LHM increases production capacity by purchasing new selective soldering machine from Kurtz Ersa

The new selective soldering machine at LHM is in full use.

LHM NV located in Geel, Belgium, has been an established player in the electronics sector for many years. They specialise in the assembly of electronic devices and semi-finished products. Today, they employ 25 permanent staff who ensure precise finishing and strict quality control. They recently bought their third soldering machine from Kurtz Ersa. We had a talk with Johan Coomans, co-director of LHM.

LHM can now call itself an international player in electronics. What started as a one-man business in classic SMD assembly is 35 years later a full-fledged player for machine PCB assembly.

Like any player in this sector, LHM is currently facing challenges. “The chip shortage and associated price increase is currently our biggest challenge,” Johan explains. “The average lead-time used to be 5 – 6 weeks and we could order just-in-time. If we buy PCB components today, we have to wait months for delivery. Now we use as much of our own capital as possible to replenish our stock.”

The component shortage will not be completely solved immediately, but improvement is definitely on the way. LHM, meanwhile, is making the most of what they have now as well as continuing to invest in the future.

As the world becomes increasingly digital, more intelligent electronics are needed.

High-quality PCB assembly is a priority at LHM

Complex PCBs

The world is becoming increasingly digital which means more intelligent electronics are needed. PCB designs are getting smaller, board complexity is increasing. “We follow the market closely and adapt quickly. Today, we are very strongly committed to high quality and extensive testing. This requires the necessary investments at the right time.”

Selective soldering with Kurtz Ersa

To meet rising production demand, LHM recently invested in a second selective soldering machine from Kurtz Ersa. “We have had a wave soldering machine from that brand for several years that we are very satisfied with. But selective soldering has been on the rise in recent years. When we received a very large production order, the logical step was to invest in a selective soldering machine.”

The Versaflow 3/35 FF has multiple selective heads that ensure higher throughput. Soldering parameters can be adjusted per solder joint which ensures the highest quality. “Soldering a panel consisting of 2 boards takes 8 minutes on the wave soldering machine Ecoselect while on the new machine Versaflow 3/35 FF only 3 minutes. We do need a little more technical baggage on the select soldering machine but for this we are well supported at Smans and the supplier Kurtz Ersa.”

Local partner

LHM deliberately chose a local partner. “With a view to quick service in case of machine downtime and periodic maintenance by technical professionals, Smans was a logical choice for us,” Johan concludes. “Due to years of cooperation, there is mutual trust. Smans’ strong network ensures that they always have the right machine solutions in their portfolio.”