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neers using the latest Computer aided design tools, to develop the firm’s de-signs and back up the manufacturing plant.

Now then — where do you think this innovative, pioneering, efficient and world competitive electronics firm was located — in California’s Silicon Valley? In one of Taiwan*s science-based indus-trial parks? In Japan? In Singapore?

No, nonę of these. Believe it or not, it was in Revesby, an unassuming sub-urb in the western suburbs of Sydney — right here in Australia!

The company was Appliance Control Systems, and if you’ve never heard of it before, you wouldn’t be alone. It was still almost unknown in its own country, even though overseas it was (and still is) regarded as one of the leading intema-tional designers and manufacturers of state-of-the-art appliance controllers. Only a few months ago it was exporting around S500,(KK) worth of controllers per month — not bad at all for an “unknown” little Aussie company!

But now (late July) Pve just been back to ACS again, and it*s a dramati-cally different story. All of that hi-tech manufacturing plant is now idle, waiting to be packed into crates for shipment to Singapore. Most of the 80-odd employ-ees have also had to be put off, with the remaining people due to finish off at the end of the week. ACS the promising, dynamie and internationally competitive electronics exporter is no morę.

What happened? How could such a successful company, with a bulging order book and terrific export potential — one that was virtually a model for Australian hi-tech manufacturing, go down the shute so quickly? To find out I spoke to Laurie Larsen, the founder and managing director of the company, who with his son Greg was the driving force behind its growth.

Laurie was chief engineer for EMI Military Electronics for many yeaęs. He’s a very experienced and talented engineer, but also one of those rare people who’s also a pretty astute businessman. Until late last year, he and Greg had guided ACS very capably through the maże of business plans, cash flows, materials scheduling and leasing of manufacturing plant.

It had been that astute business sense that had led him to set up ACS in the first place. After leaving EMI, he bc-came a design consultant, and found himself called in to help one or two appliance manufacturers whosc in-house engineers were having difficulties de-signing new models. Like most appli-

One of ACS’s highly trained people checks operation of its state-of-the-art Kullcke and Soffa 1470 automatic wlre bonding machinę. It has now gone, too.

Now also in Singapore is thls Kulicke and Soffa 6300 auto die bonding machinę, which took chips direct from the wafer and bonded them to PCBs.

As well as the Dy na pert MPS500, ACS also had an Amistar SM1000 automatic SMD pick-and-place machinę, shown at left above with the wave solderer to the right. Total assembly capacity was an impressive 20,000 component placings per hour.

ELECTRONICS Australia. September 1987

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