SolderKing’s Successful Approach to Modern Soldering Needs

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Chris Ward, cofounder of the family-owned SolderKing, discusses his company's rapid growth and recent recognition with the King’s Award for Enterprise. Chris shares how SolderKing has achieved these award-winning levels of service in such a short timeframe. Their secret? Being flexible in a changing market, technical prowess, and strong customer support.

Nolan Johnson: Chris, let’s start with a quick introduction.

Chris Ward: SolderKing is a UK manufacturer of solder consumables with a mission to manufacture innovative solders. We keep in contact with our customers, and we move forward with the evolving needs.

Johnson: On the surface, solder seems like a stable place in the supply chain, but there is still a lot going on with it. You've recently received an award, not so much for technology as for distribution and being there for your customers. What can you tell me about that?

Ward: We have, and we're all very proud. We're excited about the future because we've been honored with a King's Award for Enterprise, which is part of the industrial trade category. To put it into figures, SolderKing has seen a 71% increase in exports over the past three years, and we've achieved this award due to outstanding short-term growth.

Johnson: A 71% increase over a few years is significant. What do you attribute that to?

Ward: I suppose it's down to the flexible trade model we've chosen. We noticed early on that different regions require different approaches, so we aimed to be responsive to market-specific technical and commercial needs and to allow certain levels of flexibility. This has been key to our growth.

Johnson: Are you talking about product mix, product development, customer service, or all three?

Ward: It all is part of the same branch. Do you know you need specific products for different applications in different industries? You also need a model for working with the sales partners to ensure that all their needs are met, and they are best set up to promote the brand.

Johnson: How did you go about implementing this business model?

Ward: I suppose from the start we knew the model that we wanted to create. We're a six-year-old company; we've built the company from the ground up. We have been lucky in certain regards as well. We've got some very good sales partners on board. We work with a couple within the UK, quite a few over in Europe, including Eastern Europe. It's a model that we're quite proud of.

Johnson: Chris, have you been with the company from the start?

Ward: Yes, SolderKing is a family-run business. I'm a co-founder with my father. We've had a history working with solder. He's predominantly been a chemist. I have a background in sales, and we came together to start this company.

Johnson: Can you share a story of a customer interaction that demonstrated why you won the King’s Award?

Ward: That's a good question. I suppose it's how we interact with our distributors and sales partners. When you work with SolderKing, we ensure you receive correct and extensive training for working with our brand.

We make sure that sales partners carry the technical knowledge themselves, and that they also know they've got SolderKing there to back them up. We have a direct supply model: We supply directly into, say, Ireland, and throughout the UK. This enables very close customer relationships and faster support. We have DANUTEK, for instance, in Europe, which does incredibly well. They were carefully selected and wanted to work with us, and we wanted to work with them because we share the same technical insight and technical understanding. They have the local insight as well.

Johnson: How does that transfer to a customer experience?

Ward: Ah, the customer benefits because they can access tailored solutions and technical input. All of our sales partners are very knowledgeable about the soldering process and what is required. This allows consistency in quality and service across the regions; the whole model is built around responsiveness and reliability.

Johnson: We've talked about the distributors, and we've just talked about the assembly houses. How do the OEMs benefit from this model?

Ward: Local and agile support, flexible, high-technology, readily available products backed up with extreme expertise through dealing either directly with us or through our partners.

Johnson: Look ahead, how do you see the market shifting, and how do you see SolderKing responding to those shifts?

Ward: Technology shifts; electronics never stands still, and that is exciting about our industry. Look at robotics or soldering applications, for instance. Certain regions have pushed forward with this type of technology, and it's our responsibility to build products that can keep up with the demands of robots that allow fast-flowing solders with high-reliability results. In the next couple of years, I only see product development continuing to improve.

Johnson: Are there any new products or developments that you are currently working on we can look forward to?

Ward: We have some new products in development. We have a quite exciting range, actually, and we're pushing forward with soldering fluxes suitable for wave and selective, covering all through-hole technology applications, including robotic soldering and hand soldering. We're also pushing the boundaries with our new solder paste. It’s a very exciting time. You should see those in the very near future.

Johnson: What advice would you give to designers? How should they approach their designs to achieve their best results using current solder technologies?

Ward: In my opinion, solder is one of the most fundamental parts of the process. Contract manufacturers and OEMs have state-of-the-art equipment, and everyone invests in the latest AOI and SPI, not to mention ovens that reduce voiding. But it all comes down to having a good quality solder paste.

If I were a designer, I would seek out an expert within the soldering industry to pinpoint the correct type of product to use for that particular application and ensure that it can withstand future use.

Johnson: An final thoughts for our discussion today, Chris?

Ward: I'd just like to finish up on our long-term commitment to international growth. As I mentioned, SolderKing is a relatively new company. Our goal—and I have no doubt that we will achieve it—is to build a globally respected brand. We will do this by emphasizing product quality, trustworthiness, and technical capabilities.

Johnson: Thank you, and I know you can do it.

Ward: Thanks, Nolan.