PAL APPOINTS ITALIAN AGENT

PAL has appointed Index International srl, based in Milan, its exclusive agent in Italy.

“We are delighted to be working with Georges Epinette and his team at Index International," says Geoff Paterson, Managing Director of PAL. "They have a long track record of being a ‘one stop shop’ in Italy for the printed circuit business. We are confident they can ensure maximum awareness throughout this important market of the qualities of our machines. We already have a number of machines installed and working well in Italy, including a PALTECH horizontal line at Viasystems-Zinco. With Georges Epinette's help, we look forward to seeing a great many more in operation."

Georges Epinette, a veteran of the PCB industry, was born in Paris in 1941 and graduated as a mechanical, electrical and electronic engineer at the age of 24. After two years’ experience in advanced thyristor technology for power rectifiers and inverters, he worked with the most advanced PCB manufacturer in France at that time. He was first a research and development engineer for four years, and then for three years a technical consultant.

In 1974, he moved to Italy with responsibility for worldwide marketing development for the screen-printing manufacturer Argon, promoting the use of this technology in PCB manufacturing, and developing new machinery. In 1980 he created his own company, Index International srl, in order to maximise his track record and strong experience in the PCB industry.

”Our Index International team is motivated to seek the best opportunities for its clients, and provide innovative solutions for the most challenging of customer requests,” explains Georges Epinette. “The choice of each company we represent has always been made with the goal of bringing to the market the best as far as levels of quality and advanced technology are concerned.”

”That's why we are extremely happy to be chosen to represent PAL. Their equipment will be a most welcome addition to the range of machinery we are able to offer the market. Their machines certainly measure up to our stringent demands for the highest levels of quality and technology, and they offer advanced and innovative solutions that are vitally important to the industry. They, like us at Index, are highly flexible and maintain an ability to respond and adapt rapidly to changes in our dynamic global market.”

NEW TEAM FOR GENERAL METAL FINISHING MARKET

PAL has set up a small team to concentrate on this specialist market, with the following brief:

• Promotion of GMF equipment sales worldwide - in conjunction with the appropriate Regional Manager.
• Preparation and dissemination of marketing material, sales tools etc.
• Market research and identification of potential markets and market segments.
• Technical training of sales force including subsidiaries and agents
• Providing guidance to project engineers and design and manufacturing personnel in Shenzhen
• Keep updated on technical and market trends.

“The team will be led by Tony Evans, who will work closely with our GMF consultant Peter Salmon, to develop our involvement in this industry sector,” says Geoff Paterson. "We have always supplied equipment for GMF applications but because of the rapid growth in the PCB industry, particularly in Asia, throughout the 1990s, GMF has tended to take a back seat. We believe PAL has some innovative technology to offer and now is the time to seriously get into this large and challenging market."