K&F Electronics Increases Production with Europlacer Equipment in 30,000 Sq Ft Facility

When Earl Kincaid founded K&F Electronics in 1972 in the Detroit suburb of Fraser, Michigan, they were a standard PCB manufacturer, enjoying success with their loyal customer base. By 2019, Earl’s son Rick and grandson Sean Kincaid, now at the helm as President, quickly realized companies buying domestic PCB’s were becoming few and far between. They decided the only way to avoid losing the business completely was to adapt and offer assembly services at K&F.

“Our vision was to expand from just making PCB’s to offering everything,” explained Sean. “PCB design, PCB fabrication and PCB assembly services, becoming a one-stop-shop, or ‘the Amazon of electronics manufacturing’ as we like to call it.” By being able to provide a variety of services to their customers, the Kincaid family aimed to cast a wider net and drive revenue up.

An important step in bringing this dream to fruition was aquiring PCBA assembly equipment. Sean reached out to the local equipment manufacturers’ reps, and Brad Kendall of Quality Associates responded. Kendall has a strong background in industrial and automotive electronics and knew Europlacer would be a great fit at K&F, so he made the introduction.

Europlacer, with its high-mix, reliable, and innovative products, could provide smart solutions to complex manufacturing challenges, aligning perfectly with K&F Electronics’ vision for the future. However, Kincaid was worried about the cost of upgrading to a new machine. He had heard that upgrading SMT equipment could set him back six figures. He was pleasantly surprised to discover that wasn’t true.

“When you purchase a machine with Europlacer it’s all custom. You can choose how many turrets, nozzles, and feeder types to fit your style of high-mix manufacturing.” Kincaid commented. “Brad Kendall recommended an IICO placement machine and it’s speed increased our capacity by more than 300% and reduced labor costs by five times.”

“Install and training for the IICO line took less than a week and Europlacer was with us throughout the whole process, answering all our questions within an hour, consistently. They didn’t feel like just a supplier, their customer service and the amount they cared about this install made it feel like they were part of our company.”

In 2023, as the K&F Electronics customer base grew thanks to the new capabilities offered because of the Europlacer equipment, they realized they needed another machine. Kincaid turned once again to Brad from Quality Associates and Chris Merow from Europlacer. Merow knew that the twin-turret IINEO 2 pick-and-place machine was the right choice to help them expand. “The IINEO 2 is ideal for them because it is simple, is 5X faster than their entry-level machine, features a huge feeder capacity that limits changeovers, uses their existing feeders, and more,” said Merow.

IINEO 2 upgrades the company’s ability to place 20,000 components/hour, real time. With its dual gantries, high feeder count, and integrated intelligence features, the system offers unmatched flexibility, efficiency, and precision. Kincaid added, “Europlacer’s IINEO 2 proves why two heads are better than one.” And with Europlacer’s commitment to providing adaptable solutions for SMT line configurations, K & F Electronics can continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in circuit board design, fabrication, and assembly.

“The IINEO 2 machine’s speed and efficiency have allowed the company to pass savings on to its customers and be more competitive on new bids. Europlacer’s award-winning service is outstanding, with minimal downtime and quick responses to any issues, often remotely at no cost to us.”

The biggest selling point for Kincaid on the IINEO 2 was a phone conversation with Chris Merow prior to buying the IINEO 2.  “Chris painted a picture for me…I wouldn’t have to stay late or work weekends to get a job done, I could have time to spend with my family, rather than at the shop.  I can tell you everything he said that day is true and that decision has given us all a better quality of life, for sure.”

Kincaid concluded, “That’s what I love about Europlacer. They meet you where you’re at and can take you where you want to go.”

Watch the K&F experience with the Europlacer IINEO 2 below