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Badger Technologies Goes to Washington (and Vice-Versa)

29th Congressional District Congressman Tom Reed (R)

On January 9th this year, we received a visit from Congressman Tom Reed (R) of our 29th Congressional District. Being that western New York State continues to lag behind the overall economic recovery our nation seems (very gradually) to be experiencing, Mr. Reed wanted to commend Badger’s success at bringing employment back to the region. He also wanted to help figure out ways where he could help our company grow to become internationally competitive, on par with any PCB house that Taiwan, China, or India currently boasts, whether that meant providing assistance to our company or cutting government red-tape that might hinder its growth.

Recently, we had a follow-up conversation with Tim Kolpien, Mr. Reed’s Chief of Communications, where we discussed some specific actions Mr. Reed is taking to help businesses across the 29th District expand their payrolls and profits so that everyone benefits. Mr. Kolpien was nothing but genial, straightforward, and generous with his time in answering our questions.

We wanted to know what specific pieces of legislation Mr. Reed was supporting that would help improve conditions for small business growth in America, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Mr. Kolpien pointed out to us that Mr. Reed is a champion of the H.R. 10 REINS Act, a piece of legislation which passed the House in late December. The stated purpose of the REINS Act is to allow Congress the power to negate any regulations imposed by the Executive branch that Congress deems harmful or overreaching to the businesses affected. With the REINS Act in place, Federal regulations on anything ranging from environmental impact, to business procedurals, to the taxes that businesses need to pay, would be subject to a Congressional “Yea” or “Nay.”

We also asked Mr. Kolpien about Mr. Reed’s position on the proposed minimum wage increase being debated by the New York State legislature. For those who aren’t aware, many people in New York State can legally collect unemployment benefits that outweigh the payroll of lower-end jobs, thereby discouraging some of those who are unemployed from seeking out new work. We wanted to know if Mr. Reed had any specific thoughts about finding a way to help subsidize the minimum wage so that minimum wages would be higher than unemployment. Mr. Kolpien said that while the minimum wage debate was a State and not a Federal issue, there were nevertheless initiatives that Mr. Reed was advocating that would encourage those on unemployment to seek new jobs. Mr. Reed is a proponent of reducing unemployment benefits from 99 weeks (which obviously totals almost two years) to a shorter period of time. That way, those who might otherwise not seek employment on account of receiving benefits would be compelled to seek just that. The other proposal Mr. Kolpien talked about was Mr. Reed’s advocacy for mandatory drug-testing for those who are unemployed. That way, people would not be putting Federal money to unsupervised (or illegal) use, the idea being to keep them on track and focused on finding new livelihoods for themselves, not immediate gratification.

Congressman Tom Reed visits Badger Technologies

Congressman Tom Reed visited Badger to discuss how Washington can help New York based small business thrive in the economy.

The final question we posed was this: given that the vast majority of PCB manufacturing (i.e. most of the high- run/low-cost PCB assembly) is going off-shore, what is the plan for the US to become much more competitive? We wanted to know, short of closing our borders to imports, what Mr. Reed’s position might be.

Mr. Kolpien immediately pointed out that some of the greatest costs to American industry are ongoing energy costs. It’s true that a sizable chunk of any American manufacturer’s budget goes into securing the necessary amount of energy to help power his or her production process. But all that could change with pending legislation in Congress, where there is now a debate on redirecting our energy focus inwards. For example, said Mr. Kolpien, with the discovery of energy in the Marcellus Shale Formation in Upstate New York, cheaper and cleaner energy could be produced locally, thereby reducing New York manufacturers’ dependence on foreign oil to help power their industries. Not only that, but the Marcellus Formation would provide sorely-needed jobs to the people of western New York.

The conversation could not have been more informative. We would again like to thank Congressman Reed in honoring Badger Tech with a visit, as well as thank Mr. Kolpien for answering our highly industry-focused questions.

