Etratech Announces Its New Partnership with Summit/ems Corporation

At Etratech we are constantly working to ensure that we are offering our customers the best products and services, which is why we’re excited to announce our new partnership with Summit/ems Corporation. This strategic partnership with the Logansport, IN company will allow us to broaden our manufacturing opportunities as well as expand our international presence.

Summit/ems Corporation, founded in 1993, is an electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company that specializes in providing high quality components, subassembly or final assembly of a diverse range of specialty projects for mid volume markets.

Now, companies that are headquartered in North America will have local access to our design and development services as well as our turnkey manufacturing solutions from our Shenzhen, China facility. We’re pleased to be able to share our knowledge with Summit and its clients. In turn, we will benefit from Summit’s US connections as well as give Etratech the ability to entertain smaller volume projects. And most importantly, our partnership gives us a shared focus on high quality customer service.

To learn more about our engineering and design services, our vertically integrated manufacturing solutions, and our global focus and to view a portfolio of our work, visit our website. And to keep up-to-date on all our company news, follow us on Twitter.

Etratech and the Earth

As Earth Day approaches – April 22 – we’re continuing our efforts to get greener at Etratech.  One recent accomplishment that makes us particularly proud is our recent achievement of ISO 14000 certification. Most of you are probably familiar with what that means, but for those who aren’t, this certification addresses various aspects of environmental management, including improving operations and processes to reduce negative effects on the environment.

At Etratech we aim to be environmentally conscious. These ISO standards will help us improve and revise our current practices.

If you’re a company with an on-premise manufacturing facility like we are, small changes can have a big impact. ISO 14001:2004 maps out the framework for us to follow in order to create an effective environmental management system. For us – and other companies like ours - benefits of ISO 14001:2004 could include:

•  Reduced cost of waste management
• Savings in energy and materials consumption
•  Helping to reduce workplace pollution
•  …and other economic benefits, too!

In the spirit of Earth Day – and really, every day – we’re dedicated to making difference. All of us at Etratech are fully on board with these efforts to be more environmentally-friendly. We hope you’re also embracing the spirit of the day and helping to make the world a little greener!

Extraordinary Elevators

Elevators are a wonderful innovation of convenience and productivity. Many of us enjoy the effortless comfort of an elevator to climb and descend from a number of floors with the push of a button. It is a piece of equipment that’s quite prevalent in modern society and, surprisingly, been around since 236 BC. While the very first elevators were powered by hand or animals, today they’re typically powered by electric motors and feature automatic doors with simple controls. The function of elevators haven’t changed much since its inception; however, designers all around the world have certainly experimented with the aesthetics, structure and capabilities, creating elevators that often warrant a second glance.

The AquaDom in Berlin-Mitte, Germany is one such elevator. Designed by architect Sergei Tchoban, the AquaDom is the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium and holds more than 1,500 tropical fish and over 50 different species. Every hour, about 260,000 gallons of water circulate through the aquarium. Inside this massive aquarium is a two-story glass elevator that has the capacity to hold 48 people. The aquarium elevator cost nearly $17 million to build and is a true feat of architectural engineering. 

Closer to home, the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas features another unusual elevator—one that travels on an incline. Known for its iconic pyramid construction, the structure of the Luxor hotel requires elevators to move at an angle of 39 degrees. The floor of the elevator stays level, so most people do not experience a strong sensation of moving sideways. The inclined nature of this elevator results in a 14-foot horizontal shift from the top to bottom of the hotel. This shift required engineers to pay special attention to reinforcing the elevator cores using superplasticized concrete.

One last elevator to note is the Bailong elevator in Zhangjiajie, China. The Bailong elevator is built into the side of a cliff and rises more than 1000 feet high. It takes people to the top of a huge cliff and took three years to build, at a price of about $19 million. Capable of carrying 50 people, this unusual elevator takes just less than 2 minutes to reach the top. To build it, workers dug lift shafts and tunnels in the quartz sandstone column, and also installed earthquake detectors as a safety precaution. Located in China’s Hunan Province, the Bailong—or “Hundred Dragons”—elevator attracts 5 million visitors every year. 

Different as they are, each one of these amazing elevators shares one simple commonality: they all have a sliding door. In this regard, the Aquadom, Luxor incline elevator, and Bailong are no different from the commercial elevators we use to get to the office or move freight from one level to the next. They’re all controlled by an electrical system that dictates the speed and interval at which the door opens and closes.

An expert manufacturer of advanced electronic controls, Etratech is familiar with the electrical systems that control our elevators. In the past, we’ve even worked with a leading elevator door manufacturer to create the first known wireless freight elevator door control system in the world. For more information about how Etratech can optimize the operation of your elevator, contact us today.

What’s the Reasoning Behind Reshoring?

In an increasingly global economy, there is an interesting trend right now creating a lot of buzz – it’s called re-shoring.  This is essentially a reversal of off-shoring, a movement that many business and manufacturers have taken advantage of for several reasons – among them are cheaper labor costs, a global business presence, 24-hour customer service capability, etc. 

However, as global wages rise, the benefits of off-shoring are beginning to diminish, and many companies are singing the praises of re-shoring their work in order to achieve some of the same goals that were sought when offshoring.  Electronics manufacturing specifically has seen some interesting shifts in location, among other well publicized manufacturing shifts from China to the U.S. 

There are several advantages to having a business operate all under one roof: shorter lead times, eliminated waste, reduced intellectual property regulations, and fewer transport concerns, among other things.  However, the natural drawbacks for bigger companies are obvious – if your sales are global, it makes sense to have more than one location for your business.  This is essentially the same strategy that Jeff Bezos has with Amazon warehouses – go to where the customer is.  From this perspective, it may be desirable for a company with a global presence to continue to establish supply chain strength in places other than the original location of the business.

