Company Profile

Europlacer has been developing machines for electronic assembly since the 1970’s first as Numergo and then as Eurosoft Robotique. The company invented the intelligent feeder concept in the 1980’s and gained significant success with the EP928 machine. After acquisition by Blakell Europlacer in 1991 the company moved away from the potential instability of a split-axis, moving board solution to the inherently more capable X-Y architecture that underpins the machines today. Europlacer’s policy has been to ensure wherever possible that technology purchased many years ago, especially feeders, remains compatible with the latest equipment.

The Europlacer business typifies the Group vision. When acquired, the company already had many innovations but had failed to operate as a profitable business and had failed to reach a global market. Since acquisition, Europlacer has continued to produce the most flexible, most “day-to-day” productive SMT placement machines in the market.

The demands of the global SMT market are significant and Europlacer has had to learn how to “grow up” to compete on this stage. This was a painful process and has passed through a couple of key step changes after the initial success of the early 1990’s. The first stage came at the end of the 90’s and the second from 2001-2004. During both periods Europlacer made step changes in machine capability, stability and usability resulting in a product range today which can be applied to volume manufacture and flexible production alike. The Europlacer product has truly come of age as a tool for business growth and we encourage our customers to think of the product as an Adaptive Business Platform which can be used in different ways thus allowing the customer business to move in different directions in response to changing market conditions and opportunities.

The company’s strategy continues to be based on offering unique, innovative solutions such as the intelligent, configurable belt feeder which enables stick-fed components to be placed at speeds comparable to those of taped components. Another example is Europlacer’s partnership with Novatec (www.novatec-eap.com) for the patented design and manufacture of feeders for volume solder ball placement by a standard placement machine. This technology, unique to Europlacer, enables the Europlacer machine to be used for placing solder balls (either for die attachment or daughterboard attachment) at the same time as standard SMT components.

In April 2006, Europlacer was awarded the prestigious Innovation Award for Pick & Place by EMAsia at the Nepcon Shanghai show. This is a major accolade in the most dynamic market in the world and especially so as Europlacer is only just starting to establish a recognised name in that geographical area.

Despite a strong installed base in North America and a growing customer base in Asia, Europe still accounts for some 70% of Europlacer sales with the remaining 30% generated primarily in Asia and the USA. The ability to maintain a strong, profitable business on European sales enables the company to ensure strength without dependence on the large and unpredictable volumes of machine purchase in Asia. The expected growth of sales in Asia over the next 3-4 years will therefore enable even stronger profit growth, and the company is now also expanding further into Eastern Europe and India.