Industry Connect

Andy LaFrazia, president of electronics manufacturing company ControlTek, sees innovation, technology, and specialization as key to the future of manufacturing in the United States.

Electronics manufacturer ControlTek got its start like many high-tech companies. In 1971, George LaFrazia launched the business from his garage, enlisting the help of neighbors and family members to assemble circuit boards. But unlike the Herculean rise (and often subsequent fall) of some manufacturing companies in the U.S., ControlTek has maintained slow but steady growth over the last 40 years, keeping operations local even in the face of globalization and dwindling domestic production.

Andy LaFrazia

Andy LaFrazia (’87 B.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering), who succeeded his father as company president in 2000, said the industry has faced several challenges since the days of hand-assembled circuit boards. But with new technologies and specialized markets emerging, the United States is well positioned to build a robust manufacturing industry.

Automation in particular, said LaFrazia, is one way the United States has steadied its manufacturing sector. “The U.S. typically isn’t competitive on labor rates,” he said. “But automation here costs about the same to run anywhere else. So if I can have things that are automated, I can better compete with overseas labor sources.”

LaFrazia has witnessed the benefits of automation in his own company. Automated systems now assemble the circuit boards that were previously hand-assembled by humans. Also, the company uses a jet printer that precisely applies solder paste onto circuit boards, eliminating excess waste and streamlining the manufacturing process.

Along with automation, the rise of digital manufacturing has provided new opportunities for domestic production, now and in the near future, said LaFrazia. 3D CAD software enables companies to design circuits and perform simulated tests before assembling the product, effectively reducing the time to market.

“One really neat thing we’re able to do with this software is perform our thermal and air flow simulations,” LaFrazia said. “It’s an incredible change compared to how we had to do it 10 years ago. Since we’ve been 3D CAD-ing, we just don’t have errors anymore.”

Highly specialized and regulated markets, such as the aviation/space and defense industry, are other ripe areas for domestic manufacturing. Because these products require extreme precision and quality control — and can be an issue of national security — many companies have opted to keep the manufacturing at home rather than ship it overseas.

“People have more specialized products that aren’t going to be built in high volumes,” he said. “That’s going to continue to drive the need for manufacturing here in the states.” LaFrazia has even seen a reverse trend of some companies coming back to the United States after making forays into overseas manufacturing.

Specialization often spawns micro-enterprises and startups, and open-source electronics prototyping makes designing products more accessible to hobbyists, artists, and entrepreneurs. LaFrazia said that technologies like Arduino, a small, easy-to-use microcontroller, are opening up manufacturing to the avid do-it-yourselfer.

“We’re expanding the creative capabilities of not only specialized engineers but also the hobbyist,” he said.

More broadly, LaFrazia sees a continuing trend toward smaller and faster electronics.  Embedded devices and circuit boards, nanomaterials, printed electronics, tiny transistors, and an increasing emphasis on material science are all on the horizon.

“You’re going to see more innovation that demands the need for niche and expert manufacturing,” he said.

About ControlTek

ControlTek designs, manufactures, and tests products for consumer and industrial use.  Its products span the semiconductor and medical industries, transportation, aviation, and much more. With $25 million in annual sales, the company employs about 150 people at its Vancouver, Washington, headquarters.

— Abby P. Metzger