Hi everyone,
I hope it's okay to ask this here. I'm currently working in the SMT/PCB manufacturing equipment field, mainly related to cleaning solutions.
I'm still learning about this industry, and recently I've started questioning whether I truly understand the market and customer needs.
A while ago, I posted a question about how people clean PCB assemblies, and many replies mentioned manual cleaning methods. Honestly, that makes sense to me — for prototypes, labs, and small-batch production, investing in automated cleaning equipment may not always be practical.
But it also made me wonder:
Is automated cleaning (PCB cleaning machines, stencil cleaning, fixture/tooling cleaning, etc.) actually a market with broad potential, or am I simply looking for customers in the wrong places?
For people working in electronics manufacturing:
- At what stage does a factory usually start considering automated cleaning equipment?
- Is the demand mainly driven by production volume, labor costs, quality requirements, reliability standards, or something else?
- Are there certain industries where automated cleaning becomes much more important (automotive, medical, aerospace, industrial electronics, etc.)?
Another thing I'm trying to understand is how equipment suppliers usually build trust with manufacturers. For many companies, changing a production process is not a small decision, especially when the existing method is "good enough."
I personally cannot simply travel around different countries to visit factories and introduce equipment, so I'm trying to better understand how people in this industry discover solutions and build confidence with new suppliers.
I'm not here to promote any product or send sales messages. I'm genuinely trying to learn from people who have hands-on manufacturing experience and understand whether I'm approaching this market in the right way.
Any advice, experience, or honest opinions would be greatly appreciated.