Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1476200
26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2022 Barry Matties and Nolan Johnson recently spoke with Alun Morgan, technology ambas- sador at Ventec International Group and presi- dent of EIPC, about global supply chain chal- lenges, as well as efforts by government and industry to mitigate some of these issues. Alun discusses the need to have more than one source, pricing strategies for fabri- cators who are facing increases in costs across the sup- ply chain, and why we all need to work together to help the industry in times like this. Nolan Johnson: Alun, we're seeing legislative efforts from govern- ments around the world to help get this industry back on its feet and build a more resilient supply chain. Do you think this will have any sort of impact in Q4 2022? Alun Morgan: It has taken decades to get to where we are. ere is no chance of a quick and permanent fix by government action. A major issue is that governments act nation- ally; they don't act globally, and we have a global issue. e effects are disproportionally affecting North America and Europe. Having said that, it's a valid initiative that may, in time, yield some benefit or at least raise awareness of the importance of supply chain resilience. I went through this in the UK many years ago, with a similar discussion. e problem, in the end, is how many votes depend on it? Our industry does not have that many votes anymore. If your industry employs five million people, you're going to get a lot of help and attention. If you only employ 5,000 people, then forget it. ey're probably not even going to talk to you. at's brutal, but that's the way they think. But now it has been recog- nized that strategically there has to be access to PCB and silicon technol- ogy. Silicon stands out as one that you can really understand; it can actually cause huge damage to economies. So, if the U.S. couldn't get chip sets and we couldn't get them in Europe, because they're all being consumed in Asia, that would have a massive impact on our economies. Governments can provide things like financ- Alun Morgan: Price Increases Are Here to Stay Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team