Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1259453
JUNE 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 17 der mask, and electroless copper, and our goal was to introduce new products faster, as well as products that did more for our customers and cost less to use, so we decided not to wor- ry about parts of the facility or plan that did things unrelated to our goal. Johnson: Based on your experience as far as facing transitions and making changes and pivots—besides looking at your team, facility, and skillsets—what other key things should management pay attention to? For instance, do you have the appetite or fire to be competi- tive? Feinberg: That's a factor, and we were pretty good at competing because we had some im- pressive competitors, and we also gave a de- cent commission. Our TQM project for sales was that the product is critical, but so are the relationships. Build your relationships with customers not by buying them three-martini lunches but by helping them with their ca- reers. We had a lot of great relationships with some of the major circuit board companies in the world located in the United States at the time. For example, the Western Electric plant in Richmond, Virginia—which was the largest circuit board fabrication plant back then—is now a shopping mall (laughs). Could I have succeeded like that today in a different indus- try, doing something different? It's not like I had an infinite skill; I didn't. But I was the right person at the right time with the right team who set the right goals and had the right level of commitment. Call that TQM if you want. Johnson: And then using the right tools so that objectives were effected, measured, and tracked. Feinberg: Right, and again, look at the team that we had and look at what they've done. We have three members in the IPC Hall of Fame: Gene Weiner, Walt Custer, and me. All of us old folks are still in the industry and involved (laughs). Johnson: That speaks volumes for Dynachem, its long-lasting effect on the industry, and the reason we wanted to have this talk. Any part- ing advice around manufacturing emotional intelligence and/or TQM? Feinberg: My gut feeling is that there's a time and a place for everything. Timing is critical, and the timing for some stuff to come back to the U.S. is happening today. I would not want to be a young senior executive right now, and I consider young in the 50-year age range. I loved it back in the '80s and '90s, but I would not have wanted to be doing it in 2010–2016. On the other hand, now or over the next few years might be a perfect time. Some of these companies in the United States can do it, and I'm not saying that we try to conquer the world, but that we need to bring a lot of stuff back and do it successfully to compete on a global basis. We've also talked about the fact that we know that price is criti- cal, but the cost is more critical. You have to think about the difference between price and cost. You can get things at a low price, but the cost may be too high, and we see that right now. For anybody thinking, "Should my com- pany go all out?" if you're committed to doing it, the timing may be good right now. Johnson: Excellent. Dan, thank you for tak- ing the time to go through this. The old ad- age, "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it," is appropriate here. Feinberg: That's true. I hope that the older ones of us in the industry are around long enough to see things turn around and come back so that there are more success stories here for the next couple of generations. PCB007 Timing is critical, and the timing for some stuff to come back to the U.S. is happening today.