It makes sense to go where the customers are, which is why Indium Corporation recently opened a new solder paste manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. Chris Bastecki, vice president of the Americas Sales and Service Group at Indium Corporation, as well as vice president of PCB Assembly Materials, discusses the reasons behind the new facility, the growing market segments, and the challenges of matching solder to specific applications.
Nolan Johnson: Chris, how does the new Guadalajara facility fit with Indium Corporation’s mission?
Chris Bastecki: Initially, we will start with a limited range of solder paste products and expand over time to better serve the Mexican market. This adds capacity to our Utica, New York, facility, where we've been supplying customers for many years.
Johnson: Is this an opportunity for Indium to bring manufacturing closer to the customers who use it?
Bastecki: Yes, the Guadalajara site helps Indium in two important ways: First, our growth has been very healthy in the past five to 10 years, so we needed more capacity in the Americas. Second, Mexico is growing faster than other regions in the Americas, and we want to serve the Mexican market with low freight costs and responsive supply.
Solder paste is perishable, and generally, you need to use overnight air transportation to deliver the product. In Guadalajara, we're very close to a significant proportion of our customers, and we can deliver same-day or next-day at a very low cost, saving the customer a significant amount of money.
Johnson: Why are you keeping your product list small to begin with? Is this in response to the type of product most often used in Mexico, and does it mean that production can be much more focused for the Mexican market?
Bastecki: Indium makes a broad range of alloys, probably broader than any other company, serving a variety of markets. However, the market in Mexico is primarily SAC305 and low-silver alloys, so that will be the focus of our initial offerings. These are the high-demand products the Mexican market requires.
To continue reading this article, which appeared in the September 2026 edition of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
