-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Millennium Circuits on The Move
October 31, 2022 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 5 minutes
I recently met with Daniel Thau, CEO of Millennium Circuits Limited, at PCB West. This Pennsylvania-based PCB distributor has been on an expansion path lately, so I asked Daniel to introduce us to MCL and explain where the company is headed. As Daniel says, it’s all about impacting the world in a positive way.
Andy Shaughnessy: It’s nice to meet you. How are things going, Daniel?
Daniel Thau: Things are going well. Great to meet you too.
Shaughnessy: Well, why don’t you start by telling us a little about Millennium Circuits Limited? How long have you all been in business?
Thau: MCL was launched in January 2005. Our core business is the distribution of printed circuit boards. Our customers are typically building complex boards. MCL has the technical expertise to increase their speed to market by 19.8%.
Shaughnessy: Tell us about how you founded the company and give us the back story. What’s your background?
Thau: I grew up in Central Pennsylvania and I went to a community college there called HACC, Harrisburg Area Community College. I specialized in engineering and I got my associate’s degree. At that time, I started the company, and I never went any further with my degree. The company took me in that direction instead of the school direction. We started in January 2005, and now we have about 400 customers across North America and about $20 million in revenue.
Shaughnessy: So, you launched MCL 17 years ago; you don’t look old enough to have spent 17 years in PCBs.
Thau: I started the company when I was 21.
Shaughnessy: What made you decide to be an entrepreneur?
Thau: Well, I had a partner back then. They were doing circuit board assemblies and they were getting manufactured in India and we basically started selling bare printed circuit boards. I really liked it, because it was a fast-paced environment and that fits my personality well. About three years into it, I bought him out and that’s when business took off. We built our building about seven years ago. It’s about 10,000 square feet and it’s about 6,000 square feet of office and the rest is inspection and warehouse and things like that.
Shaughnessy: So, you’re not doing actual fabrication?
Thau: We do not have in-house manufacturing. We have strategic partners overseas in domestic, and we take a right-fit approach. That means we look for niche manufacturers for each customer’s product. So, if the customer’s looking for a complex printed circuit board, and they need it quickly, we have a niche manufacturing partner for them that MCL can utilize. And, if they’re looking for a high volume, or ITAR jobs, or things like that, we have niche manufacturers for that need. Our customer will only deal with MCL here domestically. They’ll never deal with anybody overseas. We have the technical expertise for the customer, and we can answer any questions they have efficiently.
Shaughnessy: So, the customer won’t have to deal with anybody but you.
Thau: Yes, and we also have boots on the ground overseas.
Shaughnessy: So, you’ve qualified your overseas partners.
Thau: Yes. From a relationship standpoint, in my experience, if you don’t have boots on the ground over there, it’s very challenging to get answers quickly and get our customers what they need to support them in the right way.
Shaughnessy: How would you describe your sweet spot?
Thau: Great question. For customers who have a complex printed circuit board, MCL has the technical expertise to increase your speed to market by 19.8%. So, it’s really on the complex side where we shine. When customers have challenges with their boards, they come to us. Once we had a customer that had a high-impedance short on their printed circuit board and they weren’t sure exactly how to fix the problem. They came to us, and we were able to build the boards in about seven days and get them to them. It was a class three product, so it’s very high visibility. Through solving their problem and turning the boards around quickly, we became the sole source on that product now for them.
Shaughnessy: To move that quickly you must have a tight process at MCL, can you share that?
Thau: Sure, I can walk you through it. We call it our rapid launch process, and everything is geared to increase the speed to market for the customer. When the quote comes in, we do a DFM, which pulls out things like trace and space, smallest hole layer count, distribution of layers, impedance concerns, and things like that.
We can catch all of that on the front end. After that, we send the quote to the customer. If they like it, they’ll place the order with MCL. Then we’ll go through a more in-depth, 56-point DFM check, and then we’ll check things like copper slivers and we may have to clean up other items more in depth. We can be proactive and head off challenges that the customer may experience after the PCB s are made, from quoting to manufacturing to logistics. Everything we do is geared toward increasing the customer’s speed to market.
Shaughnessy: Do you test the boards, or do your partners do this?
Thau: Yes, from an electrical test standpoint, that’s done at the manufacturer. But like I said, we do have people there to verify that it’s being done, and all of our product comes with first-article inspection reports. If it’s Class 3, we’ll have all the proper documentation and things like that inside the package for the customer. All our PCBs will be electrically tested for opens and shorts and the proof of that will be with the documentation sent to the customer in the first-article inspection report.
Shaughnessy: That’s great. How many employees are in your company?
Thau: We have about 20 employees. We’ve developed an “All In” culture. It’s like having two feet in the boat and having everyone aligned on the same goal. We adopted the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) as an accountability system, and we really put a big, big emphasis on our culture and our team environment. We’re all in for the customer, and all in for our internal and external suppliers.
Shaughnessy: Your internal customers.
Thau: Exactly. We’re a tight-knit group. Our purpose is advancing innovation to positively impact society. We work with groups that are doing nuclear fusion technology and things like that, that lends directly towards that objective. We hold a monthly meeting with the new customers and showcase the team and show them how we’re moving toward positively impacting society.
Shaughnessy: That’s what it’s all about. Thanks for talking with me today, Daniel.
Thau: My pleasure, Andy.
Suggested Items
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
ENNOVI Introduces a New Flexible Circuit Production Process for Low Voltage Connectivity in EV Battery Cell Contacting Systems
04/03/2024 | PRNewswireENNOVI, a mobility electrification solutions partner, introduces a more advanced and sustainable way of producing flexible circuits for low voltage signals in electric vehicle (EV) battery cell contacting systems.
Heavy Copper PCBs: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Fabrication, Part 1
04/01/2024 | Yash Sutariya, Saturn Electronics ServicesThey call me Sparky. This is due to my talent for getting shocked by a variety of voltages and because I cannot seem to keep my hands out of power control cabinets. While I do not have the time to throw the knife switch to the off position, that doesn’t stop me from sticking screwdrivers into the fuse boxes. In all honesty, I’m lucky to be alive. Fortunately, I also have a talent for building high-voltage heavy copper circuit boards. Since this is where I spend most of my time, I can guide you through some potential design for manufacturability (DFM) hazards you may encounter with heavy copper design.
Trouble in Your Tank: Supporting IC Substrates and Advanced Packaging, Part 5
03/19/2024 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankDirect metallization systems based on conductive graphite or carbon dispersion are quickly gaining acceptance worldwide. Indeed, the environmental and productivity gains one can achieve with these processes are outstanding. In today’s highly competitive and litigious environment, direct metallization reduces costs associated with compliance, waste treatment, and legal issues related to chemical exposure. What makes these processes leaders in the direct metallization space?
AT&S Shines with Purest Copper on World Recycling Day
03/18/2024 | AT&SThe Styrian microelectronics specialist AT&S is taking World Recycling Day as an opportunity to review the progress that has been made in recent months at its sites around the world in terms of the efficient use of resources: