Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1391285
JULY 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 41 worthy product, with everything in between, including certifications. ere are some things we don't do internally like certifications or board fabrication, but we are well-established with several suppliers with good processes internally, good documentation, and know how to work with those and get that done. Matties: How important is that to your custom- ers? Because we still hear that communication is lacking throughout the supply chain. Irfan: Unfortunately, yes, most customers still underestimate these handoff issues and the miscommunication. Part of our job is to actu- ally educate and walk the customer through what happens if this is not done properly, and once customers understand, they become very loyal, long-term customers. So that's why we have very long-term retention of employees and customers, and by the way, we have the best retention of employees in our industry. Our design team, our manufacturing staff, our office staff, our program management, they're 95+% consistent for the last 15 years. We have added more but have not lost some. So, we position to be that offering of a com- plete solution to customers, but not hound- ing them into giving us a complete outsource model. We give them the flexibility to pick and choose and engage us as they see fit for every project, so project-to-project engage- ment could be different. But to the customer, they think, "ere's a very viable partner that's experienced, has the design processes, has the know-how and a 20-year track record. ey can take it from here to here, but I can choose. I may not need them for all the projects in the full capacity." So that's really our value, the flex- ibility to engage at any level. We have so many products that were successfully launched in our 20 years of experience that we're in pretty good shape, we have a lot to offer, and we're very proud of what we have and very confident of what we have. e other thing is the mindset. We are con- stantly on the lookout. We have a substantial amount of money in our budget every year that we spend on non-customer projects that's just R&D. When we look at new upcoming trends, most shops can't afford it; they are waiting for a customer P.O. and they jump into that. We actually go out ahead of time and we may build a board on our own, put several technologies on a board, run some integration, and run some simulations so we have some collateral to actually show the customer. It gives customers the confidence that these guys have an R&D mindset and can do what most shops cannot. Matties: At your facility a couple of years ago, I was impressed with some of the projects that