Strategic Investment in AI-powered Inspection Positions UK Manufacturer as Industry Visionary
By Brent A. Fischthal, Head of Global Marketing, Koh Young Technology
- Strategic Investment in AI-powered Inspection Positions UK Manufacturer as Industry Visionary
- A New Generation, A New Approach
- The Quality Imperative: Why AI-Powered Inspection Matters
- Choosing the Industry Leader: Koh Young
- The Strategic Partnership Advantage
- Data-Driven Quality: From Inspection to Intelligence
- Building a Unified Data Architecture
- Visible Investment, Tangible Results
- AOI-Powered Traceability and Problem Resolution
- Diversification Enabled by Consistent Quality
- The Future of Intelligent Manufacturing
In an era where data and artificial intelligence are reshaping manufacturing, FermionX Group stands out as an electronics manufacturer that is doing more than just keeping pace with Industry 4.0, it is embracing AI as a core competitive advantage. Through strategic investments in cutting-edge equipment, particularly Koh Young’s AI-powered inspection systems, and a comprehensive data integration strategy, FermionX exemplifies how forward-thinking EMS providers are building the smart factories of tomorrow.
A New Generation, A New Approach
Will Patrick, Managing Director of FermionX Group, represents a generational shift in manufacturing leadership—one that recognizes data as the foundation of modern operations. “You think that investment happens linear, it doesn’t, it happens in these big step changes,” Patrick explains. “And I think now I am on board, and data has come so far, I can see that.”
Unlike previous generations who relied on decades of accumulated knowledge, Patrick’s approach is fundamentally different. “I don’t have 40-years of experience walking in knowing every single part number, every single job and how it runs, so I needed something to be able to look at its top level effectively. I fell in love with Power BI quite a lot.”
This is about more than simply adopting new software, it is about reimagining how manufacturing intelligence is gathered, analyzed, and acted upon. “Also, it’s industry 4.0, I needed to see how we get data from machines,” Patrick notes, highlighting his commitment to connecting every aspect of the operation into a unified data ecosystem.
The Quality Imperative: Why AI-Powered Inspection Matters
The catalyst for FermionX’s transformation came from an all-too-common challenge in electronics manufacturing: the limitations of human visual inspection, no matter how skilled or diligent the workforce.
“With thousands of components coming through you eventually miss one, I would. Even with the best concentration in the world we were having these issues with customers, and I couldn’t confidently say that it wouldn’t happen again,” Patrick recalls candidly. “We got triple inspection at one point, I think, and it was just not profitable for us, or the customer, and I couldn’t guarantee it’s not going to happen again.”
This honest assessment led to a clear conclusion: automated optical inspection was more than just an upgrade. It was a necessity for delivering the quality guarantees modern customer’s demand.
Choosing the Industry Leader: Koh Young
When FermionX evaluated AOI solutions, one choice emerged clearly. “It was kind of a no-brainer when we saw the Koh Young, to be honest,” says Patrick. “I think it’s the industry leader for a reason.”
Koh Young’s 3D inspection technology represents the forefront of AI-powered quality control, using advanced algorithms and machine learning to detect defects that would be invisible or easily missed by human inspectors. For a company serving 50-60 customers across diverse industries, this capability is essential.
Gary Rice, Technical Sales Manager with 17 years at FermionX, emphasizes the central role of quality equipment: “Quality is what keeps customers with you basically. We’ve obviously got a good setup in terms of flexibility, all our machines across surface mount match, so we can be much more agile and flexible with customers when you’re running small batches… And then in terms of the quality, yeah, obviously it becomes key that it needs to be upheld and that customers have that guarantee that it’s been checked and everything’s going to be good. So, the Koh Young is a massive part of that.”
The Strategic Partnership Advantage
Equipment selection is only part of the equation: partnership quality matters equally. FermionX’s relationship with the Altus Group and its CEO Joe Booth, Koh Young’s UK distributor, has proven invaluable.
“Altus as well, provided a really good service when we went up there, so we landed on that,” Patrick notes. But the relationship goes deeper than a sales transaction. “Me and Joe (from Altus Group) hit it off quite quickly as well. We’re in a similar sort of position in our careers, family businesses, so we definitely talk the same language, which helps a lot. I think he’s very driven to be the best as well, and the deals he’s got with a lot of the equipment shows that.”
This alignment between family-run businesses creates a partnership built on shared values and long-term thinking—crucial factors when making strategic equipment investments that will define operations for years to come.