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012 | Posted in: Congressman Tom Reed, Flexible Circuit Board Assemblies, New York small business, New York State legislature

Meet Badger’s “Secret Weapon” in Taipei: Joseph Bao

While it’s true the United States originally invented the concept of the printed circuit board, it’s also true it’s hard to find American companies who assemble actual PCB technology in high-volume. As it stands, there are some 350-odd PCB design, manufacturing, and assembly companies operating in the United States. Otherwise, the market is dominated by East Asia.

While other American tech companies have long since outsourced their assemblage abroad, Badger Technologies remains planted in its domestic roots. Here at our facility in Farmington, New York, we pride ourselves on performing the sort of cost-targeted/high-volume jobs that most American PCB assemblers have simply given up on. The fact that our company has been aggressively expanding its capabilities and employment roster this past year is proof and testament that our willpower and corporate strategy are paying off: American PCB companies can be driving engines behind a vigorous economy.

Of course, given the nature of the global electronic market, and given the fact that the ten largest PCB manufacturing companies are all headquartered in Taiwan, a small degree of outsourcing is essential in retaining our ability to perform large-volume PCB assemblage on the domestic front. To meet that challenge, we have done our homework and done it well. Our “secret weapon” at being cost-effective on an international scale? His name is Joseph Bao.

A lifelong native of Taipei, a husband and a father, and a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Taiwan, Mr. Bao has been essential in acting as a liaison between our team in Farmington and our Taiwanese industrial partners – a PCB assembly house and a custom cable and wire harness manufacturer. Joseph ensures the quality of product procured from these Taiwanese companies meets American quality standards and globally efficient pricing.

In addition to being a tech-savvy interpolator between the American and Taiwanese markets (Joseph had previous experience working with Cisco Systems in procuring security monitoring systems for their American corporate offices), Joseph is a bit of a renaissance man. At 57, he enjoys the rigors of hiking in the mountains as well as scuba-diving. A devotee of Western classical music, he admits his favorite composition is Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

As well-versed in international culture as he is a connoisseur of international technology, Joseph is the right sort of man for getting Badger’s work done overseas; the ideal co-worker in turning Badger into the momentous success story it continues to become. We look forward to many additional years of collaboration with Mr. Bao in growing Badger into a high-volume PCB assembler that can serve as a model for American business.

Posted on: February 1st, 2012 | Posted in: Uncategorized

We’re Honored to Be Included as One of Rochester’s Top 100 Businesses in 2011

It’s no industry secret that American manufacturing has had to adapt itself to ever-growing complexities and trends in the global supply chain. In order for our manufacturing sector to remain competitive in a tremendous sea of international competition, challenges which previous generations of American businesses never dreamed of facing have become our daily and constant reality. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that companies like Badger Technologies are flourishing across America. By creatively adapting themselves to the realities of changing business and production models, industry of all types remains strong – and perhaps even is priming itself for a comeback – in the United States. We’d like to offer our own company as a case-in-point example.

At present, Badger Technologies is known worldwide for the quality of its printed circuit boards. But believe it or not, Badger started out in an entirely different line of work: as a cable and wire distributor. But after time, customers began asking for assembly as well as distribution services, and by the early 1990s, we were facing an entirely different (and lucrative) business market. After purchasing a small printed circuit board production company in Ohio, we began manufacturing our own PCBs. People began to notice and business began to take off.

Today’s world is very different than those bygone days. But Badger continues to thrive as it adapts itself to the challenges that it – and manufacturing as a whole – continue to face. While other American manufacturers have been busy laying off their factory floors, we’ve actually been expanding our hiring of new engineers. We’ve relocated our facilities to an ideal new setting in beautiful Farmington, NY, a peaceful 25 minutes’ drive south of Rochester. Furthermore, we’re honored this year to announce we’ve been listed as one of the top 100 businesses to look out for in the greater Rochester metropolitan area. We’ve managed all these tasks while still handling all necessary manufacturing assignments with no factory downtime. Thomas Edison said it long before we did, but it bears repeating sometimes: the winning formula remains, “Inspiration plus perspiration.” That’s what it takes to grow and flourish as an American manufacturer.

