Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1078362
FEBRUARY 2019 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 11 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electron- ics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. ing, "Look at our website! We have an order form! We quote online!" Frankly, that's not where it's at anymore. In this issue, we bring you current perspectives on selling your services including a recruiter, ca- reer coach, board fabrica- tion buyers, and our indus- try-insider columnists. These are all outlooks you'll need to think about if you, like Duane Benson, are planning now for your com- pany's next 10 years of selling suc- cess. Dr. Jennie S. Hwang's column, "SMT Perspectives and Prospects," continues her ongoing series on the role of bismuth in electronics. In this installment, she looks at plausible underlying operating mecha- nisms among the four elements (Sn, Ag, Cu, Bi) in an SnAgCuBi system. In Eric Camden's column, he discusses "The Cost of Quality and the Higher Cost of Failure," where he makes the case that quality and reli- ability sell again and again. Expert recruiter, Terry McNabb, discusses "Filling the Skills Gap: Strategic Hiring and Succession Planning." Terry has great insight into the persistent process of hiring new staff, and his perspective in this conversation is doubly appropriate for building out your sales team. Nate Ramanathan, VP of operations at AEye—an autonomous vehicle startup—is the voice of the customer in this issue. I met with Ramanathan at CES in January, and he dis- cussed what a technology startup looks for in an electronics manufacturing partner in today's market including a "modest proposal" toward the end of the conversation. Read what he has to say in "Nate Ramanathan on Choosing a Prototype Partner and Production Supplier." Ramanathan's closing remarks were so in- triguing that I took a side trip at CES to visit Eureka Park—the exhibit hall specifically for startups—to test his point. Read what I found in my research in "Eureka Park: Chock Full of New Customers for a Market-maker." In "Accelerating Tech—Insights from the Smarter Factory," Michael Ford looks at the truth behind AI and why you shouldn't worry about the risk of being replaced by software. Tom Lavoi is an industry veteran and a ca- reer coach. In "Career Planning and Profes- sional Development," Lavoi makes the case for incorporating career coaching for ourselves and as a component in an employer's career development programs. In "Controlling Oxidation and Intermetal- lics in Moisture-sensitive Devices," Richard Heimsch addresses environmental storage and moisture management and its effect on lead- free reflow. As we enter the 2020s—marking the begin- ning of the age of data as well as widening the gap between boomers and millennials— it's time to take a hard look at how you sell. You may need to make some adjustments and change the lens through which you view the market and how your customers see your prod- uct. There's no better time than 2019 to plan out your next decade. I-Connect007 is glad to help start that conversation. SMT007