Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1221561
MARCH 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 17 Matties: You have to understand what neces- sity is. Does necessity mean producing a good board? Because I can do that in a very waste- ful process and come up with a high-quality board. Williams: You can, but you're not going to have a high level of customer satisfaction, and that's probably the key metric for anybody who wants to stick around. Matties: I would argue, though, I could have a high level of customer satisfaction. If I'm building scrap, but I cover it with overage, they don't know it. As long as I deliver a qual- ity product on time, they don't care how I get there. If we were to make a case for being efficient and eliminating waste, it comes down to the dollar amount, for a lot of people; how- ever, it's also about reducing stress and raising the quality of life in the factories, and that's part of the emotional manufacturing intelli- gence. Williams: Absolutely. The real motivator is money. Johnson: Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Steve. Williams: Thanks. It has been a pleasure. PCB007 the circuit board. It matters more in the pro- duction run, and that's where you're going to validate a larger Asian fabricator because you can't do the large volume here in the U.S. May- be it doesn't matter. Williams: In some market sectors, you're right. In other cases, such as medical and military, price is not that big of a deal, but there are still customers in North America that add a lot of price pressure. Matties: That's what's left here in the U.S., and they may be putting pressure, but unless you're going to turn into a state-of-the-art facility and be head and shoulders above everybody else— bringing in capabilities that nobody else of- fers—then it comes down to if they like you. Are your processes stable enough to produce a quality product? I don't care about all your wasteful steps because, in the end, the board cost doesn't affect us at this level. What do we change? What's going to motivate somebody to want to change? Williams: Again, losing customers or money, as well as a willingness and desire to stay in the time. That shouldn't be overlooked because that was a factor with some of the companies that are not here anymore. They got tired of the process.