BEHIND THE SCIENCE™ OF ZEPHYRTRONICS

The Most Fastest Growing Manufacturer of Benchtop Equipment in the World

Zephyrtronics Company Profile:

Zephyrtronics is a wholly-owned division and the flagship brand of Jacks' Technologies & Industries Corporation (JTI) in Southern California.

Zephyrtronics manufactures and globally markets its technology leading products targeted primarily for the electronic benchtop where soldering of printed circuit boards (PCB's) is performed.

Beginning in the early 1990's, Zephyrtronics  catapulted to an unprecedented leadership role in benchtop soldering through its rapid-fire introduction of award-winning and patented products that blend the disciplines of electronics, metallurgy, thermodynamics, and chemistry with an uncanny ease --- simultaneously befuddling its competitors and delighting its expanding customer base. And now, over 15 years later, those paradigm-shifting PCB processes first introduced and pioneered by Zephyrtronics are now "industry standard" from Bangor, Maine to Beijing, China. And it is common knowledge that it all began with Zephyrtronics, "that little soldering and preheating company from Los Angeles," whose equipment and processes improved the quality of the electronics manufacturing industry.

Today, the premium equipment and soldering supplies produced by Zephyrtronics are shipped daily to our customers all over the world from our factory in Los Angeles County. A source of great pride for the company is that our products have played key roles in the production of the International Space Station and the two highly successful Mars Rovers and have been touted by NASA. Indeed, in many instances, both NASA and the Department of Defense have required that their sub-contractors purchase the Zephyrtronics equipment before awarding them contracts.

The Early Days: Word of mouth from engineer to engineer and technician to technician about this new "science of Zephyrtronics" quickly translated into the phenomenal sales growth that has been the hallmark of the company and, at the same time, created an almost cult-like following within some of the most respected electronic campuses in the United States. The brand loyalty that Zephyrtronics has inspired amongst electronic technicians has been truly something to behold.

As Zephyrtronics consistently drew the largest crowds at normally staid electronic engineering  conventions, the near carnival like atmosphere that emerged was, in hindsight,  most remarkable. Manufacturing and quality engineers, hardly folks given to euphoria, were soon tossing business cards through the mobs and shouting invitations to Zephyrtronics sales representatives to their facilities.

      The Synergistic Approach:  Pre-heating & Low Temp Soldering Equipment, PCB Fixtures, Specialty & Custom Soldering Alloys, Fluxes & Chemical Cleansing Agents Developed, Branded, and Marketed by Zephyrtronics.

Accolades & Industry Recognition! Indeed, the editorial staff of the industry-leading trade journal, SMT Magazine, witnessed the fever that Zephyrtronics products were causing and singled out the young  company as one of the "three most innovative" in 1997 declaring Zephyrtronics had produced a "simpler, safer way to remove and repair sensitive devices."

In less than thirty-six months, the comprehensive and  scientific approach to the electronic benchtop by Zephyrtronics had begun a  textbook example of a true marketing paradigm shift.

From such notable academic centers as Harvard and Stanford Universities to the prestigious national laboratories of JPL, Sandia and Lawrence-Livermore; from such leaders within the semiconductor industry as Motorola, Intel, and National Semiconductor to the world class aerospace facilities of Hughes, Northrop-Grumman, Lockheed-Martin, and Boeing; from such giants of electronic commercial products as Sony, Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Panasonic, and Phillips to even the U.S. Armed Forces...the science of Zephyrtronics was in demand quickly transcending the dream of two mission-driven Californian engineers into a true American success story.

"Innovative...simpler, safer way to remove and repair sensitive devices" - - Editorial Staff, SMT MAGAZINE

Zephyrtronics Wins "Best New Product" at 1996 Surface Mount Int'l Expo in Silicon Valley

Zephyrtronics AirBath
 is Featured in Ray Prasad's Definitive Text "Surface Mount Technology" in 1997

A Radical Concept!  Identifying fundamental misconceptions and errors in the previous approach to bench top soldering processes by equipment manufacturers, the two principles of Zephyrtronics, David Jacks and Randy Walston, developed the world's first truly comprehensive approach to the benchtop theater.

Developing and packaging equipment, certified solders, and custom chemicals that were all complimentary to each other, Zephyrtronics dared to cross over into what had previously been traditionally defined markets to reach electronic technicians with a program that was tailor-made for them. And that "cross over" stirred up a hornet's nest  overnight.

"I have to laugh at it all now because, in hindsight, I can tell you that we never gave it a second thought," comments Jacks, company president. "Fortunately, we were just naive and foolhardy enough way back then to believe that technicians and engineers would respond favorably if we provided them with better tools and solutions. And they did respond in a far bigger way than we ever imagined. The truth is that for a very long time the key manufacturers of benchtop soldering equipment had become set in their ways, resisting change and just did not have a clue as to how irrelevant their products had become to current chip technology and how their entire approach to the bench was simply jurassic.  And while it opened up great opportunities to us, what mattered from the beginning was our customers. They got it. They appreciated that we had the respect to respond to the conditions and challenges that they faced every single day. This has been our mission and our continued motivation here at Zephyrtronics".

Recognizing the reality that the benchtop market, like others, is not only highly competitive, but also imitative, Jacks and Walston remain nonplussed. Walston wryly adds, "we feel somewhat guilty that we've already inspired such lousy imitations of a few of our products knowing that these will confuse the market a bit, and far worse, will frustrate the poor technicians who are stuck using them. Still, we are confident people will continue to specifically seek out the Zephyrtronics brand just as they have in the past."

Indeed, some of the most prestigious names within the electronic manufacturing industry schedule their budgets around upcoming products that Zephyrtronics has only shown at trade shows and yet to release. Jacks grins, "naturally, all of this drives our competition absolutely nuts with envy."

Zephyrtronics ZT-7 Was Chosen
 By NASA & JPL on the Successful Mars Rover Program.  NASA Issued a 39-Page Report Touting the System.

The Zephyrtronics ZT-7 System Is Now a Standard Piece of Equipment Within the Electronics Production Industry.

With a detailed milestone chart for a host of future new product introductions, Zephyrtronics still remains dedicated to the same principles that fueled the company's impressive and rapid growth from the early days: simplicity through innovation, fanatical commitment to quality, premium products at affordable pricing...and adds Jacks, "the highest respect possible for our customers." And even after all these years, we never, ever forget that we are still that "little soldering and preheating company from Los Angeles" that forever changed the way PC boards are made in labs and production facilities around the planet.