Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1108006
32 FLEX007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2019 The last thing I'll mention is on the battery. You can't reflow a primary cell—the max temp is 65°C—so we had to solder the battery after- ward. The great thing about working with Len- thor was they recognized that we had to sort some of this stuff out. We weren't quite ready to deliver a turnkey tester/programmer that could go onto the production floor. They were very accommodating. Our parts would roll off the assembly line. They gave us space in a corner with an engineer who would test and program our power management firmware. If we hadn't done that and they solder-attached the battery, the battery would start draining immediately. We had to get our firmware programmed in immediately to safeguard the battery. In volume, this is something we could pre- order. We could ship 10,000 units to a house, and they would load up our firmware. At the time, even though we couldn't afford 10,000 units, we still had to look like we built 10,000 units because that's what our customers expect. That flexibility to work with us while we sorted out early phase issues was critical. If Lenthor had said, "No, we don't want to work with you like that," it just would have gone south. Matties: It seems like early collaboration on the assembly side paid off as well. Flannery: It was essential. Matties: When you were looking for a supplier, what initially attracted you to Lenthor? Flannery: As a medical device company, we were concerned at this stage primarily with quality. Lenthor is ISO:9001 certified and com- plies with FDA standards for Class 3 (high- risk) implantable devices. We're a non-signif- icant risk device; We're a remote monitoring tool, but they have met the needs of people in military, aerospace, and medical who have very demanding quality needs. The thing that initially attracted us to Len- thor was they were serious about what they built, they did high-quality work, and they had a great quality system. At the same time, they were open and accommodating about describ- ing what their capabilities were, and willing to work with us. It was that combination of being serious, high quality, and confident in what they did yet not so full of themselves that they weren't willing to work with a fledgling company who had to sort some things out that clinched the deal for us. Matties: Geographically, what is the proximity to Lenthor? Flannery: We're both in the Bay Area, which was fantastic. I considered at least two other companies in the Bay Area, but they weren't the right fit for a number of different reasons. Matties: It was nice to find somebody in your backyard. Flannery: Absolutely. But why can't there be a PCB vendor be in Hawaii (laughs)? Matties: Is there any final advice that you would give to a company looking to integrate flex into their products? Flannery: Don't think you know it all. Engage your vendor and learn how they think about your product because they're going to have insights. You may think, "It's my product, so I know it." But Lenthor was really good about educating us on certain aspects of our product. It would have been very easy for us to come in and have said, "Here's what we want. Just build this," and that would have been a mistake. It worked well for us to say, "Here are some things we think we know and some desires that we have that we're not quite sure how to meet. What do you think about this?" Be As a medical device company, we were concerned at this stage primarily with quality.