Company History
Peter Sarmanian started Printed Circuit Corporation in 1961 during the early days of the computer industry. Sarmanian was pursuing an undergraduate technical degree at Northeastern University after having returned from service in the Korean War. His first significant production contracts were to manufacture printed circuit boards for the technology innovators of the 1960s - early minicomputer companies like RCA Computer Systems, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Data General Corporation.
Sarmanian was a pioneer in the electro-chemical production of printed circuit boards. The new process offered far greater reliability for the printed circuit boards and far higher density (chips and circuitry per square inch) for packaging components.
When Sarmanian launched the company, most computer and electronics manufacturers were fabricating their own boards. Independent suppliers, however, became increasingly efficient and were proving a more cost-effective solution for a broad range of printed circuit board applications. Likewise, computer and electronics manufacturers became more comfortable using suppliers for key electronic components, including printed circuit boards. Reductions in time to market, engineering/prototyping costs, and manufacturing ramp-up costs were being demonstrated by these suppliers to win business. In 1979, 40% of all rigid printed circuit board fabrication was being outsourced to suppliers like PCC. By 1989, that figure was about 60%, and by 1995, 80%. By 2001, 98% of all printed circuit board production was going to external suppliers. Industry analysts placed total bookings for printed circuit board production worldwide at approximately $30 billion in 2000, with the US market comprising about a third of that dollar volume.
Sarmanian built a profitable company with approximately $30 million a year in revenue at its peak in 2000, and a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) fabrication plant on Route 128 outside of Boston. At the time, he had 240 employees working two full shifts a day, and sometimes, another half shift for limited production of new prototype boards.
Sarmanian died in July 2001 following a bout with cancer. The company filed for reorganization shortly thereafter, then was acquired by Manchester, NH-based fabricator Electropac in October 2002.
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