Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1546383
42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2026 H eller Industries is the leading provider of thermal systems in the electronics assem- bly and semiconductor industries, manu- facturing a wide range of equipment, primarily for standard reflow applications in electronics assem- bly. The company has realized significant business growth in Mexico in recent years and is now prepar- ing for SMTA Guadalajara. Paul Lancaster, vice pres- ident of sales and marketing, spoke about the Mexi- can market, building a local support infrastructure, and partnering with Seho North America. Nolan Johnson: Paul, what are some of the emerging opportunities or markets open to Heller? Paul Lancaster: We do a wide variety of thermal prod- ucts, primarily geared for electronics and semicon- ductor applications. For example, we make vertical curing ovens for areas where space is limited. We have vessel-based systems used in other applica- tions in the semiconductor space, such as pressure curing or pressure reflow, and we also have automa- tion solutions, whether we're curing through a maga- zine, recycling carriers, or substrate holders. Given your perspective on circuit boards as well as semiconductors, are there shared trends? Are these sectors converging or diverging? They're converging. They're highly synergistic; we see one as a leading indicator of the other. There's a fairly significant upturn across the entire business, driven in particular by the buildout of AI infrastruc- ture and data centers. The increase in wafer starts and new wafer capacity are positive signals of expansion, and capital equip- ment is also expanding into the fabs. Those are all leading indicators of what happens further on down the process. Once we pass the back of the line for semi, next is production increases in electronics assembly, where we're making the circuit boards, placing components, and reflowing them. That's when it all converges. We're still midway through the CHIPS Act. Is semi- conductor buildout a priority, or has it been over- shadowed by AI buildouts? The CHIPS Act was a good starting point. But the demand was missing, and now, with the AI infra- structure boom, that's really coming on board. Hyperscalers are the first movers, and they're aggressively ramping. That feeds into some of the fab expansions we saw resulting from the CHIPS Act, with several larger fabs under construction across the United States. The key thing there, though, is the infrastructure around the fabs. With packaging, it needs to be devel- oped locally, because making a die or a chip and then shipping it to Taiwan doesn't really solve the issue. But I see an ecosystem developing around these fabs, and this is where we play on the semi side. Conversely, we are also seeing general infrastruc- ture buildout. There is significant expansion in North America, primarily in the U.S. and Mexico, in reshoring and onshoring production capacity within the continent. Heller and SEHO Investing in Mexico BY N O L A N J O H N S O N , I - C O N N ECT 0 07 F E AT U R E I N T E RV I E W