Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1319500
18 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020 Feature by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Staffing is an issue. We all know it and feel it. Skilled workers are difficult to find, and ex- pertise retires to the sunbelt faster than the in- dustry can replace it. How we respond to this "brain drain"—as an industry and as individ- ual companies—will likely decide our future. It's no wonder, then, that staffing and hiring are on the minds of the industry leaders. When we conduct interviews with indus- try experts, particularly heads of companies, we often ask them about their experiences with staffing and training. These conversa- tions bring insight into the exact issues most of you are facing. To bring these issues into focus, I searched through our recent archives and pulled out some key points that are worth noting again. These slightly edited comments come from previously published conversations and I believe you'll see, as I did, that these are important issues in our industry that must con- tinually be addressed: Automation is an ongo- ing topic of discussion, of course. Industry 4.0 and the development of new "smart factory" capital equipment brings increasing levels of process automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to business operations. First, I share part of an interview with IPS CEO Mike Brask, who thoroughly under- stands this trend. In the November 2020 is- sue of PCB007 Magazine, Barry Matties dis- cussed training and staffing with Brask. In this portion of the conversation, Matties is asking about skilled staffing at the company's Utah location: Matties: In terms of running a factory like a captive facility, part of it is going to be AI be- cause staffing and finding skilled people is an issue. How are you integrating that (AI) into your equipment? What concerns or actions are you taking? Hiring and Training: Powerful Insights from Industry Leaders