Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1392944
JULY 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 27 States and to have companies more evenly glo- balized in their supply chains if they're a semi- conductor fabricator. I believe these changes are more driven by supply chain risk than any- thing else. You potentially have areas of the world where there's large concentrations of semi- conductor fabrication. And from a risk per- spective, that is something that's concerning, I'm sure. You will see subsidized semicon- ductor fabrication grow again in this coun- try. Outside of Intel and possibly GLOBAL- FOUNDRIES, leading-edge semiconductor fabrication hasn't grown significantly in this country in a long period of time, but I believe it will continue to grow in the longer-term simply to minimize and mitigate that risk of a high concentration of semiconductor fabrica- tion in a small geographical area. Johnson: You just mentioned subsidized semi- conductor manufacturing growth. Do you see a similar amount of concern or attention to subsidize printed circuit board growth? D'Ambrisi: I wish that were true, but I simply don't think it is. What the overall markets see is that the capital intensity of fabricating a semi- conductor is orders of magnitude different than it is for manufacturing a printed circuit board. at will drive the need to subsidize some of these semiconductor fabs and to give companies incentive to diversify their supply chains away from the Asian markets. And giv- en the perception that printed circuit board fabrication is a less critical component of the electronics supply chain, I think that we prob- ably won't see similar assistance in printed cir- cuit board fabrication as we're going to see in the semiconductor industry. Johnson: Final thoughts, Joe? D'Ambrisi: From our perspective as a specialty chemicals and materials provider, we're see- ing the same supply chain impacts that the rest of the industry is seeing, but I believe we're well-positioned to handle the global scale and scope of our business. e global nature of our business, and the fact that we are a relatively small consumer of the specialty chemical raw materials and building blocks that we need to put our products together and deliver them to our customers, puts us in a good position to minimize any disruptions at our customers. Our ability to do that will be challenged, but it shouldn't just be a supply issue, it's going to be an issue where we will have to pay higher prices, some for a much longer period of time than others. But our ability to supply is going to be, we believe, for the most part uninter- rupted. Johnson: A message of peace of mind for cus- tomers. If you're working with MacDermid Al- pha, you're not going to be interrupted. D'Ambrisi: Exactly. Because if you're working with a small local or regional supplier, they're going to have a much more limited supply chain with much more limited access to where they can get their raw materials. It would be much more difficult for them to source some- thing from an entirely different geography than where they've been used to getting it. Johnson: As always, it's insightful talking with you. D'Ambrisi: ank you so much. PCB007 Our ability to supply is going to be, we believe, for the most part uninterrupted.