From Concept to Reality: Building Alpha Circuit

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

You’ve just sold your pharmaceutical business and have a lot of extra cash. Where would you spend it? “On a new 45,000-square-foot factory to manufacture high-tech printed circuit boards,” said one man.

Meet Prashant Patel, one of the industry’s newest PCB fabricators. Prashant was a pharmacist for his entire career and did very well. Surrounded by friends with decades of PCB industry experience who willingly shared their outlook on the industry, Prashant decided to acquire Alpha Circuit in Elmhurst, Illinois, in 2021. Alpha Circuit was established in 1981, where the primary focus had been on low-tech. That has all changed. 

Prashant and his team broke ground on a new 45,000-square-foot building in Schaumburg, Illinois—meaning this factory was being built from the ground up. Keep in mind that Prashant had no experience in PCB fabrication and had to learn everything, literally, from the ground up. After spending a few hours with him, it’s easy to see he is a good student.

The following interview highlights Prashant's PCB journey.

Barry Matties: We’re here at Alpha Circuit’s brand-new facility, a project that has taken three and a half years. Prashant, tell us about the journey of setting up this new facility. Why did you undertake it this way, and how was the process of bringing it together? 

Prashant Patel: I wanted to do something in the manufacturing industry, where I have an extensive network of friends and family. We purchased this building, and everything other than the four walls is brand new, including the flooring, lights, HVAC, roof, and equipment.

We did the factory floor layout and sourcing of equipment ourselves. With over 25 years of experience and expertise in the industry, our engineering team knew what they were looking for. You have to know the right questions to ask for each process. If it’s a wet process, how do we want the nozzles? How do we want the angles? How do we want the brushes? They are the experts, so I let them define exactly what we wanted and needed. My part was to find the manufacturers that could give us the best equipment that met all our requirements, including what kind of service they would offer. How soon can a technician get to you if something is not working? Service was the second most important consideration. After those two variables, it was lead time. When could we get the equipment? What can we live with, and what can't we live with?

Matties: You bought the nearby Alpha Circuit facility in Elmhurst in January 2021 and then started building this. Are you building this facility so that you can offer high-tech, leading-edge products that will be built here?

Patel: This new facility is almost 46,000 square feet compared to our other location, which is about the same size. Yes, this new facility is meant for more high-tech work—smaller lines and spacing, smaller BGAs. The new equipment we have can do all of it. 

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the July 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.