Feb 25, 2013 
Established in 1986, Elite Electronic Systems of Enniskillen, Northern Ireland provides contract electronics manufacturing (CEM) services to market leading companies in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as internationally. Elite employs more than 250 people across facilities in Northern Ireland and South Carolina in the United States, offering over 25 years of experience and ISO 13485/ISO9001 certification in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly, cable & wiring assembly, complete systems assembly, and bespoke test solutions. The company has been a long-term user of Europlacer placement systems, having bought its first Progress 6 back in 1997 and following a very successful period of steady growth over the ensuing years increased to three lines of high-technology assembly equipment, including Europlacer iineo machines purchased in 2010 and 2011.
As a result of an increasing demand in capacity and technology from its client base, Elite has decided to further invest in the Europlacer iineo platform. Managing Director David Allen explains, “We have been using Europlacer placement machines since 1997 and have been delighted with their performance and with the support we have received from Blakell Europlacer.” With its customers’ products becoming more complex and required in higher volumes, the company has needed to look at its overall surface mount placement capacity.
Having been using Europlacer iineo machines for the past couple of years, Elite decided to augment its facility by adding two additional Europlacer iineo-I machines.
“The addition of two new iineo-I machines was seen as the right solution for us so that we could increase our output and add the ability to place a complete range of devices — from 01005 to odd-shape and connectors — that seem to be becoming more prevalent these days,” said Allen. “We also will be even more efficient at preparing and introducing new products using the flexibility that the iineo-I brings.”
The two extra Europlacer iineo machines will effectively result in four SMT lines with a combined placement capacity of around 120,000 components per hour (cph) and feeder capacity of more than 1500 x 8 mm positions.
Blakell Europlacer’s UK General Sales Manager Andy Jones commented, “We are proud to have been working with Elite over the years and are pleased that the company’s decision to invest further with the Europlacer platforms vindicates its initial decision back in the late 1990s. Everyone at the company has been a pleasure to deal with and it is great to see the business developing into one of the larger CEM manufacturers in the UK.”
The Europlacer iineo-I machine is the flagship of Europlacer’s product range and has won several awards as one of the most flexible machines on the market. With a feeder capacity of 264 x 8 mm feeders, placement speeds to approximately 15,000 cph, capability from 01005 through to 50 x 50 mm and for devices as high as 35 mm tall, the Europlacer iineo-I has been accepted widely within the UK and global market for both CEM and OEM manufacturers.
“We experienced a fantastic 2012, with a large number of iineo sales both to the UK and the international market. The UK market, in particular, has been excellent and this order from Elite wraps up a superb period for us. I look forward to 2013 as there are still a number of prospects looking at investing in iineo. Thank you to all of our customers and to Elite for making a great start to the year,” concluded Jones.
For more information about Europlacer or its iineo platform, contact Andy Jones at 30 Factory Road, Upton, Poole, Dorset BH16 5SL, United Kingdom, +44 (0) 1202 266500; E-mail: andy.jones@europlacer.co.uk; www.europlacer.com.
Europlacer has been developing machines for SMT electronics assembly since the 1970s and invented the intelligent feeder concept in the 1980s. After acquisition by Blakell Europlacer in 1991, the company moved away from split-axis to the inherently more capable X-Y architecture that underpins the company’s pick-and-place machines today. Europlacer’s policy has been to ensure wherever possible that technology purchased many years ago, especially feeders, remain compatible with the latest pick-and-place equipment. Europlacer designs and manufactures a comprehensive range of highly flexible SMT pick-and-place systems for the global electronics industry. For more information, visit Europlacer’s Web site at www.europlacer.com.
