Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1156271
AUGUST 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 23 all of that printed material; we could get into Google searches. It was a different way to mar- ket your product, and it allowed us to market ourselves worldwide because our market is global. Matties: I still see some of the original 547s out in the world. Lies: Exactly. Chemcut equipment can last 10, 15, 20, and even up to 40 years. So, our equip- ment is still out there, chugging along. But that means your core customers—the equipment part of the business—change every year; you don't get repeat business quickly. We're start - ing to get repeat business for equipment we sold in 2003 and 2004 because, all of a sudden, that's 15 years ago. Eventually, we need a new set of customers for our equipment side every year. Now, product support and service gener - ates a lot of repeat business. Over the past year, we probably have at least 500 customers world- wide that buy from us, anywhere from $10.50 for a part up to $1.5 million for a big line. Matties: Hopefully, it weighs heavier on the high end (laughs). Lies: Actually, the product support and service side of the business enables Chemcut to con- tinue to exist and service our broad customer base worldwide. Matties: And it's a lot less headache, too. Lies: Exactly. Matties: The market is still shifting, though. We're seeing more and more thinking of additive and the smart factory mentality com- ing into play. How is that impacting your busi- ness? Lies: What we have seen in the market is a shift to more roll-to-roll processes as well as a shift to more additive processes for larger vol- ume applications, which lend themselves to a smart factory mentality. At the same time, we have also seen a large demand for smaller pieces of equipment for process development and smaller turns. Matties: Right, and we're at a flex show. Lies: Which is why we are showcasing this reel-to-reel equipment. What you see behind us is actually an additive process, making a semiconductor smart label in the California ar- ea, and then there's a plater that makes touch- screen products. Matties: It's a diverse line. What sort of team do you have for engineering? Lies: We have both mechanical and electrical engineers. We've been able to beef that up mainly with strong Penn State University grad- uates from the area. A majority of equipment is PLC controlled, but we still have a good sec- tion of the market that want the tried and true relay logic. Matties: What is it about Chemcut that people might not know that you want to share with them? Lies: Our largest attribute is we make custom equipment to meet our customers' specific needs. We also have a lab where you can come in if you have an idea or a concept, or you've done it in beakers or dip tanks, and want to develop a larger-scale manufacturing process for commercialization. We cannot manufac- ture millions and millions of pieces, but we do have a lab where you can come in, and we can show you how to do that. We work with a lot of companies, developing processes for them, and have had people come up to us already to- day and say, "We're in R&D and have an idea. We need to do this." Our largest attribute is we make custom equipment to meet our customers' specific needs.