-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSales: From Pitch to PO
From the first cold call to finally receiving that first purchase order, the July PCB007 Magazine breaks down some critical parts of the sales stack. To up your sales game, read on!
The Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
A Conversation with Andy Michniewicz
February 10, 2015 | Dan Beaulieu, D.B. Management GroupEstimated reading time: 8 minutes

Gul Technologies (Gultech) is not your traditional offshore supplier. It is a true industry leader when it comes to technology. A few months ago, I sat down to talk with Mayne-McKenney’s Andy Michniewicz. His company represents Gultech here in North America and they were just starting a project to expand Gultech’s market reach on this side of the globe. I found that interview interesting enough that I wanted to follow up and see how things were going now that a few months have passed.
More than a few things that surprised me about this interview. The first was the far reach of Gultech’s manufacturing capabilities; with a number of facilities in China and sales offices all over the world, it is a true global company. The second surprise was discovering that they are such a high-tech company. Their capabilities cover just about every type of technology available in our industry today. To those of you who think that Asian companies can only build the low-tech, low-mix, high-volume product, this interview is going to be a real eye-opener.
Check it out.
Dan Beaulieu: Andy, when you and I spoke a few months ago, you were talking about expanding Gultech’s reach into other North American markets. Can you tell me how that is going so far?
Andy Michniewicz: The revised marketing strategy started in October and has generated a lot of interest from the reps we contacted. The reps have been forwarded the documentation provided by Gultech on their facilities, capabilities, and product lines, and it appears to be a very good fit with the many reps that I have spoken to. The first quotes have been submitted to Gul and we believe the sky’s the limit as we move forward and clients realize what Gul has to offer.
DB: How are you being received?
AM: Gul is being received as an extremely good alternative supplier, based on the capabilities, resources, technical expertise, and local support that we are able to supply. Gul has come to the rescue for customers who needed quick delivery or were having quality issues with their existing supplier.
DB: In doing my research for this interview, I was frankly surprised at how big Gultech is. Can you describe the company to our readers?
AM: Gul has recently added a third facility to its campuses. There are facilities in Suzhou (800,000 square feet of boards per month, with 1,500 employees), Wuxi (850,000 square feet per month, with 1,800 employees), and the new facility in Wuxi adjoining the other (1.2 million square feet per month) which started production in the fourth quarter of 2014. All the facilities are located in China. Gultech Suzhou is the standard technology facility, which does standard 2-12 layer boards: automotive/industrial, high-reliability, HDD/SSD, semi-flex bendable FR-4, IMS thermal management. Gultech Wuxi does 2 to more than 14 layers, HDI, automotive/industrial, high-reliability, flex-rigid with flex core polyimide, regal flex with flex core FR-4, LED, chip-on-board (COB), and IMS (thermal management). Gultech Jiangsu is slated to do high-layer boards, thin/fine-line boards, HDI and anylayer HDI, flex-rigid with flex core polyimide, regal flex with flex core FR-4, LED, and COB.
DB: Now talk to me about your capabilities. From what I saw in my research, it looks like you guys can do just about anything. Page 1 of 3
Suggested Items
Silicon Mountain Contract Services Enhances SMT Capabilities with New HELLER Reflow Oven
07/17/2025 | Silicon Mountain Contract ServicesSilicon Mountain Contract Services, a leading provider of custom electronics manufacturing solutions, is proud to announce a significant upgrade to its SMT production capability with the addition of a HELLER 2043 MK5 10‑zone reflow oven to its Nampa facility.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Addressing End-of-life Component Solderability Issues, Part 4
07/16/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileIn 1983, the Department of Defense identified that over 40% of military electronic system failures in the field were electrical, with approximately 50% attributed to poor solder connections. Investigations revealed that plated finishes, typically nickel or tin, were porous and non-intermetallic.
SHENMAO Strengthens Semiconductor Capabilities with Acquisition of PMTC
07/10/2025 | SHENMAOSHENMAO America, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Profound Material Technology Co., Ltd. (PMTC), a premier Taiwan-based manufacturer of high-performance solder balls for semiconductor packaging.
KYZEN to Highlight Understencil and PCB Cleaners at SMTA Querétaro Expo and Tech Forum
07/09/2025 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Querétaro Expo & Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Thursday, July 24, at Centro de Congresos y Teatro Metropolitano de Querétaro.
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.