Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1392944
68 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2021 Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team is interview with Isola's Travis Kelly pro- vides an overview of many important top- ics that the industry is facing, including how the global supply chain is being strained by materials, and what companies are trying to do to best manage the items within their control. Barry Matties: We scheduled this interview to get an update on how things are going with Isola and your new facility, but with what's go- ing on in the copper market and supply lines, we feel there's more to talk about. Travis, can you start with an update on the new facility and how that is coming online? Travis Kelly: ank you, Barry. e new facili- ty in Chandler, Arizona is up and running. We have our R&D lab, which started many months ago. It houses many of the corporate execu- tives, as well as shared services, such as hu- man resources, finance, and IT. Also, we went live with our quick turnaround facility several months ago. at's going well, but as you can imagine, there's a launch curve to that facility as we have tested the run-at rates on the equip- ment. Now we are producing revenue-generat- ing orders. It's no longer just qualifications for customers, it's producing and fulfilling orders that are coming in from our customers primar- ily in the United States. Matties: at's great timing; just as the market demands are increasing. Kelly: Correct. It came to fruition at the right time. We have the other facility in Ridgeway, South Carolina, which is also extremely busy, but with having the QTA on the West Coast, we can service the West Coast more efficiently. We still have to go through several more quali- fications for customers, but we're beginning to see many orders transitioning from Ridgeway to our new QTA. Matties: With the shortage of copper and the demand increasing, do you think that the qual- ification process is going to be more efficient or expedited? Isola Responding to the Market Travis Kelly