Mek (Marantz Electronics) has returned from last week’s IPC APEX EXPO in Anaheim. With a reported turnout of around 9,000 attendees, the event provided a solid opportunity to touch base with the industry and gauge the current direction of North American manufacturing.
The show itself was steady, and for our team, it was a productive three days of reconnecting with long-time partners and meeting new faces looking to solve real-world inspection challenges.
The Ongoing Relevance of Desktop and THT AOI
While much of the buzz at APEX usually surrounds large-scale, fully autonomous inline systems, the activity at the Mek booth told a slightly different story. Our Desktop AOI and THT (Through-Hole Technology) inspection systems were the clear focal points for many visitors.
It’s common for major brands to treat desktop AOI and THT inspection solutions as a secondary concern these days, shifting their focus almost entirely to high-speed inline machines. However, our conversations in Anaheim reinforced that this doesn’t align with the reality for many US-based manufacturers.
Supporting the Full Spectrum of Manufacturing
We continue to receive steady inquiries for desktop and THT machines from across the USA. We understand that for many assemblers, particularly those focused on NPI , low-to-medium volumes, or specialised military and aerospace work, a full inline setup isn’t always the right fit.
Our focus remains on providing these manufacturers with the same level of inspection quality as our larger systems, but in a flexible, space-efficient format.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit the Mek booth last week. It was helpful to hear your feedback directly and to see how our THT and desktop solutions, as well as our full 3D AOI inline systems, are helping you maintain quality standards.