Acquisition adds 18 years of design experience

Jaltek Systems has acquired independent contract electronic design specialist Abra Cad, adding 18 years of design experience to its portfolio and building on an existing four year strategic alliance.

Jaltek Systems has acquired independent contract electronic design specialist Abra Cad, adding 18 years of design experience to its portfolio and building on an existing four year strategic alliance to provide added value to their growing client base.

Eight years of solid growth is quite an achievement at the best of times.

At the worst of times, it seems hardly possible, yet since its inception in 1997, premier UK EMS provider Jaltek Systems has shown it can be done, bucking the trend by growing ten-fold through the worst recession the electronics industry has ever faced.

This is thanks to a business strategy that, from the outset, led it away from the then more lucrative, but soon after declining markets targeted by most of its competitors, and into demanding niche markets that have flourished despite the downturn.

Jaltek Systems' success relies too on enhancing its service through strategic alliances with dynamic companies such as Abra Cad.

Over the past four years, Jaltek Systems and its like-minded design partner have worked closely together, complementing each others' offerings and sharing a mutual engineering philosophy.

The alliance worked so well for both companies that it was a natural step for them to become part of the same organisation.

Abra Cad has over 18 years experience using leading CADCAM design tools.

Abra Cad offers all aspects of the design flow, from conceptual design, through schematic capture and PCB design to pre- and post layout signal integrity and EMC analysis, the service, culminating in a product with optimum manufacturability using the Valor toolset for design for manufacture (DFM) simulation.

Abra Cad provides services to all industry sectors, including embedded systems, RF and consumer products.

Jaltek Systems Sales Director, Steve Pittom, explains why the acquisition of Abra Cad is so important for Jaltek: "Our value add value engineering (J-VAVE) service is a significant part of our service offering".

"By applying it right from the outset of any project, our clients benefit from optimised design for manufacture, test and procurement".

"It's so effective that 70% of our clients use it".

"But 'design for' efficiencies can be taken even further, and this is where Abra Cad comes in".

"With Abra Cad on board, we can add design flow to the J-VAVE offering".

"This is extremely powerful for our customers and provides a significant differentiator for Jaltek Systems".

Its enhanced design function will also enable Jaltek Systems to engage with customers far more effectively at conceptual stage, through design and new product introduction (NPI), and Steve Pittom believes that Jaltek Systems will see increased VAVE involvement with both existing and new customers.

"In a similar way, Abra Cad's client base will benefit from a complete post design manufacturing service", offered Abra Cad's Technical Director, Chris Day.

"The acquisition allows us to develop the synergies within both customer bases and add value through our joint expertise".

But it doesn't stop here, Jaltek Systems recently announced strategic alliance with Swedish company Note, will give its clients access to the entire EMS offering.

"We effectively become a full EMS provider offering NPI and low volume assembly in Luton, medium to high volume in Lithuania and margin sensitive product in Estonia", says Steve Pittom.

"At last, OEMs in niche market sectors will have access to a cost effective service equivalent to that offered by tier one global EMS providers".

The growth prospects are potentially huge as new customers are attracted by a complete design to high volume production service offering.

As if to underscore the fact that clients will be free to choose part or all of the service offering, Jaltek Systems and Abra Cad will remain on separate sites, working autonomously as well as synergistically.

"The reaction to the acquisition has been very positive", concludes Pittom.

"Existing customers have welcomed the advantages of a stronger, broader service and all our employees are excited".

For here too, Jaltek Systems bucks the trend: far from resulting in lost jobs, both companies see the acquisition as creating more jobs and better employee prospects.

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