Versatile solution meets critical flexible production requirements for multi-million dollar contract.

February 17, 2016 – EEI Manufacturing Services announced September 29th 2015 that the Department of the Navy has approved a 33-month $2.24 million Mentor-Protégé agreement between Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) and EEI Manufacturing Services.

EEI Manufacturing Services, a women-owned small disadvantaged (WOSDB) military-aerospace contract manufacturer, has chosen a Universal Instruments FuzionXC2-37™ Platform to support the expected growth opportunities from their engagement in the DOD Mentor-Protégé Agreement. The new platform was recently installed in EEI’s Clearwater, FL facility. Fuzion was selected as the best solution based on its flexibility and overall capabilities, which are well-suited to the varied product demands of the contract. The acquirement represents a key strategic investment by EEI and a transition from the exclusive SMT equipment supplier previously utilized.

The Mentor-Protégé program is a U.S. Department of Defense initiative that encourages large companies to share expertise and facilitate the growth of minority and women-owned small businesses such as EEI, enabling these protégé companies to compete for business opportunities with the federal government. The contract allows Raytheon to provide mentoring to EEI Manufacturing in the areas of advanced manufacturing products and services.

“This is an exciting time for us,” noted EEI President, Sue Englander. “We’re privileged to serve a customer base that builds highly technical products to ensure our nation’s welfare. As such, we’ll continue to evolve with leading-edge production solutions that enable us to deliver these products quickly and cost-effectively while maintaining the highest quality standards. We’ve taken the next step with Fuzion as our next-generation enabler.” Englander continued, “Universal has also been extremely proactive and responsive to our support needs throughout this process, and we really appreciate that aspect of the partnership.”

FuzionXC2-37 features more than twice the feeder inputs of traditional surface mount platforms to accommodate multiple products and flexible feeder setups, thereby streamlining or eliminating changeovers. This contemporary production model can boost utilization rates by 50%, and improve overall output by 50% or eliminate entire production shifts. FuzionXC2-37 combines high-speed chip to extreme odd-form placements – from 01005 passive components up to 150mm connectors – while handling large boards up to 1300mm x 610mm and a full range of inputs types for maximum flexibility.

Universal Instruments Vice President of Customer Operations, Brad Bennett commented, “We’re honored to partner with a company that supports our nation’s military efforts. We embrace our position as the only US-based manufacturer in the electronics assembly industry and are proud of the domestic relationships we’ve built.” Bennett added, “EEI has been consistently awarded for its achievements and Fuzion provides a future-proof all-in-one foundation to help continue this success.”

To learn more about Universal’s solutions for any electronics manufacturing challenge, contact Universal Instruments at +1-800-432-2607 or +1-607-779-7522 or visit www.uic.com.