Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1357726
28 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 the PCB design teams or out in process engi- neering so they understand how the boards are designed; how they're processed by CAM. Some positions are harder to fill than oth- ers, as everybody knows. For example, find- ing technicians can be a bit of a challenge, so we have internal apprenticeship programs. We work closely with any of the universities and colleges in our area. We've partnered with Washington State University, University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, and Purdue University to help us bridge that gap. We also focus a lot on internal training. Not everybody knows where Pullman is at, and not everybody wants to live in Eastern Washington, so grow- ing our own is one of the best ways that we found to fill those gaps. Matties: How many square feet are you allocat- ing for this new facility? Hall: 100,000 square feet. Matties: Is this is a greenfield site? Hall: Yes. Matties: What is your expected date of completion? Hall: We expect to be starting pro- duction December 2022. e facility is in Moscow, Idaho. Our two facilities that use most of our PCBs are in Pullman and Lewis- ton [Idaho]. Lewiston is about 35 miles away, and Pullman is 10 miles away. We purchased 154 acres at the edge of town, and the overall building size is 140,000 square feet. Matties: I know Alex is putting together the blueprint of equipment and basically the whole roadmap, right? It's a package deal. Are you specifying any particular equipment? Hall: It is a collaboration. For the most part, we've asked him to provide recommendations for everything. For things like the copper plat- ing line, there's no reason not to go with that. ere have been a few things where we decided to choose a different supplier just because we have somebody closer and it makes more sense for us. We rely on GreenSource's expertise, but we're also very involved with this. I think John talks with the GreenSource engineering man- ager at least once a day. Matties: And it's going to be a lot more soon, right? Hall: Yes, indeed. Holden: One of the things I never got around to writing was the role that PC process engi- neers played in the development of new prod- ucts. Because HP was vertically integrated, the Manufacturing at SEL's Pullman facility. Future site of SEL facility in Moscow, Idaho, to be completed in 2022.