Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1269815
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020 lot of interest in capital equipment investment, in general. Because we build the equipment for ourselves, it has optimized the voice of the customer. And this isn't the first place where I've worked. I have worked in a lot of shops in the U.S. market. On our staff, we have people who work in the European division, and we're optimizing what we believe the market needs in, let's say, the higher cost regions where you need a lot of flexibility with your equipment. With our automation, you can run ultra-thin, unclad copper cores. There's no copper on them, paper-thin, and the same machine can handle a 10-millimeter, 20-pound backplane. It adjusts panel size and vacuum level. It does everything by reading the RFID code or 2D code associat- ed with the product, and this way, you can get good productivity out of a machine where you have a high-mix, low-volume situation. We've focused on this rather than mass production, where you don't need too much engineering and controls. In mass production, you need the simplest possible machine, it works only for a certain small range, and that's it. We're focused on engineered solutions that replace people in complex environments. You can't take a loader/unloader from China, put it on a line in the U.S., and expect it to replace a human because that equipment is catered to mass production, limited product specifica- tions. In the U.S. market, the person has to run flex, a backplane, subcomposite, and heavy copper all with the same machine. Everything has to be considered to do this; otherwise, you can't replace the person. When you automate it, if you can't replace the person, it makes no sense. This is our focus. Matties: And if you're a captive facility, you tune that automation to whatever your needs are, so you have more flexibility. Stepinski: Yes, and metrology is a big part of the process in a high-mix factory. You have to mea- sure everything and change your recipe. We're automating this as well. This is our focus. How do you automate a factory in a high-cost region? Holden: I know you have been looking to hire a process director. What's the quality of the ap- plicants you've seen? Stepinski: We have some good candidates, but nobody is based in the U.S. Matties: It's tough. This is the ongoing con- versation we're having with everyone that the greatest challenge in the future is labor. Stepinski: For key people, you have to look at emigration. But you need a strategy that works at a few different levels. You need a program for new engineering graduates, where you bring them in and teach them appropriately. We have that in place. You have to ask, "Who are the best people in the world that I could get into my factory to help with the next generation stuff?" We have a plan in place for that, but it means longer lead times and a lot of restrictions. Because of ITAR, you can't utilize the resourc- es as much as you'd like. There are restrictions on what international resources can do for you that you have to manage. But it's not unman- ageable, and there is a big return on investment for bringing someone from overseas who has 20 years of experience solving complex prob- lems in 200 factories. We have a process for getting people like this on board to assist us as we ramp up. On the engineering side, we are do- ing some outsourcing in the Euro- pean market.