Seckel went from working at firm to owning it

When you use a coin-operated machine, the circuit board helping to operate that equipment may have been assembled in Columbus.

For more than 30 years, the shop at 2565 16th Ave. has been a manufacturing plant for circuit assembly. During the past dozen years, C&S Electronics Inc. has assembled more than a million circuit boards for use in car washes, parking lots, laundries, and amusement and vending machines.

Carl Seckel, president of C&S Electronics Inc. and co-owner of the company, said C&S Electronics has contracts with a manufacturing corporation in Ohio to assemble circuit boards for its equipment and C&S Electronics also has many other clients across the United States that regularly rely on the company’s experience.

Including Seckel and his wife, Sandi, the other co-owner, the business employs 15 people, which assembles an average of more than 12,000 boards a month.

The business started in 1977 as Rodco Products conducting only proprietary assembly, and in 1988 the business was expanded to do contract electronic assembly, which is now the majority of business performed by C&S Electronics, Seckel said. In 1988, an additional department, surface mount technology, was also added.

Seckel’s passion began during his time in the Air Force, so when working as an employee for Rodco Products he jumped at the opportunity to own the electronics business.

In 1996, the owner at the time offered to sell Rodco Products to Seckel and after purchasing the business it was renamed C&S Electronics.

“I had worked for the gentleman who had previously owned it, and he offered to sell it to me,” he said. Seckel said he accepted the offer because he thought it was something he would be happy with and successful at due to his electronics background.

Since then service expansion continued when in 2002 C&S Electronics become ISO registered, and in 2003 the production supervisor became a class “A” certified instructor for both international standards for circuit board assembly.

C&S Electronics has been experiencing continuous growth with contracts that have required an average assembly rate of 500 circuit boards daily.

Seckel said some of the assembly is automated, but the circuit boards are primarily hand assembled and soldered.

He said because of its years of service and experience, C&S Electronics is able to deliver high quality, low cost assemblies.

Although C&S electronics does not manufacture the individual components, because the parts are getting more compact and advanced, Seckel said the business is anticipating continued growth to meet those ever changing needs.