As we approach the end of 2023 and look ahead to the new year, our goal is to align our strategic direction with our desired value proposition in the market: Mark Leverett of ABL Circuits Ltd

The Silicon Review

The company is a top-rated, specialised printed circuit board company, offering the highest quality products on the market.

ABL Circuits Ltd embarked on its journey four decades ago under the leadership of Mark Leverett, who currently serves as the Managing Director of the company. Like many companies in their early stages, ABL Circuits had a humble beginning and was thus started at Mark’s home. Following his completion of engineering studies, Mark recognised the industry’s growth potential and the exciting opportunities it presented. He initiated the process by creating circuit boards using a homemade lightbox with red and blue tape. While this approach was straightforward, it proved effective, enabling him to establish a small yet dedicated client base, which gradually expanded as customers started requiring prototype PCBs once their designs were finalized.

As Mark’s customer base continued to expand, so did his requirements for additional equipment, space, and staff. This growth eventually led to the establishment of the current office and factory in Hertfordshire, where the company still operates today, with a necessary extension into the adjacent warehouse. The acquisition of new equipment equipped ABL to handle more substantial production volumes and broadened its range of

PCB services, encompassing everything from CAD layouts to PCB manufacturing and fully assembled products.

As a family-run business, it was a logical step for Mark’s son, William, to become a part of the company in 2019. With the combined leadership of Mark and Will, along with their committed team, ABL Circuits has experienced remarkable growth, doubling in size over the past two years, whilst remaining reliable, dependable, and affordable throughout its 40 years of service.

The Silicon Review contacted Mr. Leverett, and here is his response.

ABL Circuits places a strong emphasis on delivering consistent, high-quality products to both new and long-standing customers, which is vital for retaining and growing its client base. The company ensures that its PCBAs adhere to industry standards and customer requirements, and its specialized team is fully trained and well-informed about any upcoming regulatory changes.

“At ABL Circuits, we have a rigorous quality control process, including testing and inspection protocols throughout the manufacturing process to help us achieve the standard we strive for. Importantly, we are constantly assessing and analysing how we can improve quality control measures to reduce defects and enhance reliability.”

“Needless to say, our goal is to surpass the standard level of customer service and establish ourselves as strategic advisors who offer project management and expert guidance to enhance our clients’ manufacturing operations.

This could involve providing recommendations on optimizing overhead margins, streamlining PCB design to reduce production time and enhance efficiency, and assisting in the implementation of quality control measures to ensure products meet or exceed industry standards.”

“Furthermore, we seek to establish ABL as the only ‘one-stop-shop’ for all design, manufacturing and assembly needs. To achieve this, we need to be consistently assessing the market, demand, customer needs and how we scale and grow in correlation. Also, we need to be analyzing data and investing in the latest technologies and innovations to remain ahead of the competition.”

Stepping up to the challenge

Global chip shortage: Over the40 years of ABL Circuits history,there have been many externalevents that have had an impacton the business, including various recessions, the world banking collapse, international competition and war.

A recent example is the global component shortage. There has been an issue with the supply and demand of components, specifically semiconductors, across the industry. Historically, there have been many semiconductor shortages However, the most recent shortage began in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. As countries across Europe and America headed in and out of various lockdowns and hit peaks of infections at different times, this affected the demand and supply across the globe and thus led to a global semiconductor shortage. As businesses were forced to close, and people were told to work from home, there was a huge influx in companies designing and purchasing new tech and equipment to battle the Covid-19 crisis. ABL was crucial in designing and manufacturing ventilator medical products for the NHS during the pandemic.

“ABL Circuits had to adapt and often reverse engineer existing customer products due to components being unavailable, working closely with clients to ensure continued supply of their products.”

Advancement in equipment and consumer behaviours:

PCB technology trends are ever- evolving with new products and equipment coming into the market to help improve quality and cope with the reduction in component size and finer pitch devices

“As we headed into 2023, technology began moving more towards further miniaturization and 3D printed circuit boards alongside IoT, including wearable technology (smart watches, etc.) due to the popularity and demand for flexible circuit boards for smartphones, tablets, laptops and other consumer electronics, which are a daily necessity and commodity for many. As small wearable technology increased in popularity, so did our need to create and assemble more flexible PCBAs to keep up with this growing demand. To meet this demand, we needed to invest significantly in the latest state-of-the-art assembly equipment.”

Dedication to serving

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a known medical manufacturer approached ABL Circuits with a unique challenge. Due to the global chip shortage, the manufacturer was struggling to source vital components needed to produce ventilators for hospitals.

“To solve this problem, we needed to redesign their product with more commonly accessible components, while also redesigning the layout of the PCB, so it was more suitable for mass manufacture to speed up delivery of products. We worked hard and fast, days rather than weeks, understanding the importance of the task in hand, to source alternative high-quality components that could be used in the new design, on a mass scale to help manufacture and assemble 15,000 printed circuit boards for ventilators.”

Another client, a large automotive manufacturer, reached out to ABL Circuits earlier this year with an unusual challenge. One of the components on a circuit board from its heavy-duty vehicles became obsolete. This left the client in a difficult situation. Without it, the client was going to have to start again from scratch and go through the rigorous, time-consuming and costly, process of new approvals and legislation.

“We used our expertise and knowledge to redesign the board, replacing obsolete components without compromising on quality or functionality. These redesigned boards with their new components were rapidly implemented into the vehicles, reducing margin costs for the client, and helping them keep up with their customer demand, for which our client was very grateful.”

Proud moment

Mark Leverett is passing on the day-to-day operational responsibilities to his son, William Leverett. Together, they will lead the company’s innovation and strategic direction. Mark, with his extensive 40 years of experience and knowledge, will collaborate with William, who brings a degree in engineering and forward-thinking ambitions to the forefront. They are very optimistic for the future as the company is in excellent shape, thanks to significant investments and the outstanding team of employees. This ensures not only meeting but exceeding customer requirements.

“As we approach the end of 2023 and look ahead to the new year, our goal is to align our strategic direction with our desired value proposition in the market.”

About | Mark Leverett

With a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mechanical and Production Engineering, and a Diploma in Management Studies (DMS), Mark Leverett started as an apprentice at International Computers Ltd. During this time, he was involved in designing circuit boards and test equipment, and for Mark, the components clearly fit; as at 21 years of age, he went on to start his own company, which he has successfully grown over the last 40 years.