The honest number
Our SMT PCB assembly line in Strumica, North Macedonia runs at roughly 4.8 million component placements per year on a single shift. Move to two shifts and the same line clears ~9.6 million placements; three shifts pushes the ceiling to ~14.4 million placements per year.
These are real production figures from a DDM Novastar SPR-45 stencil printer, LS60 pick-and-place, and GF-120HT six-zone reflow oven — not theoretical pick rates from a datasheet.
What "placements" actually means
A placement is one component going on one board. A 200-component board placed once is 200 placements. A 100-board run of that same design is 20,000 placements.
This is the unit the SMT industry uses to size capacity because it is independent of board size, component value, and complexity.
| Run profile | Placements per board | Run size | Total placements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small IoT module | 80 | 500 boards | 40,000 |
| Industrial sensor | 200 | 1,000 boards | 200,000 |
| Energy meter | 350 | 5,000 boards | 1,750,000 |
| Smart lighting controller | 120 | 10,000 boards | 1,200,000 |
A single-shift year of 4.8M placements absorbs a healthy mix of all of the above plus prototype slots and NPI.
Why a single line covers 500 to 50,000-unit programmes
High-mix EMS work means the same line runs:
- A 500-unit pilot in week 1
- A 5,000-unit production batch in week 2
- A 100-unit NPI build in week 3
- A 10,000-unit recurring programme that ships monthly
Setup time for a new product on the line is the gate. We design tooling and pick-and-place programs so changeovers stay under a few hours, not a full shift.
Three-shift mode is not a marketing claim
The 14.4M ceiling assumes the line runs ~22 hours of placement time per day, accounting for paste-print warm-up, AOI cycles, reel changes, and operator handover.
We do not run three shifts as standard. We run three shifts when an existing customer needs a volume push for a fixed window (typically 4-12 weeks). Outside of that window, single or two-shift is the default.
This matters for buyers planning capacity reservations: ask us about the schedule horizon for your programme. Reserved three-shift weeks are bookable in advance.
AOI on every board
Capacity numbers above include in-line AOI (automated optical inspection) against IPC-A-610. Every board placed on our line is AOI-inspected before it ships — not sampled, not by exception.
This matters because some EMS providers report capacity ignoring inspection time. Our placement-per-year figures assume AOI is in the loop. The 4.8M includes inspection.
IPC-A-610 Class 2 vs Class 3
Class 2 is the industrial-grade default — most consumer, industrial control, and energy-meter products land here. Class 3 is medical, aerospace, defense, and high-reliability automotive.
We accept work under both classes. Class 3 work is slower per board because inspection acceptance criteria are stricter, so a Class 3 programme reduces effective annual placement capacity for that programme by 10-25%.
RoHS, REACH, and lead-free
The line runs SAC305 lead-free solder paste by default. All assemblies are RoHS-compliant. We hold REACH-aware sourcing for the components we procure under turnkey BOM.
For programmes that explicitly require leaded process (legacy mil-spec or specific medical exceptions), we route to a separate manufacturing partner.
Sourced services: functional test
We perform AOI in-house. We do not perform functional/circuit test (FCT) in-house — that is coordinated through partner shops when a test plan requires it. This is an honest scope statement so production planning is realistic.
Capacity reservation and forecasting
For programmes above 500,000 placements per year, we recommend a 4-6 week rolling forecast. This lets us hold reel inventory for fast-moving components and reserve the line slots that match your shipping schedule.
For one-off runs under 50,000 placements, no reservation needed — standard 2-4 week lead time applies.
Where this fits in the EU EMS landscape
We sit in the mid-volume EU EMS segment that prototype-tier shops (Eurocircuits, AISLER) explicitly push work to once their order limits are exceeded. A 100-board × 200-component job (20,000 placements) is below their 5,000-placement prototype cap exit point; above that, the work routes to shops like ours.
We are below the volume tier of large EMS players like Cicor or Asteelflash, which operate multi-line factories servicing hundreds of millions of placements per year. The trade-off: at our size you get a single dedicated line, the founder still answers RFQ emails, and per-unit traceability is non-optional.
Frequently asked questions
What is your annual PCB assembly capacity? ~4.8 million component placements per year single-shift, ~14.4 million on three shifts. One line in Strumica, North Macedonia.
What size production runs do you handle? 500-unit batches up to 50,000-unit annual programmes on the same line, plus prototype slots.
Do you run three shifts as standard? No. Three-shift mode is bookable for fixed-window volume pushes (typically 4-12 weeks).
Do you do AOI on every board? Yes, in-house, against IPC-A-610. Our capacity figures already include AOI in the loop.
What IPC class do you accept? Class 2 default, Class 3 on request (reduces effective placement capacity for that programme by 10-25%).
Is the line RoHS compliant? Yes. SAC305 lead-free paste by default. REACH-aware sourcing on turnkey BOM.
Do you perform functional test in-house? No. FCT is coordinated through partner shops when a test plan requires it.
What equipment is on the line? DDM Novastar SPR-45 stencil printer, LS60 pick-and-place, GF-120HT six-zone reflow oven, plus AOI station.
Ready to scope a programme? Request a quote with your BOM, gerbers, CPL, and annual volume forecast.