As a manufacturer of precision electronic components, Bead Electronics produces contact pins made from different metal materials such as brass, copper, nickel, stainless steel, tin, and gold. For some manufacturers, the tin and gold materials they purchase from smelters may be derived from areas like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where so-called ‘Conflict Minerals’ have contributed to a civil war that has killed millions of people. For Bead Electronics, this is not the case. Its materials, purchased from both local and national metal suppliers and refiners, can be traced back through its supply chain to the US and Canada.

Over the past three months, Bead has seen a 200% increase in online leads for custom contact pins. These leads, driven from both organic search and referral sites, are proving to be qualified prospects whose custom needs range from PCB pins to automotive contacts to telecom pin assemblies.

Several more Vision Inspection Systems have been mounted and are running on the factory floor this month. Using an automated solution for inspection allows us to verify the diameter, thickness, and length of each and every connector pin produced, as opposed to just a handful done manually using micrometers.