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20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2019 Feature Interview by Barry Matties I-CONNECT007 Chemcut CEO and General Manager Rick Lies speaks about the growth he has seen in the marketplace over his 18 years in the in- dustry, and how Chemcut has been able to re- main competitive in the PCB and photochemi- cal milling spaces. Jerry Reitz, Chemcut's HES manager, also addresses the current shift to- wards zero-discharge facilities. Barry Matties: Can you start by telling us a little bit about Chemcut? Rick Lies: Chemcut's main market focus has been on making equipment for the wet pro- cessing industry that sprays chemicals, water, etc., across a moving conveyor populated with parts. We've been in business for over 60 years now. We started in the PCB and photochemi- cal milling industries, which involves the etch- ing of different metals to make small or big parts of various sizes and dimensions out of a wide variety of metals. Over 60+ years, Chem- cut went from being a private company to be- ing acquired by Schering, then Atotech, and back to Chemcut as a private company in April 2002, so it has been 17 years. Now, we're just an equipment manufacturer. Matties: Is that an ESOP? Is Chemcut employ- ee-owned? Lies: It's not an ESOP, we are employee-owned; there are six of us now—we started with eight, but a few have retired and moved on. We bought it back from Atotech, so it went from Atotech back to Chemcut. Matties: I remember all that transition. Lies: And it has been going well. In the capi- tal equipment business, you always have your Chemcut: Wet Processing Equipment for the Long Haul Chemcut founder, the late Rufus Benton, in 1957.