Cranston, Rhode Island USA – AIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce the appointment of Marcus Pee Nai Quan as Sales Engineer for AIM Solder Hong Kong.

Based in Malaysia, Pee will be responsible for growing and supporting AIM Solder’s business throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. In this role, he will work closely with customers across the region to address their needs and ensure they receive quick, reliable, value-added support.

“We are pleased to welcome Marcus to the AIM Solder team,” said Mhanny Aguillo, AIM Regional Technical Sales Manager. “His regional focus and commitment to customer support will help strengthen our relationships and expand AIM’s presence across the region.”

AIM Solder’s global technical sales team plays a key role in supporting customers at every stage of the manufacturing process, providing expert guidance, responsive service, and trusted solder assembly material solutions.

Marcus Pee Nai Quan can be reached at mpee@aimsolder.com.

Altus Group, a leading distributor of electronics assembly equipment in the UK and Ireland, has supported Esprit Electronics, an electronics manufacturing services provider, in selecting new best-in-class inspection technology from Koh Young following an evaluation process.

Operating across two production facilities with four SMT lines, Esprit Electronics manufactures complex PCB assemblies for customers in high-reliability sectors including medical, military and industrial electronics.

As part of a review of its inspection strategy, Esprit’s engineering team evaluated several inspection technologies available on the market. The process included a comparison of camera-based, laser-based and Moiré fringe-based inspection systems, with demonstrations and trials carried out using the same representative PCB assembly.

Rob Pembroke-Burn, Production Engineer at Esprit Electronics, said: “It was really great to get a chance to spearhead the technical review aspect of this investment, having lived and managed the challenges of our existing inspection processes. The breadth of and quality of technology and the advancements are eye opening. We knew that whichever unit we selected was going to be a step up for the company, but our job was to identify the best technology among the leading platforms.”

Following demonstrations conducted with Altus Group, the Koh Young Zenith 2 AOI system demonstrated clear advantages for Esprit’s complex PCB assemblies. The platform uses True 3D measurement technology based on Moiré interferometry, capturing precise height and volume measurements across the PCB surface rather than relying solely on two-dimensional image analysis.

This approach enables accurate inspection of solder joints and components across complex PCB layouts while reducing the assumptions typically associated with conventional AOI systems.

Following further technical discussions with Altus and a subsequent review, Esprit confirmed its decision to invest in two Zenith 2 systems equipped with eight-megapixel imaging, Offline Programming (OLP) capability and the KSMART Pro software platform.

The Koh Young Zenith 2 platform combines high-resolution optics, advanced vision algorithms and multi-projection Moiré interferometry to generate detailed 3D inspection data across the entire PCB surface. The system also integrates Koh Young’s KSMART software environment, which enables manufacturers to analyse inspection data and apply statistical process control tools to support process monitoring and improvement.

Allan Hawkins, Production Engineer at Esprit Electronics, said: “What a good result! The team and I are really happy with the investment and the step up in our inspection capacity. We are excited about the impact the technology will have on our internal efficiencies and processes, but ultimately the quality we can ensure our customers receive.”

Altus Group worked closely with the Esprit Electronics throughout the evaluation process, supporting the assessment of inspection technologies and demonstrating how measurement-based 3D inspection can provide greater process visibility for complex electronics manufacturing.

www.altusgroup.co.uk.

LEESBURG, VA – May 2026 – The SearchWorks Group, a leading executive search firm specializing in the electronics manufacturing market, is seeing a noticeable shift in how electronics manufacturers are hiring—and how candidates are responding—heading into the second half of 2026.

At the top level, executive search activity is up. Over the past 6–12 months, there’s been a steady increase in demand for C-suite and functional leadership roles, including CEOs, COOs, commercial leaders, and heads of operations. Much of this is tied to companies preparing for growth, ownership transitions, or private equity activity over the next few years.

At the same time, candidates aren’t moving as quickly.

Even strong candidates are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to changing jobs. Between economic uncertainty, housing concerns, and general risk avoidance, many are hesitant to make a move unless the opportunity clearly outweighs what they already have. In a market that’s already close to full employment, that hesitation is making hiring more competitive.

