Automation Technical Services

What Automation Technical Services does

Automation Technical Services Inc. (ATS) is a privately held, founder-owned micro-company founded in 2002 in San Diego, California, by Kelvin Wiley, a former seven-year Applications Engineer at Quad. The firm specializes in aftermarket technical solutions for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) automation problems on legacy Quad/Tyco Pick & Place assembly equipment, serving contract manufacturers and OEMs in medical, defense/aerospace, and consumer electronics.

The company's product portfolio centers on three pillars: (1) proprietary electronic tape feeders (SlimPro, Standard Pro, and Leaderless models) that enable existing Quad/Tyco machines to accurately place 0201 and 0402 components in 2mm pitch tape to within +/- .003 inches, each shipped with a Certificate of Repeatability and a lifetime guarantee; (2) the patented Cut Tape Feeder Finger, a retrofittable accessory that handles cut tape as short as 6 inches, loads in under 10 seconds, and eliminates splicing downtime; and (3) reconditioned MPM/AccuFlex and Ultra Print series screen printers upgraded with industrial-grade computing, closed-loop dual-beam optics vision, automatic paste dispense, and SPC data collection, alongside a Quad Tyco feeder reconditioning service. ATS reports that only 12 of 2,500+ feeders sold since inception have been returned for service and that its feeders reduce component loss by 98% and extend equipment life by 5-10 years.

ATS operates a direct-to-customer go-to-market with no reseller or distributor network, accepting quote-based orders via phone (619-302-6970), email ([email protected]), and its website contact form, including ad-hoc international orders outside the U.S. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (feeders and reconditioned printers), reconditioning services, and multi-year preventive-maintenance service agreements. The firm has 1-10 employees, no disclosed outside funding, and is operated as a bootstrapped lifestyle business focused on a narrow, durable niche in legacy SMT automation support.

Name

Automation Technical Services

Legal name

Automation Technical Services Inc.

Website

https://automationtechservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surface Mount Technology (SMT) Assembly Equipment

NAICS

Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (33411), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555), Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)

akta.pro primary industry

Back-End/Advanced Packaging Equipment (Die Attach/Wire Bond/Flip-Chip/TCB) (HDAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Surface mount technology equipment
• Electronic tape feeders
• Pick and place automation
• Screen printer reconditioning
• SMT assembly components

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Electronic Tape Feeder Sales: Sale of proprietary SlimPro, Standard Pro, and Leaderless electronic tape feeders for SMT assembly equipment. Products extend equipment life by 5-10 years and enable compatibility with 0201 components.
2. Equipment Reconditioning Services: Reconditioning service for Quad Tyco feeders and MPM/AccuFlex screen printers, bringing equipment to 'like new' condition. Includes preventive maintenance service agreements.
3. Cut Tape Feeder Finger Sales: Sale of patented cut tape feeder fingers that attach to existing feeders, improving efficiency and reducing component waste.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Automation Technical Services designs, manufactures, and sells Surface Mount Technology (SMT) automation equipment, including patented Cut Tape Feeder Fingers and SlimPro/Standard Pro/Leaderless electronic tape feeders engineered for Quad/Tyco Pick & Place platforms. The company also reconditions MPM/AccuFlex screen printers and Quad Tyco feeders to like-new condition, and offers preventive maintenance service agreements to extend SMT equipment life by 5-10 years.

Product overview

Automation Technical Services provides technical solutions for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) automation problems, specializing in equipment for Quad/Tyco Pick & Place assembly systems. The product portfolio centers on three main offerings: (1) electronic tape feeders (SlimPro, Standard Pro, and Leaderless Feeders) that enable existing Quad/Tyco equipment to handle 0201 and 0402 components with 98% reduction in component loss; (2) the Cut Tape Feeder Finger accessory that attaches to existing feeders to eliminate splicing and reduce changeover times; and (3) reconditioning services for MPM/AccuFlex screen printers and Quad Tyco feeders to extend equipment life by 5-10 years. All ATS tape feeders ship with a Certificate of Repeatability and carry a lifetime guarantee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cut Tape Feeder Finger: Product designed to improve feeder efficiency by reducing changeover and setup times, handling cut tape and eliminating splicing.
• SlimPro/StndPro Electronic Tape Feeders
• Ultra Print & AccuFlex Series Screen Printers
• Quad Tyco Feeder Reconditioning

