BHC Cable Assemblies Inc. is a contract manufacturer of high-end custom cable assemblies, mechanical assemblies and box builds for OEMs and Fortune 500 companies. Located in Burlington, ON, Canada, the primary industries it serves include medical, robotic, airport security detection, aerospace and transportation. The company takes great pride in its reputation for working with its customers to meet all production requirements and schedules and in providing the highest quality products and services.
According to President Bill Huisman, he had previously worked for a company that resisted automating its wire processing applications despite his repeated efforts to convince them of the benefits to be gained. He understood the importance of monitoring labor costs and quality processes. He bought his first Schleuniger wire stripping machine in his first week of owning BHC. When asked why he chose Schleuniger he replied, “I believe in buying the best tools the first time.” He went on to say, “We most value the precision and durability of our Schleuniger machines. My first machine is still in use from 1997.”
Huisman explains that due to the nature of his business, he has several very specific applications which require things such as partial strips and window strips of wire as small as 30 AWG, for soldering to a PCB. The strip length tolerances he must adhere to are very strict, so quality control is critical to his success. He describes working with his Schleuniger salesperson to adjust the equipment to achieve the desired results. BHC currently owns several Schleuniger UniStrip 2300 benchtop wire stripping machines, coaxial cable stripping machines, cutting machines, automatic cut and strip machines and semi-automatic crimping machines including a UniCrimp 200 with multiple applicators.
“Schleuniger products are called up on all of our work instructions. BHC has a backup for each machine, because we cannot work without them,” says Huisman. He also states that it’s difficult to gauge the productivity advantages since he has always had Schleuniger equipment, but likened each machine to the equivalent of “half a worker.” He specifically cites one example of a high volume (single use) cable, which when processed with his Schleuniger cable coiler, reduces the overall production time by half.
Huisman adds, “The biggest change I see happening to the wire processing industry in the next few years is the requirement for constant cost reduction and improved quality. With our many Schleuniger machines we can remain competitive and consistently deliver on time, a quality product.” His foresight and adherence to the principles that that have guided him thus far will ensure continued success in the future.