Blakell Europlacer expanded its sales operation into distribution in 2006, building on their core business as owners of the placement equipment manufacturer Europlacer and SMT screen printing manufacturer Speedprint. After 30 years in the electronics assembly industry, the strategic decision to develop the business into distribution was made with a view to increasing penetration of the UK market for new partners, as well for its own group products. In January of last year Andy Jones joined as UK General Sales Manager, bringing with him extensive experience of the SMT assembly industry through his senior roles held at Quad, Europlacer and Mydata. In this interview we ask what the company has learned from becoming a distributor, the secret of their increasing success and what impact it has had on the Europlacer and Speedprint business.
Having been with the company for more than one year, what do you think they have learned from becoming a distributor?
Jones: Blakell Europlacer has always been a recognized name in supplying pick and place machines as well as Speedprint printers. So when a company are looking for a pick and place machine or a printer, we are normally one of the suppliers considered. It’s clearly going to be a more difficult task to get to the same point with our distribution product line. However, we have been successful so far with the product line and other complementary equipment. I think with given time and hard work, we will become well known as a distributor in our own right.
What impact has this had on the Europlacer and Speedprint business?
Jones: Selling a number of different products offers more ‘strings to the bow’. So if a company aren’t currently in the market for a pick and place machine, they may well have an interest in, e.g., AOI systems. If we are fortunate to provide a machine for that requirement, this may well open opportunities in other areas. We are already seeing the benefit of this crossover.
What criteria have you adopted in terms of selecting the companies you represent?
Jones: The products that we sell need to be complementary to each other of course and should be possible leaders and innovators in their field. Europlacer has always had a reputation for innovation, and so we want to be able to offer this to our prospective customers throughout the product range. Also, as an organisation, Blakell Europlacer has an honesty and integrity that is reflected in the way in which we deal with our customers. So naturally this is a trait that we look for from our principals as well.
What companies do you represent?
Jones: At this time our product range includes Europlacer Pick and place systems and Speedprint Stencil printers. We also represent SAKI automatic optical inspection systems and 3D inline solder paste inspection systems, as well as HEXI 5 – 10 zone convection reflow systems. R&D Technical services for batch and inline vapour phase systems and vapour phase rework, ASC International for line 3D solder paste inspection instruments, AEGIS CAD/BOM conversion software systems and Datapaq Reflow and wave solder profiling systems.
I understand you recently added the Vapour Phase Company R&D Technical?
Jones: R&D Technical equipment is sold globally and is now represented by us in the UK. They manufacture batch and inline vapour phase systems as well as vapour phase BGA rework. The company has been leader in this technology since 1996. We are seeing something of a resurgence in vapour phase within the UK market, as users are realising the controllability of the process by comparison to convection reflow.
What would you put down to your continued success?
Jones: Our honest approach is still one of the key fundamentals where we have been successful over the years, and this coupled with good equipment of course, will continue to be a key factor.
Are there any plans to widen your remit beyond the UK?
Jones: At present my personal goal is to further establish the UK distribution business, and that is a large enough job for the moment!
What´s next for Blakell Europlacer?
Jones: With regard the distribution side of Blakell Europlacer, my goals are to continue to improve our performance across all of the products we sell, and to grow the portfolio with further quality products as and when the market demands.
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