At Etratech, we’ve taken all of these thoughts and acted on them – with manufacturing bases both here in Burlington and (a recently expanded plant) in China, we can deliver to our customers exactly what they require, and from wherever they require.  At Etratech, the flexibility of having both options to choose from seemed to be the best way to cater to the requests of our customers, depending on their preferences.  It is this desire to better serve our customers that drives our business here at Etratech, and we’ll continue to make decisions based on that commitment. 

Want to weigh in?  Tweet @Etratech, or give us a call, we’d love to hear from you.

Etratech and HVAC Controls Systems

Over the last several years we have seen records fall in the path of extreme weather, both in the U.S. and throughout the world.  Droughts, record-breaking heat, and endlessly lingering winters have shown that our old models and expectations seem to be turning obsolete.  As the weather throughout the world becomes more volatile and unpredictable, people rely increasingly on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning technology (HVAC) to enhance their safety and comfort.  Additionally, as the popularity and practicality of super-efficient “smart homes” increases, the need for those to help improve the technology and efficiency of HVAC systems throughout the world becomes more pronounced.  Who will bring creative and cost-effective solutions to the most pressing problems in this area?

At Etratech, we have established ourselves as an innovative leader in engineering and design, with a proven track record of incorporating new technology into HVAC products.  Our broad experience in this sector has made us a trusted partner for some of the leading manufacturers in the HVAC field.  Working with a number of market leaders, Etratech was able to develop an industry first:  proprietary air balancing technology for heat recovery ventilation.  Many other companies were trying to achieve this goal, but were unable to do so.  Etratech took the lead to create this state-of-the-art technology.  We are proud to stand at the cutting edge of this industry, innovating and manufacturing advanced electronics and controls for maximum performance and efficiency, with products that meet the most stringent international standards of quality.

Even if we can never be certain of what the next weather trend might be, we do know this: residential and commercial HVAC consumers will continue to demand innovative, convenient, and energy-efficient products to meet their demands—now, and for many years to come.

The Evolution of GPS Technology

Originally conceived for the military in the 1970s, the Global Positioning System (GPS) is now a ubiquitous technology that is used in a variety of consumer applications such as car navigations systems, sports devices, freight tracking, child tracking and mobile map applications. The technology hinges on data transmitted from a number of satellites which, when combined, work together to pinpoint your location on a device.  There are a total of 29 satellites that circle the earth twice a day, but a GPS only needs information from 3 to recognize where you are. Each of these 3 satellites calculates the distance between itself and your receiver, allowing the receiver to narrow down the area of your location until it is finally able to determine your exact position.

GPS was first used to help military personnel and transportation units, and it wasn't until 2000 that its popularity boomed commercially. That year, the U.S. military ended the practice of deliberately degrading satellite signals to prevent potential enemies from taking advantage of the technology.

As the accuracy of GPS improved, so did its applications as a civilian tool. Most of us have used a GPS navigator in a car to map the best route to our destination.  Today, GPS navigation systems even come pre-installed in new car models.  If you don’t have a GPS in your car, you most likely have one in your smartphone. The same technology allows you to take advantage of mobile mapping applications that help you find your way.

Beyond navigators, GPS technology has even expanded into the world of sport. Athletes and amateurs alike use GPS devices to help them quantify their successes. Runners use them to calculate miles run; cyclists use them to map routes; golfers use them to gauge the number of yards to the next hole; and hunters use them to discover entire forests.

GPS technology also helps us track people in emergencies. In 1999, the Federal Communications Commission required cell phone companies to include a way to track people when they make 911 calls. A number of companies have even developed GPS child trackers, such as the Spark Nano, which can be slipped into a child’s pocket or backpack to give parents real-time updates on their activities.  GPS technology also gives people a greater degree of control in the shipping process, whether their packages are traveling by land, air or sea. Thanks to GPS, businesses can monitor the location of their valuable freight, as well as its condition and security. Customers can easily track parcels with the click of a mouse, and even get accurate estimates of delivery.

As a specialist in the design, development and manufacture of advanced electronic controls, Etratech has years of experience with the components of GPS technology, especially circuit boards. Through the years, we’ve become experts in the field and have demonstrated a proven ability to optimize existing components, make process improvements and provide our customers with tangible benefits.  For more information about how our engineers can help you design and build a circuit board for your specific GPS application, please contact us today.

In-House Control Design at Etratech

Manufacturing electronic controls is only the start of our service offering here at Etratech. In our minds, true value lies not in the manufacture of a control or board, but in the design of the perfect board for you. Most electronic control companies offer build-to-print services: you, or someone you hire, does the hard work of designing the board, and they simply follow the instructions (or diagram). There’s no ingenuity, analysis, or care for the customer involved.  At Etratech, we specialize in Design-For-Manufacture. That means that not only we will help you design your board and build it for you from the ground up – we’ll also make sure that it’s designed in the most efficient way possible.

Services like manufacturability analysis, prototyping, and full design assistance come in especially handy when working with clients from industries that don’t normally require electronic controls. Not coincidentally, these are some of our most valued customers – they help us develop as designers and innovators. Since it’s rare that such companies will have any type of engineer on staff, our design specialists play a crucial role in bringing often groundbreaking concepts from the idea stage, through a detailed design and testing process, and on to reality. As one more way in which Etratech keeps your needs as a top priority, in-house design-for-manufacture is an underpinning of our mission.