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<\/p>\nWith the aim of supplying the rapidly growing UK electronics industry, Ronnie Hetman and two peers set up V Tech SMT (V Tech) in 1997. IBM, Compact, Hewlett Packard, Motorola – all these huge technology players were scaling up operations across England and Scotland at the time, and capable, trusted electronics suppliers were in high demand.<\/p>\n
As Ronnie aptly points out, many of these companies have since moved on, establishing operations in more cost-efficient territories overseas. But V Tech remains here \u2013 and it\u2019s still going strong. Indeed, since 1997, the business has grown year-on-year with balance sheets firmly in the positive. Accredited to ISO 9001 and 14001, V Tech specializes in the supply and worldwide distribution of equipment and consumables to the electronic assembly industry.<\/p>\n
Specialist adhesives, UV curing, underfill, SMT adhesive, electronic kits, silicones, JBC soldering equipment and accessories, fume extraction, lasers, 3D printing, Kolver torque drivers, Vision inspection equipment, various production consumables – the product portfolio at V Tech is extensive. Even that feels like an understatement. Services also include downpacking, repair work, site visits, demonstrations, product trials, and vendor managed inventory.<\/p>\n
To get a better idea of how V Tech arrived in this esteemed position, we ask Ronnie about some of the key milestones behind the business. But the answer we get \u2013 at least initially \u2013 is not one we expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it doesn\u2019t really work like that,\u201d he begins. \u201cIn a way, it\u2019s much simpler: you just focus on the key accounts, and then you go from there. The way we used to work was our engineers would spend one or two days with a company, make as many contacts as possible, and then go on to bring in the big accounts. Since many larger companies have moved abroad, we must work with a lot more companies to generate the same level of volume.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe finished 2022 with record numbers,\u201d Ronnie reveals. \u201cThe reason behind this is probably taking on new products, as well as expanding into new, previously untapped markets. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shop for everything. One of our biggest accounts is Honeywell, and there is only one in Scotland, but they have given us access to look after other Honeywell site in the UK, which is definitely a broad one \u2013 from aircraft equipment and non-consumables to repair and workshop services. Yet, looking back over the last 25 years or so, there have been no key milestones to speak of \u2013 just lots of hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n
One-stop shop<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s also important to point out that I\u2019m not the boss; instead, our boss is the customer and our entire workforce believes in that,\u201d he goes on. \u201cIf an employee has a job to finish, usually they will stay after work and get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n Picking up on Ronnie\u2019s assessment of V Tech as a one-stop shop, we are eager to find out a bit more about what goes into the business and how it aims to deliver multiple services and products to customers, thus creating a holistic and diverse offering for its range of clients.<\/p>\n \u201cAt V Tech, our main product line is specialist adhesives,\u201d Ronnie details. \u201cWhich have to be stored at -40C or have very long lead times which we manage for our customers, so we are dealing with sophisticated products. Within the electronics space, this is becoming an increasingly diverse line, and we intend to capitalize on that.<\/p>\n \u201cMoving on, we then supply everything that goes on a bench to manufacture or repair a printed circuit board,\u201d he adds. \u201cSo, that means we are supplying the benches, microscopes, fume extraction, tools, soldering equipment, inspection equipment, as well as anything else that a client will need to carry out an array of circuit board manufacturing processes.<\/p>\n \u201cFurthermore, we have our very own bespoke tool room that can make jigs and fixtures with a quick turnaround time. So, for instance, if someone wants a jig or a fixture, then we can produce one in as little as three days; whereas many other companies can take as long as four weeks to carry out the same task.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnother unique selling point for the company is our appropriation of cutting-edge technology,\u201d Ronnie continues. \u201cWe sell cobots and robots, but we don\u2019t just supply them; rather, we will specifically configure the units to do exactly what the client wants. That means we always have software engineers on hand to integrate a cobot, which, for those that don\u2019t know, is a unit that can work with no guarding on a bench alongside a human.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith these machines, you can carefully and accurately lay down an adhesive onto a board. It is a very fine and delicate process; tiny amounts are dotted along the board, and these dots are so small that they are hard to see with the human eye. These cobots can be quickly reengineered to do other sophisticated tasks such as soldering, screwing, encapsulation, handling and many more things\u201d<\/p>\n
\nNaturally, the backbone of all that hard work has been built by V Tech\u2019s people. \u201cAll our employees have been here for quite some time,\u201d says Ronnie. \u201cThe company is made by its people, not the directors. I think it\u2019s a really good culture. People have always come to us after joining and said it\u2019s not like this anywhere else!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/manufacturing-today.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/03\/V-Tech-SMT-209c.png\")
Cobots and robots<\/strong>
\nFor Ronnie, another important aspect that sets V Tech apart from the competition is the company\u2019s acute focus on customer service and aftersales support. \u201cOur customers know that they can call us at any time,\u201d he says. \u201cRather than using up to 20 different companies, our partners understand that they can rely on us to do it all under the one roof.<\/p>\n