•
What does your company do?
C&D Assembly is a 13-year-old,
full-service contract manufacturer, specializing in SMT and
thru-hole circuit-board assembly. “We also perform
electro-mechanical services, chassis assembly, box builds, and board
testing,” Cronk says.
•
To what do SMT and thru-hole refer?
SMT assembly refers to
surface-mount technology, where the component leads are soldered to
the surface of the printed circuit board on the same side of the
printed circuit board on which they are placed. Thru-hole assembly
refers to the soldering of component leads which actually go through
the printed circuit board. The component leads are soldered to the
opposite side of the board on which the component is actually
placed.
•
What types of companies or individuals are your customers?
Any
original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that has requirements for
outsourcing their electronic requirements. “We bring an economical,
high-quality solution to small production runs,” Cronk says. “Today,
the majority of circuit-board assemblies are produced offshore.
C&D has the unique ability to work closely with OEMs on
prototypes or custom jobs and option boards that cannot be produced
offshore.”
•
So, the refurbishment-services sector offers opportunities for
growth?
“We have also found that due to our strong technical
knowledge in [the] refurbishment-services area, we are saving
companies thousands of dollars in warranty and repair costs,” Cronk
says. “Where end-user products may have had to be replaced with a
new product, or an entire circuit board was traded out for a new
circuit board, we are able to test and replace components on the
existing circuit board. Given the complexity and component costs on
circuit boards, this service [offers] tremendous savings
opportunities [for] high-volume OEMs.”
• You recently completed a 7,600-square-foot expansion, more than
doubling the size of your facility. Why did you need the extra
space?
“We experienced tremendous growth in 2003, which required us
to purchase additional equipment and hire [more] employees to meet
our customers’ demands,” Cronk says. “The addition of the equipment
and personnel consumed our entire production floor, resulting in the
need for additional manufacturing space.”
• What new abilities or features does the expanded workplace give
your company?
“In addition to the incremental equipment and people,
we now have a manufacturing plant that has the opportunity to work
in a lean environment,” Cronk says. “To date, we have dramatically
reduced our product-handling time and improved communication between
our functional areas due to the production layout afforded C&D
from the expansion. Today, we have a bright, energetic production
facility for our employees to work in.”
• Usually companies that double the size of their plant are
coming off a period of expansion. Is that the case for your company?
“We have increased our employee base from 9 to 21 employees in the
last two years,” Dann says. And annual revenues have jumped, going
from about $400,000 two years ago, to the current $3 million. “One
of our biggest customers experienced growth and we grew along with
them,” says Dann, declining to name the customer.
• What kind of annual-revenue growth do you expect going forward?
“Conservatively, we expect $7 million in revenues within the next
five years,” Dann says.
•
How will you accomplish that?
“We have been strengthening our
market presence and customer base through aggressive marketing and
sales planning,” says Dann.
•
Does that mean you’ll need to hire more employees?
Yes, Dann
says. The company will hire 10 employees over the next two years,
growing to 31 employees by 2007. “The community has been very
supportive of C&D,” she adds. “We look forward to being a great
partner for the community through job growth, employee development,
and strong financial returns.”
Contact The Business Journal at arombel@cnybj.com
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