Interview with Steve Harshbarger, VP, Director Electronics & Advanced Energy Division of Sono-Tek Corporation

Publication date: 06 October 2011

Interview with Steve Harshbarger, VP, Director Electronics & Advanced Energy Division of Sono-Tek Corporation

Sono-Tek is the world leader in the development and application of ultrasonic coating systems for electronics and advanced energy applications. Compared to conventional pressure spraying methods, the company’s ultrasonic nozzles are non-clogging, reduce liquid usage, waste and environmental impact while achieving much more precise, uniform, thin-film coatings. Sono-Tek is continually developing new applications for its unique technology, replacing wasteful practices in a world that is growing ever more environmentally sensitive. We recently interviewed Steve to find out how the company’s technology achieves this.

Steve, we understand that Sono-Tek has been experiencing a great deal of growth from PCB manufacturers over the past year. To what do you attribute this growth?

Our growth was a result of newly developed products to meet the changing market needs. We have seen strong growth from our ultrasonic spray fluxer product line during the first half of 2011 and predict this to continue into 2012. Over the past few years, Sono-Tek has invested significant resources into advancing our technology in this market by introducing several new spray fluxers. These new systems allow PCB manufacturers to use less flux while improving soldering results. The SonoFlux EZ spray fluxer is economically priced and primarily directed toward the needs of the Asian market. This product has been wildly successful in our overseas markets.

Additionally, we introduced the SonoFlux Servo, a “feature loaded” spray fluxer. This system features a selective fluxing capability with a precise flux metering liquid delivery. The SonoFlux Servo has been very successful in the Americas, and is ideal for contract manufacturers that require high flexibility.

Both of these new products are quickly becoming industry standard machines for PCB manufacturers.

How is Sono-Tek performing globally? Have you noticed any increase in business in Asia?

Although we are showing growth in almost all geographic locations, Asia is our fastest growing area. China, Taiwan, Korea and Thailand all showed a significant increase in sales over the past year. We are planning to continue expansion into several other selected countries within Asia this coming year as well as other areas where we see growth opportunities.

To what do you attribute this growth in Asia?

PCB manufacturers are continually looking for ways to cut their operating costs. This seems to have extra emphasis in Asia. Our SonoFlux EZ product is economically priced and typically has an ROI of less than one year. Every company wants to save money while improving product quality and that is just what we are helping them do.

Can you briefly describe the SonoFlux EZ ultrasonic spray fluxer, explaining why it is unique in the market?

The SonoFlux EZ is a reciprocating design spray fluxer that incorporates our unique non-clogging ultrasonic nozzle. It can be installed into almost any wave solder machine and is easy to operate. The ultrasonic nozzle used in the system is impossible to clog, and is commonly used with high solids rosin flux. It is ideally suited for high-volume operations where maintenance may be minimal.

From recent reports we have seen, the market in Mexico is climbing. Have you noticed an increase in sales in this region?

Yes, we have seen an increase in our sales in Mexico. Several large projects that were being manufactured in China have returned to Mexico for quality reasons. Sono-Tek spray fluxers have long been the industry standard in Mexico so we are pleased to see the business return.

Please describe the current expansion of Sono-Tek’s distribution network. In what territories are you expanding?

Our distribution network has grown significantly over the past two years. We have been focusing on hiring and training distributors in Asia at locations where we previously had limited support. This process takes time because we require all distributors to be fully trained to provide service and full local support on our equipment. We now have 90 percent of our Asia distribution network fully equipped and trained. We also recently set up lab facilities in Taiwan, China and Korea with our distributor network. Throughout 2012, we will continue expansion into Vietnam and Indonesia.

Over the past year, how much growth have your product lines in the solar industry for coating thin-film solar cells seen?

Our ultrasonic solar coating systems have continued to achieve steady growth for the past several years. We are starting to see many of our customers who purchased a machine for R&D one or two years ago make the transition into our pilot and production line coating equipment.

You have been adding significant resources and personnel to support this increased sales level. In what areas have you strengthened your service?

We have added significant resources in engineering, service and sales over the past two years to support our rapid growth. We are committed to continue investing in the expansion of our core technology capabilities for precise thin-film coatings, and plan to introduce several new products in 2012.

Do you foresee continued growth throughout the remainder of 2011 and into 2012?

The worldwide economic outlook is certainly unclear; however, our forecasts all appear strong. At this time, we do predict growth for both 2011 and 2012.