Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1126810
22 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2019 Ellis: No, probably not. TTM has over 30,000 employees with over 2,000 engineers, so there are other people responsible for looking at new technologies and implementing them globally. That's out of my wheelhouse, and I wouldn't have time to pursue it. Happy Holden: Do OEMs come to you, saying, "We need this technology developed," or do you routinely have a roadmap that goes out a couple of years that you show good customers? Ellis: I think both, because they're intertwined. Customers continually push TTM for new product development, which causes us to al- ways increase our technology at our sites. Cus- tomers come to us with new technologies that they're looking for, and often, they're driven by the automotive sector, which is running the full gamut from HDI autopilot controllers to thick copper high-voltage applications. TTM executives plan future roadmaps to justify cap- ital equipment expenditures needed to achieve those capabilities. We'll go out of business if we don't keep up with technology, and our technology is improving so rapidly that I can barely keep up with the changes by site. Barry Matties: That's not terribly surprising be- cause cars are increasingly becoming comput- ers with wheels. Ellis: Right, our cars are becoming entertain- ment and communication command centers. Matties: You're in a unique position because you work with so many different designers. Is there a difference in approach between the old guard and the new? Ellis: It depends on personality. Some people naturally have curmudgeon personalities and want to do it their way or the highway, but usu- ally, engineers are big learners. From my per- spective, 95% of the people that I work with are amenable to looking at the best ways to op- timize their circuits. For the most part, young engineers are glad to receive any advice that we give them for a roadmap to a good project. Matties: Are their skillsets different than those of a 40-year veteran? I hear what you're saying that they're seeking knowledge, but I'm just curious if their approach or ideas are different. Ellis: That's a really good question, and, again, it depends on personality and also company culture. Generally, younger designers are so ex- cited about new designs and problem-solving, so they're fun to work with. Experienced veter- ans, on the other hand, can be vast sources of knowledge who expand my horizons through our discussions and design analyses. But I've also encountered companies that don't want their engineers to waste their time talking to suppliers, and that culture breeds Wizard of Oz designers who create impossible designs behind their curtains. Matties: You said that about 80% of your cus- tomers are repeat customers, so it seems to me that they could streamline the process because they have these parameters from their histori- cal dealings with you, or is that not the case? Ellis: Yes, it is the case. For a customer's stack- ups and design guidelines, circuit modules are often copied from one design to the next. When other requirements on the new part don't change too much, we can modify an ex- isting stack-up slightly and keep the original design guidelines for the new part. Maintain- ing history on designs is extremely time-effi- cient, and I love it when customers give me an old part number for reference on a new similar design so I don't have to reinvent the wheel on We'll go out of business if we don't keep up with technology, and our technology is improving so rapidly that I can barely keep up with the changes by site.