Offering component procurement and testing to S6171 for the UK

Following the acquisition of SMT Corp by APC Technology Group's principal shareholder Harwood Capital, APC is now providing its UK-based defence and aerospace customers anti-counterfeit and electrical testing services up to standard AS6171, assisting customers to mitigate current global component supply issues.

SMT was one of the first test houses to have its detection and test methods for suspect/counterfeit parts accredited to Aerospace standard AS6171, and since January 2022 has been mandated by the US Defence Logistics Agency ("DLA"). SMT's ISO17025/AS6171 and AS6081 certified labs authenticate the parts sold into the defence and aerospace industries. It is an approved vendor to leading US-based aerospace and defence contractors.

For more than 40 years, as a UK and Ireland franchised distributor, APC Technology Group offers customers throughout multiple sectors with design-in, specification and sourcing of specialist electronic components and systems, control and management technologies and connectivity products. The company's main focus is the defence, avionics and aerospace sectors, where mission-critical reliability is a fundamental necessity. The DLA-mandated requirement has been introduced in response to government pressure on prime defence contractors to use COTS components, inherent obsolescence issues in many defence programs, the rise in counterfeit products and the current global shortage of electronic components.

Richard Hodgson commented on the acquisition: "Our UK customers have always valued our long-standing franchised relationships with major manufacturers and our design-in technical expertise. Adding SMT's sourcing, counterfeit mitigation, and in-house AS6171 testing capability allows us to provide our customers with even more strategic services. There are no AS6171 test houses located in the UK or Europe, so this acquisition significantly broadens our capability, and we look forward to taking our services to the next level."