Posted on: January 10th, 2012 | Posted in: Flexible Circuit Board Assemblies

Top Holiday Gadgets with PCBs in Them

The days of Tickle Me Elmo are dead and gone. The new product lines that attract holiday shoppers are – for the large part – pieces of state-of-the-art wizardry that came with the advent of the technological revolutions in the late 90s and 00s. And many (if not all) of these popular holiday gift items employ printed circuit boards in order to function.

Take the Xbox, one of this year’s leading contenders for a Christmas gift. Venturing a look inside an Xbox game controller, we can see just how integral PCB technology has become in providing high-tech holiday cheer. When you press a button on the surface of an Xbox game controller, this activates a particular circuit, which then performs a particular game function. Once the button or switch is brought back to its original position, the electronic circuit goes dormant again. All that loveable shooting, jumping, hurdling, and carjacking action that an Xbox brings you is translated by your thumbs and fingers into ones and zeros on the game console, allowing it to understand your intentions and allowing you (with any luck) to get to the next level.

For tablet computers, the perennial (if the term “perennial” can really be applied to a product that’s only been on the market since January, 2010) contender this year is the mighty Apple iPad. Gobbling 75% of the tablet computer market for 2010 alone with over 15 million units sold worldwide, the iPad relies on PCBs that are intricately designed that other, larger parts (such as batteries) can be integrated inside the tablet with more room to spare. The success of the iPad is reflective of the ongoing trend in PCB technology that allows for ever greater functionality on an ever shrinking total surface area.

Then of course there’s the smartphone, which is being touted already as the most popular tech gift of the 2011 Christmas season. Here the playing-field grows ever wider, with smartphones diverse as the iPhone 4S and the new Droid Razr raking up huge sales-marks across the nation. In fact, 2011 is supposed to mark a watershed year for North American smartphone sales, in that smartphones now predominate (constitute over 50%) cell phone sales in the United States and Canada. Not bad for a technology that was introduced largely back in the stone ages of 2007. Again, the reason that smartphones have been able to dominate as quickly as they’ve been able to (besides their sexy sleekness, their aptitude for Apps, and their high degree of interactivity) is the ability for PCB makers to place higher-performing circuitry on smaller playing PCB playing-fields.

Indeed, the days of Tickle Me Elmo already feel like Neolithic history to today’s yuletide shoppers and shippers. Until that inevitable day when Apple launches their new iElmo, that is.

Posted on: December 23rd, 2011 | Posted in: Flexible Circuit Board Assemblies

Badger Pays its Respects to the “Chairman” of All Circuit Boards, Steve Jobs – Part II

In our last blog entry, we gave a short history of Steve Jobs; how he started his career as a programmer for Atari, and how – true to his restlessly brilliant and creative nature – he quickly grew dissatisfied with his work there, and proceeded to found one of the most path-breaking companies the world has yet to see: Apple, Inc.

Apple’s effect on America and on the world at large is now completely self-evident. But what seems inevitable today didn’t necessarily always feel that way. There was a time back in the late 80s and early 90s when other companies began to outdistance Apple right and left. Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems, and many other companies began producing computers and software that captured a much greater share of the public eye than Apple could attract.

It didn’t help Apple that Steve Jobs had decided to quit his position there. Ever the restless lone-wolf, and known for having an irascible reputation in an office setting, Jobs decided to build yet another computer company from the ground up, a company he called NeXT. NeXT would be everything that Apple was (in Jobs’ eyes) failing to become: a wellspring for innovative PC programming that would, through sheer application of innovative genius, vault itself to the top of the high-tech heap. Jobs began manufacturing a computer that became known as “the Cube,” a new computer that employed a state-of-the-art (for its time) Motorola 68030 CPU supported by a 68882 FPU for better and faster mathematical calculations. It was a good computer for its time, and it employed excellent printed circuit board technology, but it failed to catch on. By 1990, the Cube had tanked. NeXT and Jobs were both viewed as “space oddity” has-beens.

In the meantime, without Steve Jobs at the helm, Apple continued to fall further and further behind its competitors. In 1996, Jobs was invited back to become a “temporary” managing CEO for Apple, Inc. Jobs accepted his new position with a rekindled passion for taking Apple to the heights he had initially envisioned. At the time Jobs came back to Apple, Apple was working on a sprawling diversity of products. Jobs stopped almost every single one of those projects dead in its tracks, and focused his company’s efforts on developing a mere six new products for that year.

