Specialist printed circuit board knowledge combined with common sense leads to success

Erwin Lemmens, Harold de Gruyter and Eric van de Loo are at the helm of AQC in Helmond, specializing in supplying customized PCBs for various industries. The young company has grown into an established company. The secret of its success? Expertise and extensive experience in supplying high-quality PCBs, a good team spirit, a lot of attention to service and support and common sense.

The business owners of AQC already had extensive experience in the PCB world before they decided to start their own company in 2014. Lemmens: "For us, passion and enthusiasm for the profession are the starting point. From there, we want to grow further and distinguish ourselves from others in the PCB world." De Gruyter adds. "An important pillar to success are motivated employees. We make sure that the atmosphere in the company is good, with the right people in the right place so that everyone enjoys their work. In terms of technology, we believe it is important to provide quality, not only by using our knowledge and experience, but also by using our farm sense. For us, this means, among other things, that you should not apply expensive or complex technologies if they are not necessary. You have to be able to anticipate unexpected situations and always maintain transparent communication with customers."

Laboratory

AQC's production sites are spread across several continents. Lemmens: "Everything hinges on choosing the right partners. That is why we have audited them ourselves and regularly check whether they still meet the predetermined standards." De Gruyter: "To provide the quality our customers deserve, we have set up a laboratory here in Helmond where, among other things, we carry out quality checks. Soon an X-ray machine, the Glenbrook 100T, will also be showing off here so that we can check the wafer-thin copper layers stacked on top of each other with various compounds without destructive methods. We can work faster and easier with this machine and see more of our products. And should we discover any irregularities during our checks, our quality manager will communicate transparently so that we can act quickly. Moreover, we have various facets in house to correct any errors that may arise on site in Helmond."

Conditioned warehouse

AQC also has a conditioned warehouse. De Gruyter: "Companies that buy larger series from us benefit from production costs on larger volumes while we also offer them the option of storing the products with us. That way, we help them with inventory storage and cash flow. We are more than a supplier of printed circuit boards. We want to be an extension of our customers and give them a helping hand whenever possible."

Offering good service, both gentlemen consider an important USP of AQC. Lemmens: "In many companies, far too little attention is paid to service and support. This is different with us. For example, when companies start a development, they often do not yet know in detail the route they will take. They can also come to us during this preliminary phase so that we can advise on material choices and explain the level of complexity they want and the price implications of certain choices. By including us in this, we can help to ultimately arrive at the best solution. We do this, of course, without charging additional fees."

Lemmens and De Gruyter take pride in their venture and how the company has grown so quickly. "We at AQC want to be known as those who use farm sense. That's why, in honor of our fifth anniversary, we placed a life-size statue of a print farmer in our front yard: a farmer with circuit boards in his hand. It's a daily reminder of what it's all about for us: offering specialized PCB knowledge combined with farmer's sense. This has not hurt us so far."