Products and services

• Cut Tape Feeder Finger Patented feeder accessory that attaches to existing electronic tape feeders to handle cut tape directly, eliminating the need for splicing or strip feeders. Loads in under 10 seconds, accepts cut tape as short as 6 inches, and reduces component waste and cover tape jams for SMT manufacturers using Quad/Tyco Pick & Place equipment.
• SlimPro Electronic Tape Feeder Electronic tape feeder designed to accurately pick 0201 and 0402 components in 2mm pitch tape to within +/- .003 inches. Compatible and interchangeable with all Quad Tyco assembly equipment platforms, and ships with a Certificate of Repeatability and lifetime guarantee. Targets OEM and contract manufacturers seeking to extend Quad/Tyco equipment life and reduce component loss by 98%.
• Standard Pro (StndPro) Electronic Tape Feeder Electronic tape feeder variant for 0201 and 0402 components in 2mm pitch tape, programmable for 8x2mm or 8x4mm configurations. Compatible with all Quad Tyco assembly equipment platforms, ships with Certificate of Repeatability and lifetime guarantee.
• Leaderless Electronic Tape Feeder Leaderless variant electronic tape feeder for Quad Tyco assembly equipment, accepting 0201 and 0402 components. Ships with Certificate of Repeatability and lifetime guarantee, designed for OEM and contract manufacturers seeking to extend the life of Quad/Tyco Pick & Place platforms.
• Ultra Print 1500 Screen Printer Reconditioned Ultra Print 1500 full auto inline stencil printer upgraded with an industrial-grade P4 computer running Windows XP, closed-loop dual-beam optics vision system, automatic paste dispense, power-assisted stencil load, vacuum stencil cleaning, and SPC data collection. Sold to SMT manufacturers seeking like-new MPM/AccuFlex printer performance.
• AccuFlex Screen Printer Reconditioned AccuFlex full auto inline stencil printer featuring closed-loop dual-beam optics vision, full process parameters, automatic paste dispense with low material sensor, and environmental control unit for temperature and humidity. Sold to SMT manufacturers as a like-new alternative to new MPM printer purchases.
• UP-400 Screen Printer Reconditioned MPM UP-400 screen printer brought to like-new condition with upgrades including a new industrial computer and latest printer software. Sold to SMT manufacturers, including contract manufacturers such as Memory Experts International USA, often bundled with yearly preventive maintenance service agreements.
• Quad Tyco Feeder Reconditioning Service Reconditioning service that restores worn-out Quad Tyco feeders to like-new condition using trained technicians with deep product knowledge. Targets SMT manufacturers seeking to extend the life and reliability of existing feeder fleets without full replacement.
• Quad QSA-30 Series Feeders Quad Tyco QSA-30 series electronic tape feeders for SMT assembly equipment, available in SlimPro and Standard Pro configurations. Listed under ATS's product gallery for SMT manufacturers using legacy Quad/Tyco platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces component loss by 98%
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Essemtec: Essemtec develops flexible SMT pick-and-place systems, feeders, and production solutions. Its feeder and placement technology is comparable to ATS's equipment and accessories for small-component assembly.
• Europlacer: Europlacer manufactures SMT pick-and-place machines and related assembly equipment. It serves the same electronics-production workflow and offers solutions that overlap with the placement equipment supported by ATS.
• ITW EAE: ITW's Electronics Assembly Equipment division includes MPM stencil printers and other SMT production equipment. It is particularly comparable to ATS's reconditioning, upgrading, and servicing of MPM/AccuFlex screen printers.
• Universal Instruments: Universal Instruments supplies SMT assembly platforms, including placement equipment, feeders, and related production tools. Its feeder and assembly-line capabilities directly overlap ATS's focus on supporting surface-mount production.
• Yamaha Robotics: Yamaha Robotics provides surface-mount placement systems and factory-automation equipment. Its placement machines and electronic component-handling products serve a highly comparable electronics-manufacturing use case.
• JUKI: JUKI offers SMT placement machines, electronic feeders, and integrated electronics-assembly solutions. It competes for the same contract-manufacturing and OEM equipment budgets that ATS addresses with feeder products and services.
• Hanwha Momentum: Hanwha Momentum supplies surface-mount placement machines, feeders, and turnkey electronics-assembly solutions. It directly competes in the same pick-and-place automation category used by ATS's contract-manufacturing and OEM customers.
• FUJI: FUJI manufactures NXT and other surface-mount placement systems with associated feeder technology. It is a direct category peer because its equipment automates the same component-placement workflows supported by ATS feeders.

Broad incumbents

• Mycronic: Mycronic offers SMT assembly systems under its electronics-manufacturing solutions alongside adjacent electronics and advanced-packaging equipment. It is a broader incumbent with overlapping production-automation customers and technology.
• ASMPT: ASMPT provides SIPLACE surface-mount placement systems and a broad electronics-assembly equipment portfolio. It is comparable as an established incumbent serving the same OEM and contract-manufacturing production environment as ATS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automation-technical-svc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automation Technical Services