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42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Nolan Johnson gets a preview from Gene Weiner about what he has planned for the Hall of Fame Council's biggest IPC APEX EXPO Managers Forum in years. With a lineup of speakers from throughout the supply chain, and spanning many different-sized companies, it is set to be an insightful and beneficial dis- cussion for those in attendance. Nolan Johnson: Gene, let's talk about the Man- agers Forum. Gene Weiner: I've done an executive level every few years. is is the biggest, and probably the broadest, one that I've done since we had the meeting in Los Angeles in 2007. Johnson: Tell me more! Weiner: e intent this year is to cover the entire market based on the crisis we've had: the shortages, the COVID-19 complexities, the smaller companies not having the staff or the wherewithal to know where to go or how to react to what's next. How do they build their own factory of the future while they're trying to get the supply chains filled and deal with the shortages? How do they work with their customers who were also scrambling and changing supply chains? So, I thought we'd start at the top and work down, starting with the OEMs who have managed the crisis: General Dynamics or Northrup Grumman. Everyone knows they're legitimate, good, wonderful companies. We asked them to talk on these points: • How did you deal with this? • What can we expect from you? • What can you teach your supply chain? Managers Forum