Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1309864
56 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 Brask: That's our overview of what's best for our customers. Our future is in servicing the North American market. Matties: Do you think we're going to see more and more facilities show up in the U.S., per- haps even some captive facilities? Brask: That's happening as we speak. There's ac- tivity. We have contracted to such a small num- ber that I believe there is a vacuum in our in- dustry right now of being able to supply enough boards and enough high-tech boards made in the USA. People see that opportunity right now, and they're going to build shops to support it, and you will see more captive opportunities. Matties: The captive mindset is well in play, and Alex Stepinski helped prove that out as well. Brask: He showed that it could be done, and we were able to be part of that first wave. That was a good point for IPS to show the market that you can combine the material handling and the process in a way where it's still cost- effective. That was a good plug for our U.S. market of how a captive shop like GreenSource Fabrication can build the products themselves, better manage their intellectual property, and have the foresight to take the risk. People are looking at that. Matties: In terms of running a factory like a cap- tive facility, part of it is going to be AI because staffing and finding skilled people is an issue. How are you integrating that into your equip- ment? What concerns or actions are you taking? Brask: IPS has for years now been interacting with the universities and the trade schools to build up a labor pool that we could hire from. We support Southwest Applied Technology College and Southern Utah University. I'm one of the mentors for the curriculum, and we've introduced a plastic welding program there. We hire their industrial maintenance electri- cians, welders, and fabricators. And the same with the university, you will see when we go through and look at my engineering depart- ment, everyone in that department is a gradu- ate of Southern Utah University, except for one from Boise State. For us, a big move was going from AutoCAD to SolidWorks. Once we decided to transition in 2014 to SolidWorks, suddenly, our hiring opportunities opened because of all the stu- dents coming in with this skill. Our ability to make them productive is quick because once they know how to draw within SolidWorks, they can draw stuff and do sketches and de- signs with direction, and we start spoon-feed- ing them from there. Matties: Beyond your facility, though, I'm talk- ing about your customers because they're buy- ing this equipment and having a tough time finding skilled labor. Brask: They're doing similar things. TTM is a good example, as well as others, with their in-