Data-Driven Quality: From Inspection to Intelligence
Colin Davies, Quality Manager at FermionX Manufacturing, embodies the company’s data-centric philosophy. “I’m data driven, so I like to look at what data tells me about processes, people, production, and our current capabilities. That’s really where the AOI comes in,” Davies explains.
The Koh Young system’s AI capabilities do more than just inspect; they generate actionable intelligence. “I like to look at what our current processes are, how well they’re working, and what we need to do to make them better. I feed back the data from the AOI, from the inspection team, from anyone in the department,” Davies continues.
This feedback loop transforms quality management from reactive problem-solving to proactive process optimization. “It feeds back a journey, really, whether it’s SMT or purchasing, we get problems with wrong components on a reel, or it might not have been placed properly, which means that the AOI would flag it up as an incorrectly placed part. It literally doesn’t stop anywhere. It covers everything,” Davies notes.
The AI system’s reach extends across the entire operation, from surface mount technology to purchasing decisions, creating a connected quality ecosystem.
Building a Unified Data Architecture
Patrick’s vision extends beyond individual machines to a comprehensive data infrastructure. “It’s a big advocate for where I don’t want to be logging into any system in my position. I want to be able to see it all via Power BI or something like that,” he explains. “So great I can go into K Smart, but can I get that data into a centralized warehouse where I can see it all, I think you can as well?”
This architectural approach, integrating Koh Young’s KSMART software with enterprise-level analytics platforms, represents the future of manufacturing intelligence. “So yeah, it’s all data driven,” Patrick states definitively.
By centralizing data from AI-powered inspection systems, production equipment, and business systems, FermionX creates a single source of truth that enables faster, more informed decision-making at every level of the organization.
Visible Investment, Tangible Results
The impact of strategic equipment investment extends directly to customer relationships and competitive positioning. When potential customers tour the facility, the Koh Young system serves as a powerful differentiator.
“When we show customers around, quite often when they see the Koh Young, they’ll look at it and say, our current supplier doesn’t have that,” Patrick recounts. “I would say, how do you know that? And they would respond, they can’t have it because it’s not possible that they have this, and we’ve seen some of the quality mistakes we have.”
Customers recognize immediately what the absence of AOI inspection means. “Having that AOI is so obvious to them when someone does and doesn’t have it because it just completely eradicates those mistakes,” Patrick explains.
Davies reinforces this point from a quality perspective: “It’s a great service to say we’ve got, but it also shows we are investing in the company. It’s important to show you’re investing.”
AOI-Powered Traceability and Problem Resolution
The Koh Young system’s AI capabilities proved their value during a recent customer complaint. Davies describes the scenario: “We had a possible complaint. A component had been knocked off. I managed to look back at the AOI data, it was flagged by AOI, but we’d missed it.”
Rather than offering excuses, Davies could provide complete transparency enabled by the system’s data retention and analysis capabilities. “I was able to do was to look back. It was great for them because I’d say we actually spotted it, but it didn’t get reworked. I got the images up to show that it was a tombstone component, and one end was knocked off. We saw images on the AOI, so soon it was found.”
This level of traceability is powered by AOI image analysis and comprehensive data logging to transform how manufacturers manage quality issues. Problems become opportunities for process improvement rather than customer relationship damage.
Diversification Enabled by Consistent Quality
FermionX’s data-driven quality approach supports an intentionally diverse customer base. Rice explains the strategic value: “We’ve probably got 50, 60 customers that we’re working with on a regular basis, across lots of industries, so we’re quite widespread. If someone drops off a little bit, we’ve got someone else that picks up.”
This diversification strategy only works when quality systems can adapt to varied requirements across industries. AOI-powered inspection provides the flexibility and consistency needed to serve aerospace, medical, industrial, and commercial customers with equal confidence.
The Future of Intelligent Manufacturing
FermionX’s journey illustrates how forward-thinking electronics manufacturers are embracing the convergence of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and strategic equipment partnerships to build truly intelligent operations.
By investing in industry-leading technology from Koh Young, partnering with knowledgeable distributors like Altus, and architecting a comprehensive data strategy unifying inspection, production, and business intelligence, FermionX is doing more than improving its current operations, it is building the foundation for the smart factory of the future.
As Patrick succinctly puts it, investment is not linear, it happens in step changes. Companies who recognize this reality, embrace data-driven operations, and invest strategically in AI-powered equipment like Koh Young’s inspection systems are more than just keeping pace with Industry 4.0. They are leading the way.
FermionX Group is a UK-based electronics manufacturing services provider specializing in PCBA, cable harnesses, and box build assembly across multiple industries. The company operates state-of-the-art facilities equipped with industry-leading inspection and production technology.
