Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1269815
34 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020 Thinking of R&D, for example, you mentioned HP, but there's also IBM. When they intro- duced the fluid head technology into our in- dustry, that was like, "Wow." That was a big R&D, and we don't have that anymore. Do you think the timing is good for a resurgence in R&D in the circuit industry? Stepinski: The timing is quite good. One of the big drivers, and why it hasn't happened be- fore, is also because there was no case study. Nobody did it. You need to have some evan- gelists, and that's what we've ended up do- ing right now—the people who are communi- cating this to everybody that you can do this. There are a lot of advantages to having a cap- tive facility that is customized to your needs, especially if you're an OEM. There are OEMs that may come out of these PCBs. It's a true story, but you want to do all the development as tight to the vest as possible, and then you make specs for the mass market. That is more of a commodity. But some people nev- er get to that point. They don't have the super- high volumes to be a commodity, and they need constant innovation for their overall business to stay ahead. Also, some OEMs aren't big enough to enjoy the benefits of pushing people around in the supply chain. And this is where there's es- sential interest in these captive facilities. On a larger scale, the big OEMs might be interested in maybe a green factory in Silicon Valley or something like that because you can't get one right now. That might be an interesting area for somebody to want us to have a proto- type shop. It's something all of us have been considering. Matties: With a reduction in the labor force compared to a traditional shop, to a modern fa- cility and the COVID-19 supply chain reaction, it seems like there's a great opportunity. What advice would you give to an OEM that wants to start exploring whether this is the right situ- ation for them? Stepinski: It's a two-step process. First, we have a phone call and they explain what they're do- ing. If we think there's a fit, we invite them over for a walkthrough and a more detailed discussion, and we see how it goes from there. That has been our engagement approach. Matties: What about a large automotive com- pany that might be spending millions or more on circuit boards? Is there a case to be made