 

You should get a puffy pastry presentation in the pie pan.

 

Some parts will remain thin and some will really expand.

 

Very yummy!

 

Art.