Increases in global and Americas-specific market share, the launch of new products, 67 new customers across virtually every segment of the electronics assembly industry, and a strengthening of its global infrastructure resulted in a very favorable year for Universal Instruments Corporation.
February 15, 2013 – According to Universal Instruments CEO and President Jean-Luc Pelissier, “Universal’s commitment to providing strong products and solutions along with the very best sales, service, and support available anywhere in the world helped us attain almost 4% growth in global market share in 2012. If we look at North America in particular,” he continued, “Universal was the dominant player in the market, growing its share to over 25% in 2012.”
“Universal continues to maintain a very strong balance sheet with a working capital ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of only 0.76,” added Universal Instruments’ CFO Keith O’Leary. “This strong liquidity position allows the company to rapidly manage through any volatile market conditions and to continue investing in our future,” he added.
During 2012, Universal added three new products to its already impressive portfolio. To remain ahead of growing industry demands for through-hole solutions, Universal recently introduced its Generation 88HT series radial and axial platforms. By improving output, capability, and user experience, and by making these enhancements available as an upgrade package, Universal has not only preserved its platform philosophy, but also provided its customers with best-in-class investment protection.
The introduction of the Advantis® AC-60 LED was well-aligned with the growing surface mount LED market, helping Universal to continue to increase its share of the surface mount market in 2012. The AC-60 LED is a dual-beam platform equipped with LED-specific capabilities, including 1.3-meter board handling and support, and specialized software, feeders and nozzles, delivering an effective output of over 40,000 cph. Later this month, Universal will continue its lineage of platform innovation with the launch of its Fuzion™ surface mount platform and NPI software, and ion™ feeder portfolio at APEX on booth #1349.
Universal’s automation business also celebrated several achievements last year, most notably, a 35% increase in sales compared to 2011. In addition, the team realized solution wins at both the world’s leading contract manufacturer and the world’s leading power supply manufacturer, while also doubling its sales in the solar market.
“None of these achievements would have been possible without our outstanding employees and channel partners,” commented Pelissier. During 2012, Universal added to its staff, bringing in seven new senior managers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. “Each new appointment was strategic, bringing critical product, industry, process, or customer expertise to the corporation,” he added.
To learn more about Universal Instruments or its electronics assembly solutions, contact the company at +1-800-432-2607 or +1-607-779-7522 or visit www.uic.