Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Today's Generation of Buyers
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Believe in Better'
Ventec USA Prepares for Growth
April 17, 2014 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
IPC APEX EXPO 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, gave me the opportunity to catch up with Ventec USA President Jack Pattie and to meet the recently-appointed General Manager of the Ventec Fullerton Southern California facility Ray Young. The pair also gave an update on current developments and future company plans.
Pete Starkey: Exciting times, Jack!
Jack Pattie: Yes, Pete, lots going on. We’ve had two years of strong business development, with a growing demand for our high-performance copper-clad laminates and prepregs, and we’ve already put a lot of energy and investment into our Elk Grove Village facility in Illinois. There’s a strong leadership and management team in place, with Denis McCarthy as operations manager and Brian Jubie as technical sales manager, and we’ve relocated to larger premises, double the size of our previous building.
We've made substantial investment in additional equipment for panel-cutting and packaging, including a Yow Shi diamond blade panel saw, increased capacity for prepreg tooling, and increased prepreg storage. And supporting the distribution operation, there’s new inventory software to streamline documentation and give us improved inventory tracking and forecasting ability. It’s all up and running!
Starkey: And now it seems your Fullerton, Southern California operation is a major focus of activity.
Pattie: The Ventec product range has an established worldwide reputation in the mil/aero sector for technology, quality, and reliability, and we want to further develop this is in Southern California. Our service and distribution model is specifically geared to address the substantial market opportunity that exists for us in the area.
We are committed to doubling the size of the business and the first major step we've taken is to put the right management in place. The West Coast market has got some pretty unique characteristics compared to other major PCB regions in North America. We have very strong market share in all major North American PCB regions; however, our greatest area for growth is Southern California. To take advantage of that opportunity, we sought out local talent and leadership. In addition to securing a strong leadership team, we have committed to a major expansion of our Southern California facility. This includes doubling the size of the current facility, a new Yow Shi panel saw, two new prepreg cutting areas, increased prepreg storage, increased lab capabilities, and new inventory software.
Pete, meet Ray Young, the recently-appointed general manager of the Fullerton operation.
Starkey: Hello, Ray. It’s great to meet you in person.
Ray Young: Thanks Pete. It’s good to be part of the Ventec team.
Page 1 of 2
Share on:
Suggested Items
The Evolution of Picosecond Laser Drilling
06/19/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIs it hard to imagine a single laser pulse reduced not only from nanoseconds to picoseconds in its pulse duration, but even to femtoseconds? Well, buckle up because it seems we are there. In this interview, Dr. Stefan Rung, technical director of laser machines at Schmoll Maschinen GmbH, traces the technology trajectory of the laser drill from the CO2 laser to cutting-edge picosecond and hybrid laser drilling systems, highlighting the benefits and limitations of each method, and demonstrating how laser innovations are shaping the future of PCB fabrication.
Day 2: More Cutting-edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/18/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) summer conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the third of three articles on the conference. The other two cover Day 1’s sessions and the opening keynote speech. Below is a recap of the second day’s sessions.
Day 1: Cutting Edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/17/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) Summer Conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the second of three articles on the conference. The other two cover the keynote speeches and Day 2 of the technical conference. Below is a recap of the first day’s sessions.
Preventing Surface Prep Defects and Ensuring Reliability
06/10/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIn printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, surface preparation is a critical process that ensures strong adhesion, reliable plating, and long-term product performance. Without proper surface treatment, manufacturers may encounter defects such as delamination, poor solder mask adhesion, and plating failures. This article examines key surface preparation techniques, common defects resulting from improper processes, and real-world case studies that illustrate best practices.
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.