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Heller Industries becomes the latest partner to join THE SMT FUTURE EXPERIENCE, bringing reflow oven expertise to complete the technology chain for the venue's live SMT production line. With Heller now alongside founding partners Fuji America, Koh Young, and Creative Electron, the San Marcos, California venue can demonstrate fully integrated manufacturing processes from screen printing and placement through thermal processing to final inspection and verification.
"The electronics manufacturing industry has a collaboration problem, it has been siloed for too long" said Dave Heller, CEO and Owner of Heller Industries. "We've been selling equipment in isolation for decades, expecting customers to figure out the integration puzzle on their own. THE SMT FUTURE EXPERIENCE flips that model. Now we can show manufacturers how thermal processing works in concert with placement accuracy and inspection capability. We can optimize profiles based on actual inspection data. We can demonstrate how integrated process control delivers better quality and efficiency. This is the future of how equipment suppliers should work with their customers—and with each other."
THE SMT FUTURE EXPERIENCE is an independent collaborative venue where manufacturing leaders spend time experimenting with live equipment, collaborating with peers on real challenges, and developing strategic frameworks—not rushing through booth demos or collecting brochures. The venue launches February 11-12, 2026, with dual summits focused on operational excellence for EMS leaders and practical AI implementation strategies.
With Heller Industries joining the partnership, the venue's live SMT line now enables manufacturers to:
- Experiment with different thermal profiles in real-time
- See immediate impact of reflow parameters on inspection results
- Test process optimization strategies without production disruption
- Collaborate with thermal processing experts on specific challenges
- Benchmark their processes against demonstrated best practices
"Thermal processing is where many quality issues originate—and where many efficiency gains hide," said Philip Stoten, creator of THE SMT FUTURE EXPERIENCE. "Having Heller Industries as a partner means we can help manufacturers master this critical process in a collaborative environment. Dave's commitment to customer success and industry advancement aligns perfectly with our mission."
