Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1392944
50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2021 Right now, we are all facing the same chal- lenges of not having the right "everything," from laminates in my industry to critical com- ponents in other related industries. As the re- sult of the pandemic, severe shortages—both real and created—from our offshore vendors are making it difficult for us to build and deliv- er products on time. at, combined with a sharp increase in product needs (especially new product devel- opment), has impacted the entire electronics industry, and I am certain it has impacted oth- er industries as well. If we are going to get through these hard times, it will require us to have a true cooper- ative relationship with our vendors. We need them now more than ever. And if they want to sustain a good relationship with us both to- day and in the future, they need to find ways to support us. It is in challenging times like these that true long-term vendor-customer relationships are forged. But it takes patience, honesty, and co- operation from both sides of the desk when it comes to overcoming these challenges. ere is only one true way for this to work and that is for us to work together, not only with our vendors but with our competitors as well. We might have something that our neigh- bor needs and we might need something from them. Our vendors can help us with that. If we have good vendors, if we have worked diligently over the last few years to establish a good relationship with them, then we will be able to trust them to help us get the products we need, even if we must get them from our competitors. Here are five things we can do with our ven- dor partners to get us through these times of shortages. Working Through Shortages Standard of Excellence Feature Column by Anaya Vardya, AMERICAN STANDARD CIRCUITS