One of the cheapest components on any car, the connector which provides the interface between glass mounted systems such as heating elements & antennas & the vehicle's electrical supply, has the capability to cost the glass supplier massive compensation charges if it fails. And yet this tiny component is a source of significant failure rates largely because the process used to install it often involves ill-trained operators & human error. There is a way round the dilemma, as Antaya Technologies, the US company which holds more than 80% of the US glass connector market, has discovered. The secret lies in automating the soldering process - Antaya produces a range of resistance-soldering equipment which takes the human factor out of the process. These are used extensively by US glass & vehicle makers but are only just becoming recognised in Europe. "The connectors we sell have a typical face value of as little as 10p each", says Stephen Antaya, vice president for sales of the family-founded business. "But if they fail on the line then 'fines' on the glass supplier can spiral to dizzy heights - the going rate is GBP10,000 per minute of stoppage in one UK-based OEM's factory.
