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60 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2024 Starting Out as Skeptics Kevin Barrett is ADCO Circuits' head of operations. "Like most companies, to moni- tor our yields, we collected data from the AOI machine and then used that data to judge our process," he says. "Our original concern came when we began to receive more requirements for blind solder joints on assemblies and felt some limitations of AOI. While the AOI sys- tems could detect the presence of parts, they were limited to the details of solder joints. Our local Koh Young rep, Jim Rittman, had been talking to us about the benefits of solder paste inspection (SPI) so we thought it was worth taking a deeper look." When the company first considered SPI, "we didn't see that there was any value to it," Barrett says. "But aer we had replaced a lot of our older equipment with newer machines, we decided to take the plunge." at came when ADCO Circuits Case Study: From Inspection Skeptic to Innovative Enthusiast Article by Brent Fischthal KOH YOUNG AMERICA, INC. ADCO Circuits has grown steadily over nearly 40 years, and while situated near Detroit, Michigan, the "Motor City," the com- pany is in no way dependent on the automotive industry. In fact, it has had increasing success in sectors like diagnostic tools and aerospace and continues to diversify its portfolio of cus- tomers and industries. ADCO carries numer- ous certifications, including AS9100d, ISO, ITAR, and those essential for the automotive and aerospace industries. Some of its success can be attributed to investing in the latest technology. "We have ERP, everything is bar-coded," says Marc Dam- man, president. "If you go on the plant floor, you don't see a lot of paper because everything is electronic, including all the inventory in our vertical storage systems. On top of first-rate equipment, we have a really good manufactur- ing, engineering, and test engineering team."