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(July 19, 2007) SPOKANE, Wash. — GaitherCapital acquired Robotic Process Systems, Inc. (RPS), which will become RPS Automation LLC under the new investor. GaitherCapital is a private equity firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jess Baker, an RPS founder, will become president of the selective soldering company, with expanded management including GaitherCapital members.
RPS Automation LLC will continue developing, manufacturing, and marketing its range of selective soldering systems globally. "Selective soldering is still in the early phases of adoption and new board applications, designs, complexities, and materials will continue to drive demand," said Reed Gaither, managing director, GaitherCapital. GaitherCapital will build on the company's innovation and customer-service reputations, he said, applying increased capital and management to R&D; capacity expansions; adding skilled engineers, technicians, and partners; and other systems.
RPS launched an entry-level selective soldering system, Rhythm, which completes its range of products, Gaither explained. RPS will look to increase penetration for existing product lines, particularly in the North America market, and may expand product lines further in the long term. "Selective soldering systems must provide return on investment (ROI) in high-value, high-mix board production applications," Gaither said.
A management team that includes Gaither as CEO and Kari Novatney, a managing director at GaitherCaptial, as chief financial officer (CFO) will support Baker. A vice president of global sales will also join the group.
For more information on RPS, see Flux Residue & Selective Soldering, by Huy H. Pham, RPS Automation, from SMT's July issue.
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