Wróć This article is an English translation of an interview originally published on Mikrokontroler.pl, featuring Krzysztof Torczyński, President of Printor. In the conversation, he discusses the company’s history, production philosophy and its focus on delivering high-reliability PCBA for demanding industries.
During my recent visit to Printor, I had the opportunity to meet Krzysztof Torczyński, President of the Łódź-based EMS company. He shared the fascinating story of this family-run business, which has been thriving for over 40 years. While touring the production hall – always an engaging and insightful experience – I learned one of their guiding principles: the greatest waste is improving a process that does not need to exist.
– The company was founded by my father in the 1980s. He started out in a garage, producing small devices for industrial automation used by larger plants. After the political changes of 1990, he rented a small hall, registered the business under the name Printor, and began producing PCBs as well as SMD and THT assembly. For a time, the company operated on the site of the now-defunct Mera Poltik plant, and later for 10 years in Brzeziny as a laminated board manufacturer. Before 2000, we started working with Elester, later acquired by General Electric. That was a turning point for us as an electronics supplier. We implemented a multi-year development program and ISO 9001 certification. By 2004, we met all the technical requirements expected of an EMS delivering PCBA for General Electric. We purchased the building where the company now operates, expanded it, and adapted it to our needs. Today, we specialize in high-mix low-volume production, meaning series between 1,000 and 100,000 units per year – said Krzysztof Torczyński, the eldest of three siblings and President of Printor.
The management board also includes his younger brother, Wojciech Torczyński, who is responsible for sales, and his sister, Anna Mączka, who oversees finance, HR, and accounting. All three siblings are graduates of Lodz University of Technology. Krzysztof completed his studies at the International Faculty of Engineering (IFE) with a focus on Production Engineering Management. He also spent time in France as part of the Erasmus programme and carried out a postgraduate project at a French company specialising in CCTV systems for hypermarkets and large indoor spaces.
In 2009, after returning to Poland, Krzysztof joined his father’s company, which at that time employed around 80 people. His siblings followed in the subsequent years. In 2014, Wojciech and Krzysztof assumed joint management of the business. Last year, Anna Mączka joined the board, while long-standing employee Przemysław Kwiasowski was appointed Production Director.
Focus on high-reliability industries
– We have over 100 clients, but we are gradually reducing fragmentation and focusing on high-reliability industries. We aim for speed and flexibility, which are essential in high-mix segments where the time from project approval to market launch is critical – emphasized Krzysztof Torczyński.
Among Printor’s clients, in addition to General Electric, are companies such as ABB, Molex, Unitra, Bombardier, PZL Mielec, SMP (Standard Motor Products – automotive industry), Famed, and Prevac (vacuum systems).
– A good example of a successful and fast transfer was moving e-mobility electronics production from a plant in Germany to ours. The client was pressed for time and we achieved this in less than three months. The products underwent several weeks of laboratory testing in Germany, while our production process was validated, including PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), chemical composition reporting and certificates of material origin. We had to develop the right tools and fine-tune the design to the processes. The bottleneck turned out to be discussions with lawyers. The product itself was complex: apart from assembly, we also handled coating, programming, assembly, welding and testing. Launching production required monitoring many levels, the most important usually being technical. We did it in a short time and gained another satisfied client, who will now be in our TOP 5.
The company sees the greatest potential in the medical segment, especially in electronics for endoscopic systems. Other promising areas are automation and electromobility, particularly BMS (Battery Management Systems) for niche industries such as railways, trams, trucks, and industrial vehicles.
Strategic decision: discontinuing PCB manufacturing
– We decided to discontinue PCB manufacturing for economic reasons, including rising energy and raw material costs, as well as low profitability in the current market conditions. The European Union’s customs policy is also unfavourable to local production – in many cases, the import duty on laminates is higher than on finished printed circuit boards. In recent years, our in-house production covered only around 20% of demand, with the remainder sourced from external suppliers. We did not develop multilayer technology because it was unprofitable and limited by space constraints.
With the need to expand final assembly (PCBA), we repurposed the hall previously used for photolithography and etching. Now, we focus on delivering complete electronic modules, while sourcing PCBs from Asia, Europe, or Poland, depending on client requirements – said the CEO of Printor.
He noted that there are still several PCB manufacturers in Poland with profitable business models and awareness of local PCB production is growing in Europe for strategic and supply chain security reasons.
Production capabilities and common sense
– In our cooperation model, the client provides complete design documentation. Based on it, we optimise electronics production so that processes are faster, simpler and error-free. We work with two engineering companies, but much depends on the arrangements on the client’s side. We manufacture both PCBA modules and complete devices. The IPC class we produce to is determined directly by the customer – often Class 3. However, this requires not only greater manufacturing precision but also appropriate board design, maintaining the correct spacing between traces, vias and components, which significantly impacts the final cost.
According to the President of Printor, it should be the designer’s responsibility to define the production requirements. When creating the board, the designer ought to anticipate the possible scenarios it may encounter during its life cycle. This is feasible because the designer knows – or at least should know – the intended application and the chemical or electrical environment in which the circuit will operate. With this understanding, they can determine the necessary protective measures and select the appropriate PCBA production class. In the same way, they can design an optimal manufacturing and testing process and conduct a basic validation of a pilot series to confirm that the finished product meets all specified requirements.
