Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1392944
70 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2021 Kelly: In terms of other qualifications for the new facility, some of the supply chain con- straints that everyone is recognizing haven't really impacted that facility. at facility does not treat materials, so it is primarily pressing and finishing. We have ample room to move materials around, so when we think about Iso- la's global footprint, one way we can leverage that is by making sure we have the right raw materials in the right places at the right time. It's less about the supply constraints that the industry is facing and more about just getting into the new facility and qualifying our prod- ucts on new equipment. at's happening very quickly. We expect to have most of the qualifi- cations done over the next couple of months. Matties: Travis, what are some of the lessons that you've learned, or surprises that came along, during that process? Kelly: Ultimately, it is an advanced facility rel- ative to the technology that's being utilized. A lot of the pressing capability is much nimbler. As opposed to having large presses with many openings, these are smaller presses so that we can do a high mix, low volume. We made a real- ly good decision with the equipment we're uti- lizing. Some of the lessons learned relate to the automation of the facility. If you look at some of our other facilities, you will see a lot more labor as opposed to what we have in Chandler because so many operations in Chandler are fully automated. It takes a lot of time to debug. If you think about all the programmable logic control (PLC) on the machines, it takes a lot of time to debug those, especially as you get into high mix. You're looking at different panel sizes, prepreg sizes, and the finishing line. Ultimate- ly having that knowledge and working toward having flexibility as it relates to such a high mix would benefit us in the future. We continue to roll out more automation amongst all our fa- cilities. Matties: With the price demands on copper now, that automation is certain to give you some advantage. Kelly: Yes. Ultimately the goal is to be more ef- ficient for our customers and have the opti- mal setting. Although we haven't realized any copper shortages, hyperinflation is happen- ing right now, and hopefully, we can pull some levers by having more automated facilities to take some of that labor content out, to remain competitive in the industry. Aerial view of Isola's new Chandler, Arizona facility.