Headquartered in Bend, OR, SisTech Manufacturing is a woman-owned, minority-owned business that provides contract electronic manufacturing and mechanical assembly services to high-technology companies. SisTech has more than 30 years’ combined experience in high-tech assembly, design review, purchasing, project management and order fulfilment for some of the largest companies as well as at rapidly growing startups.

SisTech Manufacturing recently moved into a 22k sq. ft. facility in Bend, OR to support its consistent year-over-year growth.

In its quest to better serve its customers throughout North America and to help meet increasing demands as a result of continuous, exponential growth, the company purchased two machines from Plymouth, WI-basedKurtz Ersa North America, a leading supplier of electronics production equipment. This purchase marks SisTech’s sixth installed Ersa machine and includes an Ecoselect 2 Selective Soldering system and a HOTFLOW 3 Reflow oven.

Brad Kennedy, VP of SisTech Manufacturing, commented, “We have chosen, and continue our relationship with Ersa for one simple reason – their equipment is the best in any soldering process. The consistency, quality and reliability of their equipment ensure that every assembly we provide our customers meets or exceeds their expectations from a supplier.”

SisTech Manufacturing’s purchase of Ersa’s ECOSELECT 2 will help the company advance its selective soldering technology

The ECOSELECT 2 uses the same successful and proven Ersa selective soldering technology as the large Ersa VERSAFLOW systems without compromising quality or accuracy. The high-precision servo gantry system and electromagnetic pumping system, together with top and bottom-side preheating, provide the highest capability and best repeatability. Additionally, the ECOSELECT 2’s in and off-line cell concept offers the best price/performance ratio and little space requirement for high-quality selective soldering, and it is a perfect and flexible solution for both first-time-users and manufacturers with small to medium series production.

SisTech Manufacturing also purchased an Ersa HOTFLOW 3/20 reflow oven to help deliver best-in-class results to its customers. This equipment marks SisTech’s sixth system purchase from Ersa.

SisTech Manufacturing also purchased a HOTFLOW 3/20 reflow oven. The HOTFLOW 3/20 has been designed to deliver best-in-class results for all areas that ultimately affect the bottom line profit per PCB. The 10-zone reflow oven has a process length of more than five meters. The days of investing in just any reflow oven that has the number of heating zones required are over. Today, the economical aspects and true performance of the oven must play a major role in the decision making process.

“We are honored that SisTech recently bought its sixth piece of gear from us. This is a lot of equipment for a small-sized company, especially in today’s economy. SisTech keeps coming back to Ersa because our machines are reliable, high quality and we care about the customer. SisTech is advancing at a fast pace and Ersa is proud to play a small part in this growth through the use of our machines on SisTech’s manufacturing floor. The type of growth that the company is experiencing is unheard of today, but SisTech has figured out the winning formula for an EMS company and that is that great equipment and great people equals great process and happy customers! This proves that companies CAN succeed in the United States, without sending work to China, or buying cheap machines run by unskilled employees, if they are willing to work hard and put quality and reliability first,” said Ernie Grice, VP Sales at Kurtz Ersa North America.

Brad Kennedy, SisTech Manufacturing’s VP, has worked with Ersa for many years and plans to continue because Ersa’s equipment provides consistency, quality and reliability

Kennedy added, “This year it looks as though we will finish out at an approximate 80-90 percent increase in business. This growth is accomplished through our dedication to our customers. We strive to provide unbeatable customer service in the form of on-time delivery, excellent quality and attractive pricing.”

To accommodate this significant growth that SisTech has experienced since it opened for business in 2009 and to allow for future growth, the company completed construction on a new 22K sq. ft. facility in 2013.The building includes state-of-the-art security and surveillance systems, ESD-conductive flooring throughout, 1800 amps of power, as well as several new pieces of equipment that were brought online with the new facility. Numbered amongst the new equipment are Ersa’s soldering systems.

Kennedy said, “We believe that Ersa makes the best soldering equipment in the industry. This allows us to build complex leaded or lead-free products while maintaining consistent quality from line to line, be it SMT or through-hole.” These latest two purchase were made to help SisTech keep up with the growth that the company has experienced over the last year. Kennedy added that Ersa’s customer service also is to be applauded: “They have always been there to support our needs before, during and after the sale.

“My relationship with Ersa began long before SisTech was founded in 2009. I bought my first piece of Ersa equipment in or around 1997. This long-standing relationship, the customer service they provide and the unbeatable quality of the equipment is the reason I am still buying Ersa equipment 17 years later. To date, I have bought approximately 13 pieces of soldering equipment from Ersa not to mention the smaller items such as soldering irons, etc.”

SisTech’s consistent growth allows it to provide a range of comprehensive services to its customers – all of which are performed from its facility in the United States. These services include:

Turnkey Assembly: SisTech offers full turnkey assembly services from component procurement to testing and drop shipping fully assembled, tested units.

Consigned Kit Assembly: SisTech welcomes consigned kits in addition to its offering of turnkey services. With the company’s robust MRP system, it is able to track customer-supplied materials by part number while maintaining an accurate on-hand quantity count. Kennedy said that this enables SisTech to provide a “Stock Status” report to its customer upon demand, enabling them to oversee the materials issued or stored in SisTech’s facility.

Kitting Service: SisTech values its customers. With that said, the company understands that sometimes they do not always need assembly services, but still need materials procured and kitted. SisTech is happy to offer a detailed, price-conscious kitting service. Components or materials can be procured, lot tracked, labeled (in accordance with customer requirements) and delivered directly to the customer.

Mechanical Design and 3D Modeling: SisTech now offers complete mechanical design services. From individual components to complex multi-component assemblies, it can take customers’ ideas and create a design in either 2D or 3D that meets or exceeds project goals. Whether a customer needs an enclosure designed for its PCB assembly, a front panel to complete a product or the design of an unrelated product or concept, SisTech prides itself on taking customers from concept to market.

PCB Layout: SisTech offers in-house PCB layout services. The company can capture schematic and complete the board layout to enhance performance and manufacturability. When combined with its turnkey assembly services, SisTech can save time and money with a seamless integration from its engineering staff to its MRP system and production. Additionally, the team at SisTech has years of experience working with PMC, XMC, cPCI, VME, AMC, uTCA, aTCA and VPX form factors. Besides these form factors, the company is capable of assembling any form factors presented to by customers.

Obsolescence Management: The company views component obsolescence management as more than just a service to its customers — it is an essential part of customers’ continued success.  Obsolete electronic components pose significant risk to any design. SisTech is dedicated to reviewing both new and existing designs for any and all component obsolescence issues and to further identify when existing components are scheduled to be end of life (EOL).

“As a small business, it is imperative that we run as efficiently and effectively as possible to meet our customers’ needs. This is why we continue to choose Ersa for our SMT soldering production needs. The quick setup allows us to produce multiple products of varying quantities on a daily basis. The systems also ensure that we can produce even the most complex products while ensuring the highest of quality,” concluded Kennedy.

For more information about SisTech Manufacturing, Inc., contact Brad Kennedy at 63068 Lower Meadow Rd., Bend, OR  97701; 877-633-77332; E-mail: ; Web site: www.sistechmfg.com. For more information about Kurtz Ersa North America and its technologies, contact Ernie Grice, vice president of sales; 920-893-1779, E-mail: ; Web site: www.ersa.com.