PARMI USA Inc. is a technology-intensive corporation specializing in the development and supply of in-line 3D inspection machines. These machines are used in a variety of applications, including SMT manufacturing and semiconductor processes. The company is known for its innovative solutions in SPI and AOI, leveraging unique laser scanning technology to enhance defect detection capabilities. We recently spoke with Juan Arango, Head of Sales and Business Development, to find out more about the company’s strengths and insights on market positioning and value to its customers.Juan, can you give our readers an overview of PARMI USA’s key technologies and how they stand out in the market?
Absolutely, there are two. The first is the laser scanning system.By virtue of this technology, PARMI was selected for CPU, Application Processor (AP), System in Package (SiP), Integrated Passive Devices (IPD) on any surface with any roughness with a fully scanned application. The second is our proven line performance. Customers do select based on assumptions of what they will report to the originalmanufacturers of the products. Quality measurements likeGR&R, MSA and MCA are used for statistical results to certify accuracy and repeatability, and PARMI continues to be selected over other technologies. PARMI is the only company using laser scanning technology and the performance against other conventional AOIs is proof of accuracy, repeatability and reliability that customers continue to adopt and support.
What are the unique capabilities of PARMI USA’s 3D inspection solutions, and how do they address specific challenges in the electronics manufacturing industry?
Intuitiveness of inspection principle: PARMI sensor processes images during scans and sends processed images to the PC while conventional AOI system PCs collect all native images and have a separate process to filter images through SW to select the best representative images to output the inspection result. The way PARMI processes the images is evaluated as it is more ‘intuitive’ based on the previously mentioned reason.
Micro-electronics: CPU, AP, SiP, IPD with high-density populated component layout in a small formfactor was a challenge that was observed in the microelectronics market for medical, national defense, and semiconductor packaging industries. Comparatively, PARMI was able to provide the best solutions to these challenges.
How does PARMI USA leverage advanced technology, like AI or machine learning, to enhance its product offerings?
Printer Doctor: SPI uses this to diagnose and alarm potential problems from screen printers and alarm/report so users can prevent and ensure high print qualities.
SmartOn: Real–time monitoring performance of each SPI and AOI machines.
AI: AI Teaching (auto teaching) and AI OCR/OCV (deep learning-based text recognition to recognize any broken and unclear texts)
In terms of R&D, how does PARMI USA ensure its technology stays ahead of competitors in the SMT and semiconductor industries?
PARMI currently provides inspection solutions for SMT, THT, and back-end semiconductor packaging processes. PARMI R&D plans to expand our inspection scope to include front-end processes for semiconductor manufacturing such as wafer inspection and end–of-production processes such as final vision inspection.
Can you elaborate on PARMI USA’s growth strategy in the North American market? What key industries or sectors are you focusing on?
The North America market is expected to grow significantly over the next few years. Reshoring is a big reason for this growth, but we also now see organic growth not leaving so companies are being tasked to plan for a 2–5X growth over the next few years. Being able to automate the inspection process, especially with AI, will help them be more efficient while maintaining quality.
The sectors we need to focus on are automotive, industrial, EMS/OEM companies, and military/aero/medical. Our largest growth is expected to be in the microelectronics and semiconductor markets because they need greater resolution capabilities that not everyone can provide, and this fits well with the PARMI laser technology.
How has PARMI USA adapted its business development approach to respond to the evolving needs of customers in areas like automotive, medical, and consumer electronics?
PARMI is focusing on the current needs of the market while also preparing for future needs. Our market is very dynamic, and we need to ensure that PARMI addresses the specific market needs and trends that our customers will need for their customers.
Additionally, we are strengthening our partnerships so we can better understand the future needs of our customers’ customers and communicate that clearly to our HQ, allowing us to provide the best solutions possible in the shortest amount of time.
What role does innovation play in PARMI USA’s plans for future growth, and how do you see the company expanding its product portfolio?
PARMI sees innovation as a key piece of our future growth. Mr. Hwang, our CEO, is very focused on the new solutions that our market will need, and we work as a team to solve these challenges.
PARMI has expanded its product portfolio to address this future growth. Most know PARMI as an SPI and AOI solutions company; however, what most are not aware of is that we also have solutions for microelectronics and semiconductor. PARMI has been able to adapt Laser Triangulation Technology to microelectronics, wire bonding and wafer inspection. With the Chip Act initiative, we are expecting this to help the Americas expand greatly over the next few years.
How does PARMI USA maintain a high standard of quality in its products while ensuring that they are user-friendly?
We ensure our high standards of quality with regular updates on our roadmap that reflect market trends as well as listening to our customers’ needs. We also constantly research upcoming demands in the SMT, THT, and semiconductor packaging markets. PARMI R&D foresees and plans for next and three and then five years.
Can you speak to the engineering philosophy at PARMI USA and how it guides the design of solutions that are both cutting-edge and simple to use?
PARMI HW’s design philosophy is to make our solutions assimple as possible with no moving parts and easy accessibility to electrical parts for maintenance. PARMI SW’s design philosophy is to show a minimal number of categorical icons on our GUI so users can explore and utilize all features intuitively. This helps our customers learn to use the systems quickly and easily.
Ease of use is a key consideration for manufacturers. How does PARMI USA integrate simplicity into the design of its systems while maintaining advanced functionality?
PARMI recognizes that any tool used in manufacturing should be easy to use. If they are not, users will not want to use them. We constantly strive to include ease of use into the design of all PARMI systems. Advanced functionality includes capabilitiesthat the systems provide and can be easily accessed with the PARMI intuitive GUI. We make sure that our users can access and analyze the data so they can continuously monitor and improve their manufacturing processes.
Can you tell us how PARMI USA’s products streamline the inspection process, contributing to more efficient operations for your clients?
PARMI products help customers streamline their inspection process by providing a very easy–to–use GUI, very high accuracy and quality inspection results as well as the fastest inspection system in the market. We make sure that customers can create and debug very quickly and never compromise the quality of the inspection results.
Is there anything else our readers should know about PARMI USA?
PARMI is a Korean company that started in 1998 and was the first to develop and go to market 3D SPI in 2000. The company’s philosophy is to provide very high-quality systems ata very competitive price, thus helping customers improve and maintain very high-quality standards.
PARMI USA focuses not only on the SMT market but also the microelectronics and semiconductor market, with expected growth of more than 3X over the next few years. We will be very active and aggressive in hiring the most talented people to make sure our company is prepared for this growth.
