Established in 1995, Bengaluru based SB Technologies offers electronics manufacturing services (EMS) to OEMs in telecommunications, consumer electronics, medical instruments, T&M, computer peripherals, electrical engineering, defence, industrial controls, CNC machines, etc.
In an interview with Pradeep Chakraborty of EFYTimes.com, VS Srikanth, chief executive, SB Technologies, details how the company is seeing a huge demand for SMD LEDs and SMD components for automobiles.
In India, EMS players should focus more on flexibility and quick turn-around cycles. The current trend is moving towards full turnkey manufacturing, from design support till product building. There is even a good market for small production batches with prototyping support.
EB: Is the demand for EMS increasing?
I don’t perceive any real increase in demand. Primarily, government policies need to be changed for the EMS sector. Import duties need to be nullified, interstate tax structures re-designed, and banking policies need to be more flexible towards EMS companies. If all these points are taken care of, we can surely see an increase in demand.
EB: What lean manufacturing practices do you follow?
We follow practices for reducing overheads, which directly support us during lean periods. We concentrate more on design and development.
EB: Are we beginning to see a large demand for SMD components for automobiles?
Definitely yes, although this has been going on since the past one year.
EB: What are the application areas for SMD LEDs, especially in the Indian context?
SMD LEDs are used in a wide range of applications starting from the consumer market to the industrial sector. Almost all the fields are adopting SMD LEDs because of their durability and size. These include industrial lighting, solar lighting, automation, medical electronics, power sector, etc.
EB: What are the changes that the medical devices industry is undergoing that SMT equipment manufacturing needs to understand?
SMT equipment manufacturing industry should continuously keep updating itself with regard to the latest developments like component handling nozzles and feeders. Also, the equipment should be geared for quick changeovers and for small production runs.
EB: What is the current status of surface mount photonic (SMP) components? Are you seeing any growth in their application areas?
We are not really seeing any growth in surface mount photonic components as of now. We need to see if that picks up.
EB: What are your thoughts on the Indian electronics manufacturing scene?
Even though the Indian market is picking up at a slow pace, we are all definitely looking at the bright future of the industry. We have been continuously improving our processes by upgrading our infrastructure with the latest cutting edge technology.
EB: What are the projects that SB Technologies is currently involved in?
SB Technologies is presently involved with projects for GPS devices, engineering embedded projects, child tracking systems, fire protection sensors, conversion of through- hole technology lines to the latest SMT cards with development supports, etc.
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