The Gadget Gurus

Today’s consumers expect smaller and more powerful electronics to keep them connected wherever they go—convenience without compromising on performance. From palm-sized smart phones to razor-thin multi-gigabyte MP3 players and feather-light laptops, our gadgets keep shrinking as their capabilities grow.

In order to make micro-sized circuit boards, electronics manufacturers need precision. That's where selective soldering comes in, a method of assembly that avoids heat-damage to sensitive products. Jonathan Wol, president of the American division of Pillarhouse International, explains how their award-winning systems keep Pillarhouse at the top of its industry with innovative selective soldering platforms.

"Selective soldering has matured over the last six or seven years to be a required part of any production line," Wol says. "As new technologies were introduced, many companies began phasing out their wave soldering machines and needed another method. Selective soldering is a good choice with high-density, double-sided reflow products. It's a natural fit and a low-cost solution."

Pillarhouse takes a very customer-centric approach to development. "Each market is quite different in their needs," Wol explains. "A customer’s product dictates what they want, so you can't just listen to one group. We are a global company listening to all of our customers in order to develop equipment for each group of customers; we're not trying to make one size fit all."

A global presence gave Pillarhouse a unique edge during the recession. "We had a very tough year from the U.S. standpoint," Wol says. "Other parts of the world held up our business and allowed us to continue with development during that time. By the time the market turned around, we had new products and were ready to go. It allowed us to leapfrog a bit."

When Wol took over as president of the American division in 2000, his main goal was to improve marketing. "We evaluated where we stood to see what customers as a whole thought of us as a company. Then we changed our image to be in line with what we thought we were—innovative and quick-responding," he says.
"We are the fastest to develop and bring new technologies to the market," Wol continues. "We come out with more suitable technologies. We are not copying what the others are doing; we are leading and innovating. That's what keeps us at the front of our field."

Being the leader has brought new challenges. "We've had an explosion of business in the first two quarters of this year, so an important part of our focus currently is handling growth and maintaining customer relationships. We've had to look at our business plan and determine just how much growth we can stand in a one-year span. Fast growth is sometimes more challenging than a slowdown," Wol says.

But that problem shows no signs of abating. As consumers clamor for the latest and greatest micro-gadgets, Pillarhouse continues moving forward, developing new selective soldering systems to keep the global community plugged in.