ADCO Circuits Prepares for the Next Generation of Operations Advancements in Electronic Assembly

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ADCO Circuits, a Michigan-based Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) provider, has built a reputation as one of the most advanced, well-organized, and cleanest assemblers in the industry. Visitors are routinely impressed with their Rochester Hills plant and how it reflects the company’s unrelenting operational and capital investment strategy — one that creates efficiencies and results in consistent quality for customers while positioning ADCO for the next generation of advancements in PCB assembly.

ADCO’s investments in speed, efficiency, and quality are preparing the company for the technological challenges ahead as designs grow ever more complex. The leadership and engineering teams prioritize good planning, smart design, and detailed documentation, an approach that drives their 2023 capital investment plan. ADCO is announcing four strategic investments that focus on boosting production speed and efficiency. These investments will lead to expediting delivery times, increasing component inventories, and maintaining high levels of quality.

- Automated vertical storage system. Vertical storage solutions improve the speed and flow of parts to assembly lines, saving significant time. Due to an increase in business, ADCO installed a seventh vertical storage system that adds capacity for an additional 27k 8mm reels. The ergonomic Hänel Lean-Lift® storage system retrieves items in seconds and protects sensitive electronic components.

- Automated IMS bar coding system at receiving. ADCO’s new Scienscope Reel Smart™ Incoming Material Station further automates the receiving process by capturing multiple reel’s barcode information simultaneously. The IMS improves accuracy and component receiving velocity.

- New robotic thermal adhesive dispenser. A new dispenser system for a major new customer project allows the ADCO team to program the precise dispensing of complex patterns of thermal adhesive material. Along with ADCO’s four other robotic dispensing systems, the new dispenser helps to improve product quality and consistency while reducing manufacturing costs.

- ADCOproto expedites prototyping. ADCO has been a leader in prototype assemblies for more than 30 years. The company recently unveiled ADCOproto.com version 2.0, their online tool that provides engineers with instant component availability for uploaded BOMs. It also suggests alternates if there is a supply issue or allows the engineer to specify an alternate — all in real time!

A friendly reminder to order your parts. Despite ADCO’s investments, electronic assemblers in the US, are still challenged with supply chain issues. ADCO reminds customers to preorder as many parts as possible, even before designs are finalized. Since components are typically a modest percentage of the total BOM costs, the risks are low compared to longer lead times.