Then and Now – Ten Year Anniversary

Ten years ago …
Apple introduced the iPod mini.
Facebook went live.
The “cloud” was just a visible mass of frozen crystals in the atmosphere.
The season finale of the sitcom Friends aired.
Google went public with the biggest IPO since the technology bust.
And … Advanced Assembly opened its doors as the first company to focus exclusively on assembling low-volume printed circuit boards in days.

The idea for Advanced Assembly started during a football game.  In between cheering for their favorite team, two engineers discussed how they needed help assembling prototype PCBs, but had nowhere to turn. Existing assembly shops weren’t interested in taking small orders because the machines took so long to set up. Or, if they did agree to take a small job, it was expensive and slow. The only other option was assembling boards by hand, which was becoming increasingly difficult.

This casual conversation revealed an unmet market need that would eventually lead to the launch of both a new company and a new approach to PCB assembly. Armed with a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind software solution that made it possible to machine-place parts on small quantities of boards, Advanced Assembly founders set out to give design engineers something new;  high-quality assembly in  just a few days.

Of course, starting a company that would eventually re-define an industry wasn’t easy.  The first problem was convincing engineers to hand over their prototype designs to a new assembly partner.  However, once a customer experienced the speed and accuracy of Advanced Assembly’s service, they nearly all came back again.

Another major obstacle was growing in a smart and strategic way. As word spread about its new services, the company found it challenging to expand quickly enough to accommodate demand, while still remaining focused on quality.  To increase capacity, the company re-invested the majority of its initial profits back into the company, using profit to hire the best people and purchase top-of-the-line equipment. This philosophy is still in practice today.  Advanced Assembly continues to expand its manufacturing facility and customer-facing service teams. Its 20,000 sq. ft. headquarters now includes five high-speed pick & place machines, a 3D BGA X-Ray, a vapor reflow oven, and many more high-end machines (click here for a full equipment list).

Ten years of operations has flown by as we’ve worked tirelessly to be a partner customers can rely on for all their assembly needs. According to the SBA, less than 30% of companies are in operation after 10 years. Thanks to our customers and our employees, Advanced Assembly has beaten the odds and remains a thriving, productive organization. We are proud to have supported the innovation efforts of our customers for the last decade and are looking forward to many, many more years of success together.