March 19, 2010 – Z-AXIS began its new fiscal year this month with a record backlog, more than 50% higher than the previous year. The US-based electronics design and manufacturing company achieved steady quarter-to-quarter growth during its fiscal year ended Feb. 28, 2010. It is planning for accelerated growth based on current bookings for products to be delivered this year.
“We took several major contract design projects into full production last quarter, with more going into production in March and April,” said Michael Allen, president of Z-AXIS. “Based on these multi-year production contracts alone, we are entering what will be our strongest fiscal year ever. We also have a record number of design projects in the pipeline that will yield additional production orders.”
With both design services and contract manufacturing in one facility, Z-AXIS serves as on on-shore, outsourced electronics product development team for high tech companies. Services include product concept development, feasibility studies, electronic circuit design, printed circuit board layout, prototype builds, pre-production runs and full-scale manufacturing.
Z-AXIS is adding capacity to meet the demand. Over the past few months the company has invested more than $250,000 in additional electronics manufacturing capabilities for its design and manufacturing center in Western New York. The new equipment includes:
- A MyData high-speed pick-and-place line for inserting SMT components onto printed circuit boards, doubling the company’s high-volume production capacity. A second MyData line will continue to support high-mix, low-volume production runs.
- A Westek orbital aqueous cleaner for de-ionized water washing of printed circuit boards. The new closed-loop system has ten times the throughput of the older batch system it replaces, allowing the company to move higher volumes of printed circuit boards through the assembly process.
- A new conformal coating system to seal electronic assemblies and protect them from moisture. This new capability for Z-AXIS is important to a number of customers, particularly those in the military and automotive markets.
“Ongoing investment in high-end equipment is part of our commitment to meeting our customers’ needs,” Allen said. “We believe that is an important factor in our continued growth here in Rochester, NY.”