-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Alex Stepinski on Zero-Waste Facilities
June 3, 2021 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Since he began his work at Whelen Engineering a few years ago, Alex Stepinski has redefined the way we think about manufacturing printed circuit boards.
Whelen was a garage startup by George W. Whelen in 1952. The company designs and manufactures warning lights, white illumination lighting, sirens, controllers, and high-powered warning systems for automotive, aviation and mass notification industries worldwide. When Alex joined, his job was to bring printed circuit board fabrication in-house. At the time, Whelen was purchasing its boards from abroad. Alex saw this as a chance to completely reimagine the way boards were produced; his goal became to build an automated factory from the ground up. This was not an easy challenge by any means; in fact the challenge became more complicated when he learned (after he accepted the job) that, due to local regulations, the factory had to be a zero-wastewater facility.
After spending countless hours on airplanes to visit factories and suppliers all around the world, Alex began building the new “zero-waste” captive facility. After only a few years of operation, the factory was a clear success—so much so that the decision was made to upgrade the facility to produce leading-edge boards. This was the birth of GreenSource Engineering. It was decided that the new iteration would be more than a captive facility, it would also be a merchant shop.
Alex and team then set out to build a completely new facility and, within in a few years, they transformed the first facility from primarily producing single- and double-sided boards into a facility producing some of the highest tech boards in the world. This was not a simple task. In fact, along the way one of their key equipment suppliers faced challenges that put their entire business at risk. So, mid-stream, GreenSource acquired the company and took on the challenge of both managing the acquisition of a troubled company and building the new facility.
To read this entire interview, which appeared in the May 2021 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.