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Jonny Nichols: The Hanwha Future-proof Proposition
January 17, 2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

With expansion, added personnel, and a new view on onshoring, Hanwha Corporation is alive and well. Vice President of Marketing Jonny Nichols details just what it takes for a supplier like Hanwha to remain competitive amongst shorter lead times and itchy customers anxious to get their product to market. The key, Jonny says, is to deliver systems that can do it all.
Nolan Johnson: Jonny, what is new and developing at Hanwha?
Jonny Nichols: Our group (HTAA) has expanded significantly in personnel and technology centers to better serve our customers. We’ve opened operations in Mexico with Hanwha’s Queretaro Technology Center (HQTC). We’ve also added personnel in applications and field service engineering and we’re expanding our inventory so that we can be ready to deliver quickly for our customers.
Suppliers are facing many demands, including shorter lead times and supply chain instability. Although the supply chain is stabilizing, we’re seeing greater demand on suppliers to have ready-to-go inventory so assemblers can take advantage of shorter lead time opportunities. Assemblers are being challenged to have more capacity available to support reshoring to North America, and they’re being asked to assemble a wider variety of assemblies, including mixed technology assemblies that require automated SMT mounting and THT insertion.
North American assemblers can no longer accept 24 weeks or more lead times from equipment suppliers. They need to be ready to run production on any project within a 16- to 20-week window. Hanwha is aware of this and maintains an inventory of various machinery configurations in quantity for this reason.
As a precision machinery supplier to the industry, Hanwha is challenged to inventory not only standard configuration pick-and-place machines in quantity, but to have optional system configurations available for the quickest possible delivery to anywhere in North America.
Johnson: You’re preparing for additional business because you see it coming.
Nichols: Yes, and that’s not mere speculation. It’s here. As a mission-critical supplier to many of our customers, we’re adding personnel and constantly improving support systems while increasing inventories of advanced technology solutions to ensure we’re ready when and where our customers need us to be.
Johnson: Has there been a shift in what customers say is a priority when selecting new equipment?
Nichols: Well, although machine inventory is a hot and trending topic among suppliers, there’s increasing chatter about extreme component range, specifically larger, heavier, odd-forms of which some require precision mounting while others require heavy insertion force…
Continue reading this conversation in the January 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
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Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
From Factory Floor to ‘The Component Store’
07/25/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Daniel Beauvois began his career in PCB manufacturing 15 years ago with zero industry experience—just a willingness to learn. Daniel immersed himself in every step of circuit board production, from hanging out on the factory floor to giving plant tours. Now, as founder of The Component Store, he’s an independent sales rep known for integrity, persistence, and deep technical knowledge. In this interview, Daniel reflects on his journey, the realities of being an outside rep, and what it takes to earn—and keep—a customer’s trust in an ever-evolving electronics industry.
Technica USA Hosts ASMPT Management Team for Midyear Business Review
07/22/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA was pleased to host the management team from ASMPT for a strategic midyear business review at its headquarters in San Jose, California.
The Chemical Connection: Sales Organization from a Capital Equipment Perspective
07/22/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionThe sales organization for a capital equipment supplier to the PCB industry tends to differ slightly from a supplier that manufactures and sells circuit boards to their customers. After all, our sales depend on the printed circuit board manufacturer’s sales. If business falls off, you tend to delay or reconsider the need for new or upgraded capital equipment, and then our sales fall off. If your sales go up and you need to increase capacity or replace old equipment, our sales also trend upwards.
NEOTech’s Agave 1 Facility Earns AS9100 Certification for Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Excellence
07/17/2025 | NEOTechNEOTech, a premier provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), integrated design engineering, and advanced supply chain solutions for the aerospace and defense, medical device, and high-tech industrial markets, proudly announces that its Agave 1 manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico has officially received AS9100 certification.
It’s Only Common Sense: Customer Service Is Sales in Disguise
07/14/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseCustomer service is one of the most powerful sales tools a business can deploy. Every interaction—whether they're calling to ask a question, complain, or inquire about your hours—is an opportunity to build your brand, create loyalty, and drive sales.