One of the biggest challenges continues to be the “next generation” gap.

Companies are actively looking for experienced Gen X and early Millennial leaders to step into senior roles, but that group remains limited. Many Baby Boomers are still in leadership positions but are beginning to plan exits over the next few years, while younger talent is still building experience. That leaves a narrow band of candidates who are both ready and willing to step in—and they’re in high demand.

Engineering talent is another pressure point.

Even as automation, AI, and robotics continue to gain traction, the need for experienced manufacturing, process, and quality engineers hasn’t gone away. In many cases, it’s the opposite—growth is being slowed not by lack of business, but by lack of technical talent to support it.

On the commercial side, business development remains the most active hiring area.

Roughly half of recent searches have been tied to BD roles, ranging from leadership positions to individual contributors. These roles are often highly specific, requiring either deep experience in a vertical market like aerospace, medical, or industrial, or a strong presence in a defined geographic region.

Supply chain leadership is also getting more attention.

Companies are shifting away from purely cost-driven sourcing strategies toward more regionalized, risk-aware models. With ongoing tariff pressure and component constraints, there’s a growing need for leaders who can build resilient supply chains and get involved earlier in the design process.

“Know what you bring to the table and what you want next,” said Jeremy Vanselous, President of The SearchWorks Group. “The market is still active, but companies are being selective. If you’re going to make a move, it should be for the right reasons—not just to explore.”

Based on what it’s seeing across the market, The SearchWorks Group is encouraging companies to be realistic—and proactive—about hiring.

That means recognizing the generational gaps, being ready to act when strong candidates become available, and making sure compensation, benefits, and career paths are competitive. Just as important, companies need to understand how candidates are thinking right now. Changing jobs carries more perceived risk than it did a few years ago, and that mindset matters.

The SearchWorks Group works closely with electronics manufacturers across North America and Europe, helping them navigate these challenges and secure the talent they need to move forward.

For more information about The SearchWorks Group and its executive search services, visit www.searchworksgroup.com.

Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment for electronics manufacturing in the UK and Ireland, has announced the return of its ‘Factory of the Future’ event for 2026. Taking place from 22–24 September in Buckinghamshire, the three-day event will once again bring together leading manufacturing technologies and suppliers from across the electronics industry.

Following two successful events hosted at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, this year’s Factory of the Future will introduce a new format, and take place inside a customer’s manufacturing facility. The site has recently invested in one of the most advanced SMT lines in the UK, giving attendees the opportunity to see a real high-performance production environment.

Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group, said: “Factory of the Future has always been about giving manufacturers the opportunity to see complete production solutions and technologies working together across the full assembly process.

“For 2026, we wanted to take that concept even further by hosting the event inside a customer manufacturing facility, giving attendees the opportunity to see how advanced SMT technologies are implemented within a real production operation.

“The event also comes at an important time for the UK and Ireland manufacturing sector. We continue to see strong levels of investment in capital equipment, driven by increasing production demand, major programme opportunities, and manufacturers preparing for future growth.”

The host company, which will be revealed closer to the event, is a UK-based OEM developing and manufacturing a high-technology product range with significant market potential and ambitious production forecasts. The facility serves as the company’s key technology centre and will offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about an important future-focused technology and how it is manufactured at scale.

The SMT line on display will represent a full turnkey assembly solution delivered by Altus in partnership with Fuji, highlighting Altus’ capability as a complete manufacturing solutions provider. The line will feature a broad range of SMT processes, including board handling, laser marking, screen printing, solder paste jetting, SPI, pick-and-place, vacuum reflow, and 3D AOI inspection.

Alongside SMT assembly technologies, the event will also showcase conventional assembly solutions supporting through-hole automation, back-end processes such as conformal coating and cleaning, component management systems designed to improve traceability and handling efficiency, and a broad range of manufacturing consumables, further highlighting Altus’ turnkey manufacturing offering.

Registrations for the event will open soon. For more information, visit www.altusgroup.co.uk