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SPEA is celebrating 50 years of test innovation, building on the vision of founder Luciano Bonaria, whose zero-failure philosophy continues to shape the company today. In this interview, Andrea Furnari, vice president of sales and marketing (based in Volpiano, Italy), and Dustin Warren, vice president and regional director (based in Dallas, Texas), reflect on that legacy while pointing to what’s next, from expanding global support to new developments in AI-driven test and high-performance platforms.
With a strong commitment to R&D and a growing presence close to customers worldwide, SPEA is positioning itself for the next phase of electronics manufacturing, where complexity, speed, and reliability are more critical than ever.
Nolan Johnson: Andrea, there’s a lot to celebrate in 50 years. How did SPEA begin?
Andrea Furnari: I would say it is a classic high-tech romantic story that starts in a garage. Luciano Bonaria, founder and president, started working in the electronics sector for General Electric in 1974. He recognized the historical moment—the birth of modern electronics—so he decided to create his own tester architecture to satisfy the huge demand for electronics at that time.
Back then, all the testers were very slow; they integrated instrumentation into a mainframe to create a unique instrument. Luciano had clever and innovative ideas to engineer multifunctional automatic test equipment, combining all the instrumentation: power and digital into one unique tester.
After these experiences, he began collaborating with Olivetti in 1976, where he proposed the solution to test their electronics. So, everything started from that moment, and since then, all new development at SPEA has been fully dedicated to creating electronics that do not fail in the field. That's the purpose of the fully integrated automatic test equipment that he designed at the time. Today, the logic and the purpose are still the same. But of course, the technology is completely different now.
To continue reading this interview, which appeared in the June 2026 SMT007 Magazine, click here.
