Todays #HITEKHistory sees us look back on a fantastic event that we participated in last year called Its a Knockout which was organised and ran by @LindseyLodge. All staff that got involved with this event had a great time participating and working together as a team to complete multiple different tasks and challenges throughout the day.
This year we will not be competing however we will be looking forward to seeing all the photos and videos this event produces. Its not to late to get involved with this event so if you would like to get a team together and support a great charity then sign up here! : https://bit.ly/49EMCsq
Welcome everyone and thank you for joining us today for this Q&A session with Ken Marino, President at Orbel and HITEK’s Operations Director, Roger Dent. Ken brings a wealth of experience to the table, having been with Orbel for a 41 of years. Today, we’ll be learning more about Orbel’s history, capabilities and how they can help customers with mission-critical challenges. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Ken, it’s a pleasure to chat with you today. Orbel’s story is quite interesting. Perhaps you could share how the company came to be?
Sure Roger, Orbel was founded in 1961, where we initially started as a reel-to-reel electroplating company to help support and service the ever-growing electronics industry. Orbel are now a major supplier for electronic companies seeking high performance and precision engineered components. We’re proud that Orbel has combined expertise in technology, advanced manufacturing skills and quality control housed in a modern 57,000 sq. ft to facility in Easton Pennsylvania.
Which markets do Orbel serve Ken?
While Orbel serves the broader industrial and general electronics markets, our true passion lies in precision light-gauge metal components. We specialise in meeting the demanding needs of the Hi-Reliability, Military/Aerospace, and Automotive industries. Our goal is to empower our customers with the confidence to conquer any mission-critical challenge.
What about Orbel’s capabilities; what can HITEK’s customers draw upon?
The first question Orbel always asks when approaching a project is, “How can we take a vision and turn it into a repeatable, manufacturable reality?
AS9100 design-certified, Orbel is a light-gauge, tight-tolerance specialist backed by an engineering team with a long history of excellence. We keep design manufacturing and design engineering under one roof, from print development to full production. At Orbel, we take pride in our robust design and quality control processes for all our services, including heat treating, forming, plating, stamping, and etching. This ensures that HITEK’s customers receive precision-engineered components that consistently meet the highest standards of performance and reliability, crucial for success in demanding applications.
Where can our customers find out more about precision metal components Ken?
HITEK Electronic Materials is the perfect partner to connect you with Orbel’s expertise. But there’s more! Visit Orbel’s website at https://www.orbel.com/ to explore the depths of our experience and commitment to cutting-edge technologies. See why engineers around the world trust Orbel to deliver mission-critical components. Watch, like and subscribe Orbel’s Corporate Video. Follow our Company Page on LinkedIn to find out real time Company news.
Technical Tip – Shelf Life, Pot Life and Working Life
Technical data sheet terminology can be confusing at times. We at HITEK have asked several people what they believe Shelf Life, Pot Life, Working Life and Gel Time mean, and we received mixed answers. For that reason, our Technical Manager @DavidMcAllister has put together a great technical tip document highlighting many key points that should help with any queries that you may have about these topics.
To further enquire about this or any other technical service please visit our technical advice page here: Technical Advice – HITEK Electronic Materials LTD (hitek-ltd.co.uk)
We would like to issue a massive Thank You to everyone who came and visited the HITEK stand @EMC&CI!
No doubt that our amazing team of @CameronFinch and @MoKhan were able to answer any questions or queries that you had about #protectingyourelectronics. It was great to see familiar faces as well as new people that have taken an interest into what HITEK has to offer!
As this exhibition has come to a close we now look forward to the next so catch us next time at The Emergency Services Show on stand E57!
At HITEK we are a proud member of the @UKGSA and demonstrate this by showcasing their plaque in clear view within our reception area! The UK Gasket & Sealing Association (UKGSA) serves as a trade organisation dedicated to advocating for the unique needs and concerns of UK companies involved in the conversion of materials into gaskets and seals for all types of industries.
Being a member of this great organisations also means you get rewarding benefits. These are:
Decision makers and influencers
Procurement support
Industrial and manufacturing tours
Support with material selection, product design and development
The first Thursday of May is always World Password day. Here at HITEK we understand the importance of a strong password, as it provides you that safety for your things. Having a weak or easy password can result in a lot of harm.
To demonstrate this we have setup a little demo of a weak and easily guessable password. Simply look through the image at the top of the post for a 5 digit code and enter it down below. That will grant you access to something new on our site.
Everyone at HITEK would like to extend a massive congratulations to four very brave staff members @CameronFinch, Matthew, Jake and Wayne as they all completed a skydive in aid of @LindseyLodge this past Saturday! In doing so they raised very close to £3000 which is absolutely phenomenal and a great token of support for such a wonderful charity.
