Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1108006
52 FLEX007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2019 million to build new production assets in Cir- cleville, Ohio. The driver for that is all of the growth that we expect our customers to see because there is increased demand for very high-reliability polyimide materials with the growth in high-speed, high-frequency applica- tions in telecommunications, consumer elec- tronics, and automotive. Beyond that, we're looking at all the AI work that's going on, not just in the autonomous driving, but with Industry 4.0, etc. Then, there's also this whole area of flexible displays, and we certainly see a need there where we can contribute. Our teams are working on a variety of prod- ucts. So, when you look at all of that opportu- nity in total, it made a lot of sense for our busi- ness to request additional investment as the company focuses on how best to help custom- ers in these markets. It is an exciting time to be involved in this growing electronics materials space. Goldman: It certainly is a growing area. I was especially pleased to see that expansion was going on in the U.S. as opposed to somewhere else in the world. Not very many companies have done that recently. I'm curious if other locations were considered or if it was always going to be in the U.S.? Kannurpatti: We look at a multitude of factors when deciding where to put additional assets. In this instance, we have a very strong R&D team in Circleville, Ohio, that has been work- ing for many years on the types of materials that we use for these markets and applications. Plus, we also have a long history of produc- ing polyimide film for various purposes at the Ohio site; we've produced Kapton® there for over 60 years. There's a wealth of information and expertise already there. In our announcement, we also said we're making concurrent investments in Taiwan because we recognize that we need to be close to Asia customers to deliver quickly products they need. So, we're adding investments in Ohio, which is very exciting from a U.S.-based manufacturing standpoint, but we're also are doing things that we need to in Taiwan. Barry Matties: We are seeing a lot of technology companies moving into the Bay Area, espe- cially around the automotive sector. Are you dealing more with OEMs or the manufactur- ers? Is there a shift in interest there? Kannurpatti: That's a great question, Barry. The simple, straightforward answer is we work both with OEMs and circuit fabricators. We Figure 1: Entrance to DuPont's Circleville, Ohio, plant site where they recently announced an expansion.