When Neil Johnson, a 15-year veteran at Saab Grintek Defence responsible for IPC training, expressed his desire to strike out on his own, the company was keen to support him as part of its incubator programme.
And so it happened that, in 2014, he started Solve Direct Electronics as a 100% black owned (40% black women) business operating from Saab Grintek Defence’s premises in Highveld Techno Park, Centurion, with access to its security and high-tech facilities and equipment.
Solve Direct Electronics’ primary business is providing training and certification on behalf of IPC. This encompasses a range of courses – such as ESD/IPC JSTD 001/IPC/WHMA 620/IPC A 600/IPC A 610/IPC RMR 7722/7721 – presented through a number of training mediums including online and video. In conjunction with SQC Pretoria, the company has also established a Master IPC training centre.
Solve Direct Electronics also engages in the production of Class 3 printed circuit assemblies for various military and consumer electronics companies. The majority of its clients have a continuous demand to produce high-quality products and the need for certified, skilled individuals. Solve Direct Electronics also conducts regular ESD audits, giving it the opportunity to identify possible risks and make the necessary recommendations to address and improve on quality issues.
Under the management of Neil and Fatima Johnson, the company is growing its customer base while developing and maintaining a strong knowledge base in its core disciplines of IPC training and PCB assembly. Neil, the founder and director, is an IPC-accredited trainer who has graduated as a Master IPC trainer, in addition to his electronics assembly skills. He has also contributed to the development of IPC standards and serves on IPC standards development committees in the USA. Fatima is the co-director and is responsible for the corporate services profile within the company.
According to Fatima Johnson, as the company has developed it has learned that it pays dividends to invest money in people skills, and to be involved in learnership programmes to assist unemployed individuals in developing their employable skills and capacity building. “We envision a future where all participants are knowledgeable in their electronic assembly requirements,” she says. “We are committed to empowering individuals and to work in collaboration with like-minded professionals to offer the best quality training and to meet the needs of our valued clients daily.
“Solve Direct Electronics’ payoff line, as can be seen from our advertising, is ‘Quality IPC training and PCB assembly taken to the next level’. This is a philosophy that we live by in all levels of the organisation. We extend an open invitation to anyone in the industry to contact us,” she concludes.
For more information contact Fatima Johnson, Solve Direct Electronics, +27 (0)82 450 5585, fatima@solvedirectelectronics.co.za.
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