Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1479191
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2022 technology aspects, be quite strong in finance, and be a key salesperson. Basically, you're the integrator of these three functions for the com- pany. Because people who do this work are very highly compensated, you typically can't afford to have more than one. When you're in this role, you have a lot on your plate. Now is really the key time to get a position like this started. As the CTO, you work with the salespeople. Hopefully you have some market intelligence about programs you can get, then you find those programs and tie them to investments. You can then say to a customer, "If I put this process in place, will it solve this prob- lem for you? Can we do this project together or this family of products together?" I usually ask what technologies they need help with, and how I can help. What product families can you not build? en, you engineer a pro- cess that builds that product's family, you take your existing kit, and you identify what needs to be upgraded. You make a portfolio of these investigations. To customer A, you say, "If I do this project with customer B, it requires the least modification and I get the fastest return, maybe it's more strategic than the others." is is usually what happens when you do this type of evaluation. is gives you the basis to make your business plan approach, and a portfolio of potential programs is always desirable to de- risk the investment. It's not just calculating an NPV or internal rate of return on something; it's connecting the dots. As the CTO, you are the capex/op-ex improvement hunter: You find projects and tie them together to justify capital. Interestingly, there are not that many people doing this at the level required. In the worldwide PCB indus- try right now, I would say there are no more than 10-20 folks who really do this blended role well, and others just copy/tweak from the pioneers' successes. To develop someone with these skills just doesn't exist; there's no program to really grow our industry. at is missing. Matties: You won't find this type of role in most small shops. Instead, you will have a process engineer or a president with an engineering background. Stepinski: You still need a CTO, no matter how small your shop is. With the exception that the product mix is nonexistent, you're building one part number and the president has plenty of time on their hands. Another approach is that you're the president, and you get more education in these three areas so you can be the CTO and the CEO. Matties: is isn't necessarily surprising; we've talked about benchmarking to have sta- ble processes. You're jumping from the old par- adigm to a new one, having forward-thinking rather than reactive management. Is there an area of particular interest that you're focused on? Stepinski: No. To be honest, I turn down many projects because they aren't the right fit. But since I started my own business, I've learned this is what we were missing in the market— people who do something like this. It's the path to rejuvenation. Holden: Could you share some of the initial steps you make? What step leads to the next one, and so forth? You've probably done this more than anybody else in the past 10 years.