Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1419905
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2021 building them. We talk to the sales guys to fig- ure out something like, "Where are we miss- ing our opportunities? Is it worth getting these sets of equipment to make sure that we're able to produce it, and not only able to produce it, but to price it the right way so that we actually can get the business?" Matties: I think that's to Nolan's point; once you had that capability, how much new market space did that open for you? Patel: Because we have been talking to our customers about what we're about to do and having those conversations with sales and just directly our customers, we know where the niche is and where we can grow our business. at conversation is key to understanding how to commit the dollars. Matties: I think that's part of the justification for the metric when you're looking at this expense. You're saying we're spending X dol- lars, but it's going to open this whole new mar- ket segment for us that's worth a hundred mil- lion dollars globally or whatever the number happens to be. Patel: For sure. It's part of the whole process. Johnson: Sunny, did you finance these pur- chases? Or did you use cash out of the com- pany? Patel: A little bit of both. We took some of our own cash and leveraged that using the bank to take this the rest of the way to the purchase. Matties: ere are some good interest rates out there right now, I think. Patel: Exactly. Banks want to invest. is is a perfect time to go for it. Johnson: You got a good response from the bank about financing? Patel: Yes. Especially with the opportuni- ties that the equipment can bring. ey were excited about it. Johnson: Was your sales forecast a part of the conversation? Patel: Yes, exactly. Andy Shaughnessy: Do you find that the banks have a better understanding of our industry now? We've heard for years that they don't quite get us. Patel: No. ere was still a lot of hesitation, because from our side, we don't have long- term contracts. I think a lot of the board shops are still like that. Of course, the banks are a lit- tle bit apprehensive, but what they saw from us is that we're steadily growing year by year, add- ing new customers. ey felt a little bit less risk involved there. I think that this coming year, they'll see they made the right decision, and they're more confident in giving us even more investment opportunity. Matties: Oentimes when you're bringing in new processes and growing, that means some facility upgrades, maybe some remodeling. Are you having to do that, or is this kind of just a plug-and-play situation? Patel: We had to be smart with our space. We didn't have much room to go with, but we I think that this coming year, they'll see they made the right decision, and they're more confident in giving us even more investment opportunity.