Watch this to see how our Cameron Finch faired against the skydive
On top of this HITEK orchestrated a dress down and cake day this past Friday in order to help raise additional funds for the skydive and support Lindsey Lodge further. This saw us raise a fantastic total of £191.60 on the day for such a great cause!
As Headline sponsors of the Alfa Romeo Championship we take pride in the fact our logo appears on the drivers cars. But for our Finance Director Richard Ford, he has taken it a step further. HITEK’s Marketing team, took a brief of “HITEK-ify my racing car for the upcoming season” using their brand guidelines and identifying a few core elements that needed to be on the design.
The Logo
Arguably the most important part of HITEK’s branding is their the logo, while present on all the cars, bringing it to the forefront of a HITEK car was key.
The Colours
From our signature blues to the differing shades we had to consider what would stand out on a race track whatever the weather.
Our new look leaflets
Our new and improved leaflets, bring the hex shape to the forefront while also showcasing some of the core business.
The Initial Design
When designing artwork for a car the first major thing to consider was its shape and size.
Given the sporty design and lower roof, there’s limited space for overloaded content. Therefore, a clean and minimal approach was necessary.
Secondly the curvature of the car played a major factor into the design as the shape of the bonnet and sides affected the possible placements of artwork as well as their shapes.
With those things considered it was time to look at colours. As you can see from the images above the car was in a shade of black prior to our designs. As black is a part of our colour schemes for varying aspects of our branding, we felt it was fine to incorporate it into the designs.
This however, wasn’t the only colour we needed to consider, as the signature HITEK blues needed to be implemented in the design.
We felt it was best to go for a blended approach with the gradient shifting to our dark blue the further down the car you go.
This colour layout allowed for an ease of transition between the base frontal colour that allows for graphics to stand out, to a more HITEK theme in the rear.
With the base colour setup in place it was time to start thinking about graphics.
This was the most intricate part of the design, with the base colours laid out we needed to consider something that would stand out on the car.
The many different graphic design choices
Many mock ups of how the graphics would sit on the car were discussed and created along the way, the bonnet being the hardest aspect of the car design due to multiple alterations to find something that would fit in with the branding, represent the company offering and also stand out on the race track.
As the designs evolved more and more focus on the bonnet was done, as soon enough all the drafts became just bonnet designs.
So, in the end what we found best to include on the front was the logo, the trio of hexagons from the latest branded material.
From digital designers to real life appliers
With a design chosen it was time to execute the excellence of the design in real life. Firstly came the gradient. one thing we realised was that getting the exact colour scheme we have is very tricky. Plus, if the car got damaged. replacing parts would be so much harder. Which meant we had to compromise on the blues.
After diving into the Alfa GT colour charts, what was decided on was the Montecarlo blue as it was more so the middle stage between our light and middle blues.
This allowed for replacement parts from a standard GT to be used in case of severe body damage.
Next it was time to apply the graphics to the car. As mentioned before the bonnet was the most contentious part of the design so nailing the execution was key if we were to be happy.
As such we started with the trio of Hexagons. What we realised when it came to these was that getting the first one down perfect was the most important aspect, this would allow for the other to to be placed evenly and in line to create that perfectly spaced masterpiece.
Lastly for the planned graphics it was the logo and HITEK tagline. With how we placed that first hexagon, it enabled us to line up the logo and slogan so that it would fit neatly along the top of the bonnet.
The surprise twist in the execution
Not everything about the design stayed the same when it came to the execution as a larger sized logo was added to the side of the car. This addition was to help broaden how our brand was seen as the pure white logo across the blend tied the design in well.
The Final Look
While we’ve been teasing the design through out this article it is finally time to showcase it to you.
From just a small idea from someone, to a fully fledged car design, many different people haveworked together to get this concept from idea to the final piece. As such a massive thankyou to all contributors who helped.
To get a good in person look at the car in action, the first race of the season at Croft is happening the 20th and 21st of April. Take a look at the race preview here.
One thing that we are proud of at HITEK is the ability to have access to such useful and effective machinery such as our XY Cutter!
The XY Cutting Machine allows for the provision of clean and precisely cut parts. This cost-effective and efficient solution enhances HITEK’s outstanding quality by employing a multiheaded cutter, ensuring impeccable accuracy across a variety of materials.
HITEK are always looking to raise the standard and quality of our workplace and environment which is why being green and environmentally friendly is so important to us!
A key method that we aim to do more of to increase this standard is to gain better control over the use of these five things:
Gas usage
Electric usage
Water usage
CO2 Emissions
Waste Management
HITEK is embracing this standard with a proactive approach as we endeavour to enhance our emissions and waste management. Additionally, we are committed to exploring opportunities for increased energy efficiency to optimise our expenditures.
Our efforts of being green and keeping green has seen us be accredited with an ISO 14001 certificate which further shows that we are compliant with the ISO framework for an effective environmental management system.
