Category: Company News

Advantek Corporate Social Responsibility During COVID-19

Despite the devastating impact of COVID-19 on people and businesses around the world in 2020, Advantek Corporate Social Responsibility has continued in the Philippines but in a slightly different way.

The site has supported both online teaching and classroom education by donating e-learning equipment such as laptops, calculators, printer ink/paper, and televisions. Along with that, they have donated hygiene and COVID sanitizing kits to low-income STEM and elementary school students in public schools near Advantek to help them continue their studies despite lockdowns and other COVID-related challenges.

“Through this simple act, we help these students continue their education and achieve their dreams,” says Rose Lera, Human Resources Manager, Philippines.

As we plan for 2021 we look forward to helping in more ways with our Corporate Social Responsibility program.

Advantek Gives Back to Families in Need

As part of Advantek’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, our Eden Prairie office participated in an event, for Project for Pride in Living. It is a Minneapolis, Minnesota non-profit that, “builds the hope, assets, and self-reliance of individuals and families who have lower incomes by providing transformative affordable housing and employment readiness services.” We put together 200 snack packs to be distributed to kids in these families, as they are not receiving the meals they typically would at school, with distanced learning during the pandemic. It was a fun team building event, and we are looking forward to more Corporate Social Responsibility projects in 2021.

Advantek Announces Industry’s First Large Hub 7” LOKREEL

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minnesota, USA. 22 September 2020—Advantek, Inc., the world’s leading provider of precision component packaging systems, recently added an enhanced packaging reel to their advanced line of products.

Advantek announces the industry’s first large hub 7” LOKREEL, expanding its industry leadership position in delivering plastic reel solutions.  This new RE reel design has a 5” hub diameter, providing the perfect solution for customers needing to put large die on a 7” reel or ship lower meter count reels.  The new RE reels are available in white and black and in widths of 8mm, 12mm, 16mm and 24mm, enabling new options in packaging efficiencies.

The large hub RE reels are available for immediate shipment, please contact your local Advantek office for additional product details.

About Advantek, Inc.

Advantek carrier tape safeguards the delivery of delicate components for computers, mobile phones, LED applications, medical devices, smart appliances, automotive systems and other technological products.

Advantek is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Robert Family Holdings (RFH) since 1992. RFH is a privately-held, family business with origins dating to 1946. RFH is focused on growth management and acquisition of high-value manufacturing companies. Identification of growth opportunities, technological development, and commitment to customers are the core elements of the RFH strategy.

Supporting Diversity in the Engineering Workplace

What is the most valuable asset of an organization?

Some might argue the real value lies in the investments, the equipment, or the inventory. Miget Perez, Vice President of Human Resources at Advantek, says the most valuable “asset” of any organization is none of those—it’s the people. The people define the strategy, implement the processes, develop the technology, and discover new solutions.

“To work in a space where our primary goal is to attract, develop and retain the company’s greatest asset is a privilege,” says Perez. “It’s my job to help our people, Advantek employees, be the best that they can be.”

Perez has spent the last five years of her career working alongside engineers and other professionals in the semiconductor industry. As a Vice President at Advantek, she’s noticed one significant trend in the industry, and it does not appear to be changing anytime soon.

This trend (or, lack of one) specifically follows women in engineering. The number of women pursuing careers as engineers has been at a standstill.

Over the past 18 years, women have increased their numbers in many professions previously dominated by men, including law, business, medicine, and other STEM fields in the U.S. However, the number of women in engineering in the U.S. has not increased since the early 2000s. SWE, the Society of Women Engineers, reports that out of all the engineers in the United States, only 13% are women.

Conducted research tries to understand why such significant gender gaps exist in engineering today. Some studies suggest the issue stems due to organizational climate or the difference between men and women’s pay. Perez believes an important contributor could be a lack of effort to promote diversity from organizations in the industry.

“Promoting diversity in the workplace is a key step to changing the trend,” says Perez. “At Advantek, our gender diversity index is 40%. Introducing more women to key positions—technical, managerial, or leadership—will encourage more women to pursue careers and industries that have a predominantly male population.”

Perez also suggests companies and organizations make an effort to help more women meet personal challenges that coincide with their careers.

“We can help introduce and retain female engineers by providing a workplace that supports them in managing family demands,” says Perez. “Examples are leave policies, options for flexible work arrangements, provision for child care, and so on. We need to encourage and help women who are at the stage of raising a family to stay active in their career or come back to the workplace.”

Any organization can benefit from a diverse workforce. Diversity brings strategic benefits and value to a business. While the number of women in engineering might be slim, their skills and abilities are obviously not.

“Women, like men, are technically capable, sound decision makers, and effective leaders,” says Perez. “They communicate effectively and tend to be inclusive. They make others feel included, valued, and listened to.”

The first step to closing the gender gap in engineering is to address the problem. Organizations and companies need to understand the value of diversity and the obstacles women might approach when entering the field. Perez is confident the trend can change if organizations and young professionals pursuing careers face the challenge together.

“To women considering a career in engineering: approach other women in the field and talk about your ideas and challenges. Recognize your strengths and leverage those strengths to excel, create value, and make a difference. Together we can work to see the best possibilities for every organization’s most valuable ‘asset’.”

Four Teams of Experts, One Powerful Goal

At Advantek, we believe in the power of excellent engineering. Earlier this year, the company established four new engineering teams of experts that strive to implement excellence in a strategic way.  

