Speedline celebrates 55th anniversary of Electrovert(R)

Speedline Technologies recently celebrated the 55th anniversary of its Electrovert brand. Founded in October 1951 by Nicholas J. Fodor, Electrovert is an industry leader in wave soldering, reflow soldering and cleaning of circuit assemblies and components.

Although Electrovert began on the 13th of the month, its rich history of innovation and quality products has been anything but unlucky for the electronics industry. In 1957, Electrovert introduced the concept of mass soldering to North America and followed that with development of the Lambda wave, which literally "shaped" the wave soldering process.

Originally headquartered in Montreal, the company added facilities in LaPrairie, Quebec and eventually merged with Dee Electric as part of its acquisition by UK conglomerate, Cookson Group plc. This was a complex deal that took place from 1981 to 1983, and resulted in doubling Electrovert's manufacturing capacity with the addition of a large facility in Camdenton, Missouri, which remains its primary plant today. Electrovert experienced rapid growth in the mid-1990s under CEO Michael Mittag, adding an innovative reflow soldering line, augmenting its cleaning business and acquiring several patented technologies in its purchase of Hollis Automation.

Speedline was created in 1998 as a synergistic union of several Cookson Group companies in the electronics assembly business. Pierre de Villemejane became president in 2001, leading Accel, Camalot, Electrovert, MPM and the Protect brand of support and training solutions. Speedline has headquarters in Franklin, Massachusetts, offices in Europe and Asia, and sales and support channels throughout the world. Cookson sold Speedline to KPS in 2003. On November 8, 2006, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) acquired Speedline as part of its growing portfolio of electronics industry companies.

Electrovert has the highest brand recognition of any soldering company in the business. Over 300 patents have been issued to the company during its long history of innovation and industry leadership. Many of its designs, such as dual wave/dual pump soldering, coN2tour(R) inert boundary soldering, convection preheating, reflow with NitroCool, and Hurricane Jet(TM) cleaning systems have become integral to the success of the world's largest OEM and contract printed circuit assembly manufacturers. Electrovert's process expertise, lead-free initiatives and new product designs have driven strong growth since the electronics downturn a few years ago, firmly positioning the company as a core component of Speedline Technologies and an innovative leader in the industry.