– Sometimes we do not know what the board will be used for, even if we are aware of the client’s general industry profile. Take a BMS system for example – it can be used in an industrial hall, a snowplough, or a submarine. A good example of cooperation between the designer and the manufacturer is to determine the actual expectations for the planned PCBA boards and how to ensure the required safety. Only then can we consciously balance production costs with the level of risk – not overpaying, but also not lowering reliability requirements – emphasized Krzysztof Torczyński.
What determines reliability?
– From a production perspective, reliability means on-time delivery and high quality of the product, which in practice translates into zero complaints. Ensuring this depends on a series of processes, from technology preparation and manufacturing to managing all stages of production. The most critical stage is solder paste printing, matched to the pad shapes and properly selected reflow oven temperature profiles – this is where errors most often occur. Pick-and-place machines are precise, equipped with cameras that check whether a component has been picked up and placed correctly in the indicated spot.
The President also pointed to the importance of control processes such as AOI (Automated Optical Inspection), ICT (In-Circuit Test) for populated PCBs, and X-ray inspection.
– We have a new AOI machine for optical inspection. Here, artificial intelligence – or more precisely, machine learning – brings real value by automatically detecting errors through communication between the solder paste inspection machine and the printer in a given production line. We can also make an electrical tester for a PCB or check a batch using a Flying Probe machine. X-ray inspection is carried out during production launch – our partner takes images of the first batch of PCBA boards for analysis.
When should PCBA boards be washed?
– The decision to wash boards is made by the designer, based on the application requirements and the device’s operating environment. If ‘No Clean’ fluxes are used in soldering, residue is minimal and usually does not affect the system. In some cases – for example, when there are sensors or moisture-sensitive elements – washing may even be inadvisable. We apply it when necessary, for example, to avoid leakage currents or creepage, where all additional ions must be removed. Good production practice starts with avoiding contamination during assembly – said Krzysztof Torczyński.
Should PCBA testing take the product’s application into account?
– There is no need to test all boards in the same way. It is best to select a test set appropriate to the specific application. Much depends on the final product and its operating conditions. If a board is easy to replace and service is readily available, testing does not have to be advanced. The situation is different when electronics are installed in, for example, a tractor operating in harsh terrain – in such cases, a failure means costly downtime, so more thorough post-production testing is recommended. Weak points can be additionally protected with coating to shield the board from environmental factors.
Krzysztof Torczyński emphasized that EMS should know what critical functions the device for which it produces electronics should fulfill. Then, it can select a set of tests for that specific application. Other tests are often economically unjustified.
– If we have many BGA components from an uncertain source or old stock with unknown storage conditions, there is an increased risk of solder ball oxidation, often causing soldering problems. Such a component may pass functional testing but fail over time due to vibrations or other factors. In such cases, X-ray imaging is necessary to detect insufficiently soldered elements.
– For BMS clients, Printor conducts temperature chamber tests after assembly: cooling electronics to –20°C and heating them to 50°C. After four such cycles within specified intervals, the electronics must still operate flawlessly.
Improving production – what it means?
According to CEO Krzysztof Torczyński, improvement is one of the elements of production, and managing ideas is a huge challenge for managers. He outlined two directions to consider: bottom-up and top-down improvement.
– Bottom-up improvement means implementing ideas or solving problems noticed by employees. If their idea is acknowledged and implemented, they will be more willing to propose further improvements in the future. The worst situation is when ideas are ignored. Of course, not every proposal should be implemented, but it is worth analysing them for validity and economic efficiency.
Top-down improvement means looking at the company as a whole and identifying bottlenecks to eliminate them. This is the role of managers, but they must be careful – optimising processes that are no longer needed, simply because they used to be standard, can waste resources. Sometimes the best improvement is to discontinue an inefficient or outdated process.
Traceability and attention to detail
In both approaches, product traceability – using sensors, cameras, scanners, and IT systems – is essential.
– Thanks to traceability, we know from which reel every component on a PCB comes. We track them throughout the entire production process. If, for example, we find a faulty transistor, we can immediately identify all boards containing it and take preventive action. This is especially important for moisture-sensitive components, which must be soldered within 24 hours of opening their packaging. Unused elements must be stored in a special moisture-absorbing cabinet. Otherwise, rapid evaporation during reflow can cause damage.
We also have an ERP system and an X-ray counter for components on reels. It can even check whether there is silicon inside a processor or if it is just an empty case – a dummy used for testing production processes. Such elements can also be sent to laboratories for testing when purchased from brokers.
Krzysztof Torczyński emphasised that fine-tuning the PCBA production process takes time and only after producing several thousand units can one say that the process is correct and machines are well-adjusted.
– We launch several new products each week. The first production batch is, in a sense, an experiment. Time pressure is high, because clients expect fast deliveries. Sometimes corrections are needed. This is why a qualified team is crucial. It is people’s skills that allow us to produce electronics to the required IPC class, within short lead times, and at a high quality level.