Advantek manufactures and delivers industry-leading carrier tape for customers across the world. From large mechanical devices to advanced micro-components, the company offers a variety of solutions that promise to carry and protect any device.

In order to produce high-precision tape, the company uses an array of manufacturing processes. Each process excels with its own unique set of capabilities. Yet, all are tailored to produce the most dependable designs and solutions available in the industry.

Recently, the company created and assigned four teams of experts to focus on their manufacturing processes. The goal? To excel in productivity and technology leadership. They work to utilize the company’s engineering resources and capabilities in the most effective way possible.

These team are called Centers of Excellence (CoE).  Teams of engineers make up each CoE and welcome the challenge and responsibility to advance manufacturing technologies. The teams focus on productivity, quality, and process advancements. Engineers are encouraged to be innovative and forward-thinking in developing new carrier tape solutions.

“The ideas that can result from CoE discussions can never be replaced by any other method”, says Todd Oliverius, Senior Mechanical Engineering Designer. “Working in a team can be inspiring, and fun, which leads to increased productivity and creativity around advancing our manufacturing processes and technologies.”

Together, the CoE’s collaborate to produce the most advanced technologies in the industry. They are responsible for overseeing and managing quality, dimensions, product and process designs, and materials related to each manufacturing process. In this way, every concern or question is always addressed by technology experts. Their efforts output industry-leading process capabilities.

“The CoEs are implementing new operational initiatives aimed at optimizing productivity, driving down costs, and improving quality,” says Tom Skrtic, V.P. of Engineering. “We’ve already seen many improvements implemented with more to follow. The teams are also focused on long-term goals within their area of expertise–adding equipment to the processes to make them more precise and robust. The teams are actively working on multiple ways to improve processes, materials, and technologies now and in the future.”

SEMICON Taiwan 2018 Recap

Photo © SEMICON Taiwan

Since 1971, SEMICON Taiwan has committed to helping its members grow and learn more about their markets and industry challenges. Serving as a global industry association, SEMI supports the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronics, display and photovoltaic industries. The association connects industry leaders and innovators with the purpose to drive smarter, faster, and more economical products each year.

In early September, Advantek exhibited alongside hundreds of other global members at SEMICON Taiwan 2018. This year’s conference focused on connecting, collaborating, and innovation. The event saw more than 36,000 visitors and displayed over 600 exhibitors.

Advantek’s booth saw new and long-time customers, all stopping by to meet with our Taiwan sales team. Many discussed new carrier tape solutions for their current and future packaging needs. Other discussions centered around precision fit for advanced semiconductors, WLFOP, chip scale packages, and bare die.

“We joined SEMICON over 20 years ago. Every year, we enjoy meeting with customers and experiencing everything the show has to offer,” says Jessica Wu, Taiwan Sales Manager.

SEMICON Taiwan 2018 proved to be another excellent event for Advantek to join forces with other industry leaders and connect with our dedicated customers from around the world.

For more information on SEMICON Taiwan, visit here.

SMT Hybrid Packaging Conference 2018 Recap

Photo: © 2018 Mesago/Mathias Kutt

With more than 430 exhibitors, all presenting new innovations and solutions for microelectronic assemblies and systems, the SMT Hybrid Packaging Conference is one of the largest trade shows in the industry. From June 5 to June 7, global contributors in microelectronics gathered in Nuremburg, Germany to display their advanced products and technologies. Among those exhibitors was Advantek, a recognized leader in manufacturing precision component delivery systems.

This year’s SMT conference was a great platform for Advantek to display new products and solutions to customers from around the world. High precision developments and Advantek’s most recent design enhancements for complex tapes were a standout at the trade show, drawing new customers and downstream users.

Photo: Axel Held

SMT 2018 proved that the positive developments from last year’s conference are advancing, and the interest in precision component delivery systems continues to grow.

“The detailed discussions we had with customers and industry partners on a wide array of products and new innovations will continue to expand our role as the leading solutions provider throughout Europe.”  said Axel Held, Director Sales EMEA at Advantek.

Advantek Taiwan Gives Back to Families in Need

In today’s global economy, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to be present in the communities where they operate. In 2017, as part of Advantek’s Corporate Social Responsibility program, the company committed to giving back to help drive social and environmental change.

Last summer, Advantek Taiwan decided to reach out into their surrounding communities in a meaningful way. The branch joined forces with United Way of Taiwan. United Way is a national Social Welfare Group. They work on building communities by engaging all who need help, especially families living in the countryside, that might be overlooked.

With the help of the organization, Advantek Taiwan reached out to approximately 40 families with children who could benefit from the help of United Way’s resources and assistance.

Depending on each family’s needs, Advantek Taiwan Human Resources prepared packages that contained daily necessities and supplies that Advantek staff personally delivered to each family. Due to summer vacation from school, most of the families were not able to look after their children during the day and could not afford childcare. United Way offered each family childcare and Advantek funded daily lunches for the children. As a final activity, Advantek volunteers took the children to the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park for a one-day outing–a very special treat for children from low-income families.

“The purpose of this project was to assist families materially and spiritually,” says Brenda Feng, Human Resources Manager for Advantek Taiwan. “We wanted to instill hope, increase confidence, and help the families remain positive in the face of major challenges. We wanted to share the principles of Advantek and help–from the outside and the inside, too.”

For more information, contact Josie Parker at josie.parker@advantek.com.

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