Heller Industries has been awarded the 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award for its surface mount technology (SMT) soldering equipment that enables Industry 4.0. - the automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.
Heller Industries is a true pioneer of best-in-class SMT soldering reflow equipment, offering predictive analytics, longer lifetime of reflow ovens & reduced maintenance costs tied into Industry 4.0, China 2025 & Smart Factory Floors.
The company's groundbreaking product innovation, growth strategy, and vision in designing SMT reflow soldering equipment capable of meeting Industry 4.0 requirements have set it apart from the competition. The innovative soldering equipment boasts highly flexible customization capability, which allows it to addresses demanding customer needs of high accuracy soldering perfection in high-volume pcb production.
Heller Industries' equipment gives customers the freedom to remotely monitor SMT equipment performance and take corrective action through predictive analytics instead of traditional methods that involve time-consuming system check-ups. The SMT reflow oven series is the best reflow soldering equipment the market has due to the high degree of repeat ability and flexibility it gives users when configuring the reflow oven. This repeat-ability is a critical purchase criterion when dealing with ultra high volume pcb production of electronic devices.
"A key customer need in the current production environment is smart SMT solutions, as semiconductor and electronic device manufacturers are evolving towards Industry 4.0," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Viswam Sathiyanarayanan. "Heller Industries is the only company in the market that has keenly focused on developing smarter SMT soldering equipment, offering product advantages such as increased connectivity, greater automation, and less manual intervention."
The company strategically concentrates on two key factors to satisfy the Industry 4.0 requirement for Reflow Soldering Equipment:
- Communication software: Machines have two protocols for semiconductor equipment communication standard/generic equipment model (SEC/GEM) - the traditional semiconductor communication algorithm plus IPC Industry 4.0 CFX. Heller Industries serves as Co-Chair for the IPC Committee that created the CFX.
- Predictive analytics: An updated version of predictive analytics has data mining capability, which allows users to predict equipment performance and future problems of reflow soldering
Heller Industries has enjoyed remarkable growth for the last ten years with the reflow soldering equipment accounting for 20% to 23% of the total market in 2017. Its most lucrative region has been Asia-Pacific; however, in terms of market penetration, all regions demonstrate similar potential. Significantly, the company is experiencing increased sales in 2017 due to the heavy investments in electronic devices and personal communication devices, generating a year-on year increase of 10% in sales.
"As the company operates in a price-sensitive market, it places emphasis on product innovations to give customers the best value for money," noted Sathiyanarayanan. "Following intense R&D, it has rolled out a range of new products such as curing and back-end semiconductor solutions, voidless/vacuum reflow soldering and the flux free formic reflow soldering process. This dedication to technology advancement has resulted in a robust, constantly evolving technology roadmap, which, in turn, has earned it a vast and loyal clientele."
Customers enjoy a 24/7 service hotline for any issues related to the SMT soldering equipment and machines they purchase. There are several service centers across Asia, North America, and Europe for speedy resolution of problems.
Each year, this award is presented to the company that has demonstrated excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.
About Heller Industries, Inc.
Heller Industries is an international, state-of-the-art reflow soldering equipment manufacturer for the PCB assembly and semiconductor industries.
