Simtek expands UK manufacturing

Following a management buyout in 2004 by Richard Samuel and Lee Boulton, Margate based Simtek EMS have seen a strong growth in present and forecasted orders. As a result of this, a new Stencil Printer and Placement system from Blakell Europlacer have been ordered to augment Simtek’s existing production capabilities. To complement the printer, Simtek EMS also invested in the award winning iineo I system. “We have been involved in manufacturing electronic assemblies for over 14 years, and during that time we have seen many changes to the UK market. In recent times, many manufacturers have sent their products to the Far East in an short sighted attempt to reduce costs” says Richard, “however as long as two years ago, we started to see certain products returning to be made in the UK, mainly due to the inflexibility and lead time constraints that come with off shore manufacturing”. Now that customers are very keenly looking at the “total cost” of a products life cycle they are coming to realise that support, component obsolescence and protection of intellectual property are all very costly when controlled at arm’s length.