Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1007258
JULY 2018 I FLEX007 MAGAZINE 43 behind that. That was a little bit scary. But it just fills up. You just have to do it that way and get used to that. That's a wonderful thing that you can offer customers, the ability to be on time. Not just saying you're doing it but actu- ally doing it. Matties: Dave, from a business strategy point of view, what's the drive here? Dave Ryder: Well, for the last couple of years we've had a number of customers just start throwing us the RFQs regarding flex and rigid- flex products, and we really weren't able to do too much with that. We built some thin- core stuff as far as bendable boards, but not true flex. I would say about a year ago, the guys down in Tucson took it upon themselves to start playing around with some single- and double-sided flex at that point, and custom- ers seemed to be responsive to that and we've seen a number of RFQs. We were doing some of that through an offshore partner, and so the timing is just right for the rigid-flex product as well as the flex. So I think that it's going to be well-received by the customers. Matties: That's one of the largest growing areas of the board industry. Are there any specific markets that you're targeting? O'Neil: Not at this time. We are qualified to MIL-PRF-31032. It's not that difficult to expand your slash sheets. We will be looking to expand there. That is one particular market to look at. Also with our certification to AS9100 a year ago, Aerospace is another market segment we are interested in. Close to 70% of our custom- ers in Tucson are from those two market seg- ments. Matties: So from a buyer's point of view, are you seeing any of the "wait and see" attitude before a customer starts buying flex from a company that's just starting off in flex? O'Neil: That is a concern, but several of the cus- tomers whom we are already doing business with are beginning to find out that we can do flex. That is a product that they need. There may be some hesitation at first, but I believe the reputation Prototron has for quality, on- time delivery and customer service have taken that out of the equation. So yes, maybe a little bit, but with their past experience with Proto- tron I believe they're actually enthused that we can step into another market. Matties: And how many years have you been in business, Dave? Ryder: I've been doing this for 31 years. Matties: You have 31 years of reputation to back you up, so it's not like they're just going to a new facility. Ryder: No. These will be the same customers we've been doing business with for years, and in some cases, decades. And so I don't think it'll be a big leap as long as we deliver the goods. At the end of the day, that's really what they're looking for. We're already on the AVL with these customers, so it's not a big leap for them in most cases. Certainly they'll keep an eye on us, which they should. Matties: And as your reputation as a top-level flex producer reaches into the marketplace, obviously your customer base will grow. Ryder: That should go hand in hand. O'Neil: Absolutely. Matties: Thank you both very much for your time. O'Neil: Thank you. Ryder: Thanks. I appreciate it. FLEX007 Dave Ryder