Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1463464
APRIL 2022 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 35 Matties: You're seeing a growing demand for that service, a one-stop shop, so to speak? Kottke: Yes. In our Carson City facility, it's affordable enough to do it. For somebody who's building a high-end box, that's not something that you want to just move inter- nationally; it's less expensive to build it in Carson, because the landed cost is less expen- sive. Johnson: How close are you to full capacity in the new facility? Kottke: We'll probably be at our maximum capacity on the system integration for the next six months until we finish out the expansion in Carson. Right now, we have a small part of the building; we're renovating the other side to take over the balance now because we bought the building. Matties: How many employees do you have? Kottke: About 270. Matties: Do you have any advice for EMS com- panies that are not digital or who are consider- ing what they should do next? Kottke: ey should be digital. You don't want to be a TV repairman, right? Johnson: Is your advice to roll their own? Kottke: No. If they don't have the resources, it will take too long. Let me clarify: ey should do it themselves if they have that kind of money to throw at it. Voyager development costs rep- resent millions of dollars and tens of thousands of development hours. at's what it takes to try to do it on your own. Matties: Finding the team today is quite difficult. Kottke: Very difficult. Matties: So, what do they do then? ey're in between a rock and a hard spot. Kottke: ey must determine the best so- ware solution available and what fits their fac- tory. It's an absolute must. You just cannot collect enough data by manual processes to approach this. Unless they're a one-line SMT shop, where they just won't have enough data, that is. Matties: Michael, do you have any final thoughts to share? Kottke: You've just confirmed what I keep hear- ing: Not as many people are doing this as there should be, and I don't understand why. Aer all these years, it's baffling. Matties: ank you so much. With all this capa- bility at your fingertips, I'm surprised you haven't made Voyager a commercial product. Kottke: Wow, Barry. at's a great idea. Wish I'd thought of that. SMT007