But the products were ahead of their time. Already Jobs had begun imagining – and sometimes actively producing – prototypes for the iPod and various new iMac desktop and laptop computers. The new ideas began to pick up steam, and spread like wildfire. Apple began taking back its share of the market from its overblown behemoth of a competitor, Microsoft. Microsoft still had an amazing and voluminous line of products, and dominated the market, but Apple’s newfangled credibility made smart heads turn and eyebrows raise in wonderment and appreciation.

These new Apple products featured ever more sophisticated drives and digital signal processors, and monitors with smaller printed circuit boards that focused on connecting with USB and Firewire pass-throughs, unlike other, larger, unwieldy PCBs.

The designs continued to improve, the circuit boards grew continuously both smaller and more powerful, to the point where, for example, an Apple Nano iPod, or an Apple iPhone, contained technological programming that couldn’t be matched by competitors at the moment of its introduction.

With Steve Jobs’ recent passing due to pancreatic cancer, the future remains uncertain for Apple. Will Apple continue to follow in the almost mythological path mapped out by its founder, or will it slump into just another computer company among dozens? Time will tell, but no-one will be able to soon forget the heyday of Steve Jobs as CEO (and temper-tantrum boss) of Apple, and the incredible products that seemed to follow from everything he touched.

Posted on: December 12th, 2011 | Posted in: Uncategorized

Badger Pays its Respects to the “Chairman” of All Circuit Boards, Steve Jobs

We interrupt this blog to pay our due respects to Steve Jobs, Apple Computer’s legendary (and legendarily-tempered) founder and CEO, who in just a few quick decades took the processing capacities of printed electronic circuit boards to restless heights few could have imagined even 30 years ago.

Beginning his career in 1974 as a humble printed circuit board programmer for the video-game maker Atari, Jobs soon itched to achieve his own vision of what circuit board processing should constitute. Jobs had a vision for a company that few at the time could anticipate or comprehend – one which could mass-produce personal computers with printed circuit boards able to perform complex quantitative functions for individual users. By 1976, Jobs and his more technologically capable business partner, Steve Wozniack, had founded the Apple Computer Company and released its first product, the Apple I. By 1983, Jobs brought Pepsi-Co’s John Sculley onboard Apple as CEO, and soon introduced the Macintosh computer as a popular PC platform. As Apple began taking shape, the world began taking notice.

This classic Apple computer commercial (directed by none other than Ridley Scott) from 1984 reflects the headline-grabbing power that Jobs had accumulated in just a few short years: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhsWzJo2sN4.

Playing on imagery from the classic Orwellian dystopian novel, 1984, Jobs posited the new Macintosh computer as a way of taking computers out of the hands of the existing power structure and handing them over to “the people” (for a hefty charge, of course).

But there was another side to Steve Jobs: his legendary temper. The joke ran that the woman hurling the hammer at the slide projector screen in the original commercial might as well have been Steve Jobs in a bad mood at the office. Jobs’ temperamental nature was a tool he wielded to “get things done,” but there were consequences to getting things done the “Steve Jobs way.” His restless temperament made him enemies, and eventually got Jobs forced out of Apple. He founded a new computer company called NeXT that went nowhere sales-wise. Some at the time deemed him destined for the technological wilderness.

Jobs would later reclaim his seat as acting CEO of Apple in 1996, but until then, the printed circuit board industry would have to wait for the earth-shattering innovations that would characterize Apple’s (and circuit board technology in general’s) quantum-leap development in the late 1990s.

Posted on: November 19th, 2011 | Posted in: Uncategorized

Interview with Badger Technologies’ New Test Engineer Manager

As part of our commitment to continually improving our printed circuit board (PCB) and cable wire harness manufacturing operations, Badger Technologies recently hired Richard Lee as our new test engineer manager. We spoke with Richard about his role at Badger Technologies, and how he is helping to improve testing equipment processes to ensure higher quality products and better customer service.

