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» PCB & ASSEMBLYPioneer of Bulgarian Electronics ManufacturingSelective soldering machine takesproduction to a new levelUnder the motto “Assembling the Future”, Phonotronica Ltd. has been a pioneer in the developmentand manufacture of electronic modules since 1990. Innovation is in the DNA of theBulgarian company based in Sofia which also follows an uncompromising zero-defect policyand compliance with all IPC standards in all product processes to meet the high demands ofcustomers in every respect. The investment in an Ersa Versaflow 3/35 Global Edition selectivesoldering machine – a decision that the company made five years ago – gave a noticeableboost to quality and productivity and fits in with this approach.» Christian Ott | Ersa GmbH | Wertheim (Germany)Phonotronica can look back on over 35 years ofcompany history – the EMS service provider wasfounded by the visionary Professor Georgi Gergov,who implemented the first developments in the fieldof telecommunications back in the 1980s – still inthe days of the socialist People´s Republic of Bulgaria.At that time, it was not possible to sell privatelydeveloped products. You had to work for the state orgovernment, and the pay was quite modest. After thepolitical changes in Bulgaria in 1990, Georgi Gergovtook advantage of the new economic opportunitiesand founded Phonotronica – a company that hassince impressed customers and partners alike with itscontinuous innovative strength, technical expertiseand partnership-based cooperation. In 1993, thecompany developed the first product for the completeautomation of telephone connections and implementedit in the departments of the national telecommunicationscompany. Since 2010, the headquarters,including production facilities and tenniscourt, have been located just 5 km from Sofia Airport– guarded by an imposing Bulgarian Karakachan dognamed “Little Ball” and surrounded by the mountainsof Vitosha.Even before the company was officially founded,Georgi Gergov had already realized pioneering devel-Founder Georgi Gergov (2nd from left) with the two Phonotronica employees Plamen Enchev (Process Manager, center) andValentin Zhelyazkov (COO) as well as Ersa Area Sales Manager Christian Ott (left) and Nikolay Momchilov, Managing DirectorERSA-Bulgaria (right)Source: C. Fischer | Ersa36 EPP Europe » 05 | 2025
View into the Phonotronica electronics production facitlity with thenew Ersa THT selective soldering lineSource: C. Fischer | ErsaUpstream assembly on the Ersa Versaflow 3/35, where 2,000 assembliesare produced every daySource: C. Fischer | Ersaopments, such as a control system for street lightingbased on sunrise and sunset times – an extremelysuccessful product because it was easy to use andmaintenance-free. 700,000 units were sold. The establishmentof its own production line as of 2010marked an important milestone for the EMS serviceprovider. Due to limited funds for the family-runstart-up, it took around five years to complete, butthen business took off. Another capacity expansionfollowed in 2018 with a second production line. Initially,only the company’ s own products were manufactured,but later orders from large Bulgarian electronicsmanufacturing companies were added.Technology partnership for qualitymeets efficiencyPhonotronica founder Georgi Gergov and ChristianOtt, Area Sales Manager at Ersa, made important initialcontact at the leading trade fair productronicain Munich in 2014. There was already an intensiveexchange at the time, but the time was not yet ripefor the start of a business relationship. Christian Ottrecalls: “That was eleven years ago – at a time whenwe had no real presence in Bulgaria. We now have astrong sales and service partner here in the form ofthe ERSA-Bulgaria team, which maintains local contactwith our Bulgarian prospects and customers.” Itwas to take a few more years before the first conversationturned into an intensive collaboration. It becameconcrete in 2019 with a first major project: initially15,000, then 40,000 units per month were tobe manufactured, packaged and delivered in the highestquality – with a production time window of only12 minutes per unit. Contact with the machinemanufacturer intensified: “We were on the lookoutfor a reflow soldering system, but still had comparativelylittle experience with such a scale. Westarted with our old selective soldering machine,which was not exactly designed for high-speed pro-ZusammenfassungEin innovativer Hersteller elektronischer Module ausBulgarien setzt auf eine Null-Fehler-Politik und hat mitder Investition in eine Selektivlötanlage seine Qualitätund Produktivität erheblich gesteigert, was zur Verwirklichunganspruchsvoller Projekte geführt hat.RésuméEn Bulgarie, un fabricant innovateur de modules électroniquesapplique une politique zéro-erreur. Il a puconsidérablement améliorer sa qualité et sa productivitéen investissant dans une installation de soudagesélective, ouvrant ainsi la porte à des projets plus exigeants.РезюмеИнновационный производитель электронныхмодулей из Болгарии придерживается политикинулевых дефектов и благодаря инвестициям вустановку селективной пайки значительноповысил качество и производительность, чтопозволило реализовать сложные проекты.EPP Europe » 05 | 2025 37
