Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1236528
42 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2020 medical industry, where a lot of our laminate is used—especially when you get into the pan- demic, such as COVID-19, with the need for ventilators. We're seeing a pretty large spike in demand for certain material grades that are used in that type of equipment. We've been ex- tremely busy, not just in the United States, but at our global sites as well in China and Taiwan. Matties: Now, to the supply chain issue. The last time we talked, you indicated that progress is being made in the new facility in Arizona. Give us an update on where that's at and how that's aiding in the supply chain. Kelly: We're very excited about our new facility. We just finished the buildout of the state-of- the-art R&D facility. As you recall, the last time you and I spoke, we had moved the corporate employees into the new world headquarters. And this is all housed under one roof. The cor- porate employees moved in last year, and then the R&D facility was just finished this week, which is very exciting. One thing that we'll be able to do is with the lab that's part of the R&D facility, we all have the right office space for our scientists and lab techs. But then we built out a completely new lab that's fully opera- tional by tomorrow and will provide Isola with the tools and capabilities to continue our lead- ership around innovation and working with our business partners to solve problems. The next and last phase is the comple- tion of the quick turnaround manufactur- ing space. If you can envision this very large, 130,000-square-foot facility in Chandler, Arizo- na, houses all the world headquarters employ- ees as it relates to Chandler. It also houses the R&D employees as well as the lab. The final phase is this quick turnaround facility. The hot presses are actually being set this week, which is one of the major milestones in the building that will be QTA. Once we install all the support equipment, we can start verifying the equipment run rates and start producing at volume. Work continues on the layup and material handling systems, which is being produced in Taiwan. Now, as we talk about supply chain and the impact of COVID-19, we have seen the impact in terms of some of this equipment. It has caused many challenges as it relates to the collaboration be- tween Isola and the equipment manufacturer that's based in Taiwan. However, our team has utilized video con- ferencing and other technologies where the equipment supplier can take us out on their floor in a virtual environment so we can ac- tually see various pieces of equipment oper- ate. This is all very state-of-the-art equipment. It's been designed based on our specs working in collaboration with the manufacturer of the equipment. It's very important that that col- laboration continues. Even though there's a lot of travel restrictions and it's very difficult to go global at this point, we're able to utilize certain technologies, which gives us the opportunity to continue to collaborate on those designs. Matties: That's great, and it's amazing how technology is really stepping in to keep things moving. Related to that end, there has been a lot of support in the industry to help each other to get through these challenging times. What sort of stories of support are you hearing out there? Kelly: Yes. As I said a little bit earlier, as we talk about supply chain, Isola is actively involved in supplying critical material to many of our customers that are manufacturing medical equipment to fight COVID-19. And, arguably, even some new OEMs—as people have seen GM and some of the automotive companies—are now producing ventilators. Isola is treating all material orders that are needed to assist during this pandemic as the top priority. What does that mean? That means to the extent possible, we break into produc- tion schedules and move raw materials around the globe at our expense to support emergen- cies or to help save lives. Isola is committed to fighting this pandemic alongside our business partners. And we will continue to utilize the full strength of our com- pany to provide quality material in an expedited fashion. There are many examples—especially over the last several weeks—where there's a