What is your history in the industry?

I have been in the industry for over 25 years, exclusively in the area of contract manufacturing. I started out as a production and calibration technician, and within about 6 years, I moved into various supervisory roles. So, I have been a test engineer supervisor for over 20 years.

When did you come to Badger Technologies?

I started working for Badger in January of this year. I actually left the industry for a few years, and I really wanted to come back. The opportunity arose at Badger to resume my previous role as test engineering manager, so I came here.

What projects are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on the acquisition of a flying probe tester (FPT). The advantage of FPT is that it works well for low-volume production runs, as it doesn’t require any fixturing. So, you can set it up very fast, and still be assured that the test is reliable and that there are no shorts on your board.

Some FPT equipment also incorporates automated optical inspection (AOI). AOI uses a camera to take pictures of various parts on a board, and then analyzes the picture frames to make sure everything is proper. We are working on upgrading Badger’s AOI equipment for better testing performance.

We are also investigating the possibility of incorporating environmental stress screening (ESS) into our testing technology, depending on client need. ESS ages a circuit board to eliminate early-life failures.

Tune in next week to read more of this interview with Richard Lee.

Posted on: November 8th, 2011 | Posted in: Uncategorized

The Advantages of Flexible Circuit Boards

These days, flexible circuit boards are used for a broad range of products, including such everyday items as cameras, computer keyboards, hearing aids, and hand-held calculators. A flexible circuit board can be defined as a type of circuit board assembly that uses a flexible polymer film as its base material, creating a less rigid, more adaptable board structure.

Flexible circuit boards have become popular throughout several industries due to their elastic makeup, which offers customers a great deal of advantages. Some of these benefits include:

Added flexibility, which allows the circuit to be designed in just about any shape or size. This flexibility makes it easy to guide the device through confined spaces or bend into unique positions
A smaller and lighter shape that can be routed more cleanly and easily through an assembly
The ability to be manufactured through an automated process, which ensures better consistency and quality, and eliminates the possibility of wiring an assembly incorrectly

Due to these benefits, flexible circuit boards can significantly reduce both product and labor costs. Badger Technologies has partnered with select raw flex suppliers, and owns proprietary stencil, tooling, and fixture concepts and designs that enables us to process high-volume and complex flex and rigid flex assemblies for a variety of businesses.

To learn more about the advantages of flexible circuit board technology, contact Badger Technologies today.

Posted on: October 31st, 2011 | Posted in: Uncategorized

New Software Suite Improves WIP Tracking

This blog serves as the second article in an ongoing series focusing on how the new AEGIS software suite helps Badger improve equipment and production processes to better meet customer requirements.

As part of our commitment to continually integrate new technology that allows us to better fulfill the needs of our customers, Badger Technologies uses AEGIS software to help improve product tracking, route control, and component traceability. The AEGIS software system is a simple-to-use tool that offers users the ability to manage, edit, and generate reports for work-in-process (WIP) applications.

This software provides a series of validation tools which help our engineers and production group ensure that both the correct equipment and materials are being used, and processes are being followed, when building a given assembly. Essentially, a unique process map is generated for each assembly job created within the AEGIS system, this map details a series of steps that need to be fulfilled to produce an acceptable final product. If production were to deviate from this plan, the software would post a message telling the operator which steps were skipped, and route the product back to the first step missed in the process. This feature guarantees that a given product is built using the same process, and in the same sequence, every time its manufactured. It also ensures that each stage in the manufacturing process has been completed before it leaves the factory.

By incorporating this new software into our product tracking, route control, and component traceability processes, we offer our customers a number of important benefits, including:

Better component to top-level traceability
Improved delivery status updates based on real-time WIP tracking
Route enforcement, along with material, machine, and process validations, which ensures that products are delivered to our client completely and correctly
An alert or hold feature that allows the process to be stopped for any reason. This locks the job in AEGIS, and no product can be moved without engineering release

Automating WIP control is just one more way our new software system helps improve product quality and customer service. For more information about the AEGIS software suite, contact Badger Technologies.

Posted on: October 24th, 2011 | Posted in: Uncategorized