Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/712650
12 The PCB Magazine • August 2016 ALEX STEPINSKI RECOGNIZED AS GOOD FOR THE INDUSTRY to get ramped up in China. Veteran PCB expert Happy Holden summed it up: " Every couple of decades a "perfect storm" of opportu- nity presents itself to our in- dustry. What Alex Stepinski has done at Whelen is that perfect storm! I like to call it, LEAN PLUS GREEN. Putting together a number of new innovations like inkjet printing, horizontal plating and conductive polymer metalization, along with his own innova- tions in water and chemical regeneration/recycling, he has cut the labor, environmental and chemical costs out of the PCB equation. This allows PCB mer- chants and OEMs alike to relook at the concept of re-shoring and captive production here in the USA, since waste emissions and labor costs are no longer relevant. I congratulate Alex and his team for earning this first I-Connect007 Good for the Industry award. " Alex designed a factory that accomplished a number of firsts, and it looks like it could be adding more soon related to plating on plastics. It is for these ongoing accomplishments and continued innovation, as well as the willingness to share this information to further advance the industry as a whole, that we present Alex Stepinski with our Good for the Industry award. We've spent some time with Alex, and we've found that he is a genuinely nice guy. If you get a chance, tour Whelen Engineer- ing's new PCB manufacturing facility in New Hampshire. Once you meet him, you will agree that Alex Stepinski is good for the industry. To read the full story on Whelen Engineer- ing and Alex Stepinski, click here. The I-Connect007 team is on a constant search for people or companies that can be considered good for the industry. If you know of someone like Alex who is good for the industry, let us know why, and perhaps one day it will be them being recognized in one of our magazines. PCB Drone footage capturing Whelan Engineering's fully automated PCB factory.