MANUFACTURING SUCCESS DRIVEN BY INNOVATION
Aqueous Technologies (Corona, CA) designs and manufactures defluxing systems, ultrasonic stencil cleaners and cleanliness testing systems for a wide variety of printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies.
Innovation is at the heart of Aqueous’ success. The company’s commitment to expanding its product line continually is exemplified by the many industry awards, 19 in all, won by Aqueous. These awards amount to more than the combined total of all their competitors. They include Global SMT & Packaging magazine’s 2006 Global Technology Award, EMAsia magazine’s 2006 Innovation Award and SMT magazine’s Vision Award in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
From the start, in 1992, Aqueous Technologies has been driven to think outside-the-box. This approach has enabled them to produce leading-edge technologies that are faster, more powerful and more effective than anything else available in the marketplace, while maintaining the best value in the industry.
The most recent example of innovation is the recently introduced Trident series. As the fourth-generation automatic defluxing system, Trident is reported to be the fastest batch-format system available and represents the next generation of lead-free compatible, fully automatic post-reflow defluxing systems.
Michael Konrad, Aqueous Technologies’ president and CEO, notes, “Trident is the most flexible system available today and represents a culmination of more than 20 years of batch-format defluxing equipment experience.
Developing innovative technologies requires a great deal of collaboration. Ron Rumrill, the company’s engineering manager and designer of many of the company’s products, states, “There’s nothing more frustrating than having a good idea that is abandoned because it’s either too expensive or the parts are not readily available.
By having c3 as a valued supplier, we can pick what we need rather than just settle for what’s in-stock locally.
Freedom to Innovate
Aqueous began doing business with c3controls because Rumrill believed Aqueous could get better deals on electrical contactors, push buttons, disconnect and selector switches, and motor protection devices than a longtime, nearby vendor was offering. “I was instantly impressed when I saw the c3controls website. The published pricing and immediate availability were a tremendous improvement over the uncertainty that I was accustomed to with our previous suppliers,” says Rumrill.
c3controls has the same high quality as other vendors, but gives me more bang for my buck,” says Hall. “Despite the fact that we’re three time zones away from c3controls, we get parts from them as quickly as we did from the local vendor, and with a new pricing level that’s ideal.”
With c3controls providing competitive pricing, Aqueous is able to create unique products the market wants while maintaining control of the bottom-line.
"Free shipping on volume orders over certain amounts, as well as guaranteed same-day shipping are just what we need. Those benefits show that c3controls stands behind their commitment to customer service and does more than talk a good game. Clearly, c3controls’ product quality and service are helping Aqueous stay ahead of the competition,” says Hall.
What the Future Brings
As Aqueous embarks on the development of a new generation of machines, c3controls is enabling the company to develop a wide variety of specifications for those products.
“Our customers are always giving us new challenges, intentionally or not,” Hall says enthusiastically. “With new soldering processes being developed all the time, we have to make sure that our automated cleaners meet stringent cleanliness specifications and ever-increasing environmental legislation. If we don’t, you can be sure that somebody else’s will.” c3controls’ competitive pricing has given Aqueous the flexibility to use whichever contactors, push buttons, disconnect switches, selector switches and motor protection devices work best for a particular application.
“By having c3 as a valued supplier, we can pick what we need rather than just settle for what’s in-stock locally.” – David Hall, Material Planner
