Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1207026
92 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2020 Matties: You mentioned the politics of it, but in business, what we have to do is react to the situation; it doesn't matter what it is, but we have to be smart in that circumstance. Ghalili: Correct. Matties: Where is your business headed? Ghalili: We see growth in the United States, and long term, we see our growth in India. Once the fundamentals are built in the U.S., the next market for us is to set up manufacturing facili- ties in India. Again, this is a reality. When you look at the population of the world, it's China, India, and of course, the United States with all of North America, so those would be our next areas of growth. Matties: Foad, it has been great meeting you, and I appreciate your time and insights. Thank you very much. Ghalili: Thank you. SMT007 thinking of today; the mode of manufacturing is changing, irrespective of what the political situation is. Matties: If we can drive cost out, that's where opportunity exists. What about supply chain management? We know that we've had some supply shortages in the recent past, but it sounds like those have been smoothed out. Ghalili: Again, I think the U.S. is also going through its learning curve from infrastruc- ture to manufacturing, especially in electron- ics. That manufacturing infrastructure is much stronger in China. No matter what you say, they have been doing this for the past 15–20 years. The infrastructure is starting to build again in the U.S. Again, my personal feeling is it has nothing to do with politics, and it's going to take some time for it to build U.S. manufac- turing infrastructure, especially in the supply chain. Today, we build parts in the U.S., but we bring the fab from China. This has to shift at one point, so these are the areas that still need to go through the process of change. Hitachi High Technologies America Inc., a subsidiary of Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, announced that HTA has made an agreement with Kurt J. Lesker Company ® for HTA and affiliated companies in the Hitachi High-Tech Group to serve as the exclusive distributor in Japan for Kurt J. Lesker's PRO Line™ PVD 75™ Thin-film Deposition System and PRO Line™ PVD 200™ Thin-film Deposition System. Information regarding the systems is currently available to Hitachi High-Tech Group's customers in Japan. In the rechargeable battery and flexible device mar- kets, demand has been increasing for products such as smartphones and wearable devices. Therefore, new displays, high-performance films, and other such technologies have entered commercialization, and the market continues to expand. Manufacturers' research and development (R&D) teams will need a thin film deposition process for development of these types of devices or applications, and Kurt J. Lesker's Thin-Film Deposition Systems can support those efforts. Kurt J. Lesker is a global provider of high-quality vacuum equipment and offers extensive knowledge in the manufac- turing of thin film deposition systems for R&D applications as well as production. The Hitachi High-Tech Group will offer support for R&D and manufacturing processes for custom- ers who require thin film deposition pro- cesses, targeting rechargeable battery and flexible device markets. Hitachi High Technologies America Inc. is a privately-owned global affili- ate company that operates within the Hitachi Group Companies. Hitachi High-Tech Group to Lead Japanese Distribution of Kurt J. Lesker Company's Thin-film Deposition Systems