Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
164 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE What do you see for the whole industry? I see really "getting back to normal," if you will. We've taken a break in the past two years, and the growth of some consumer electron- ics, as well as the electronics in automobiles and in defense electronics, have caused hor- rendous supply chain issues. We will spend the next couple of years continuing to dig out of that. I've been talking to my group about getting back to normalcy, back to where we were in early 2020 before all this craziness. That would be nice. It's pretty bad when you aspire to get back to a place you were in a few years ago. Zentech has an interesting situation, obviously, just like every other company out there. 2022 was all about not achieving sales levels because of supply chain issues, and for 2023, we're about 95% already booked for the year, which I've never seen in this business in 35+ years. Our backlog for 2024 is already starting to build up, and that's based on the real quoted lead times that we're getting today and that we've gotten over the last year or two for material. It's looking like it will be a good year for the industry and a good year for Zentech. Our business is very much aerospace and defense- centric, so although nothing is guaranteed, our 2023 is looking pretty good. That's good news. What advice would you give to other corporations regarding IPC and involvement in IPC? I said this when I was fortunate enough to receive the Hall of Fame Award, when I got the President's Award, and when I was IPC chair- man and vice chairman—whenever I got up in front of everyone to make speeches or intro- duce keynote speakers. I've always shared the same theme: You get out of IPC what you put into IPC. We've been involved in a variety of programs over the years, both with Zentech and others, regarding standards generation, program management certifications, and inventory programs. We get together at the EMS Management Council and talk about problems that are common to all the small- to-medium-sized companies. What you take away from those touchpoints is worth its weight in gold, and it's only there because of what you're willing to invest into the process. You can't sit on the sidelines and expect to learn a lot. You roll up your sleeves and dig in; all it takes to get involved on steering committees and standards commit- tees is to say, "Yes." You just need to speak up and volunteer. It's that simple. You volunteer, and now you have a job to do. There's nothing like being involved with groups who want to help your industry get ahead and who don't worry about the unnecessary competitive issues. We don't look over our shoulders and say, "Oh, we can't share this with that company because they may do something better than us." If we're all getting better, we've set the bar higher and our customers benefit from that, and we all ultimately benefit. Steve, any last thoughts? This will be my last time getting up in front of the whole group at both the annual meeting and the awards meeting. It will be a nice event and we're really honored to receive an award named in Stan's honor. I'm looking forward to it and hoping my last couple of years on the board will be as fun as the first 22. Congratulations again to you and Zentech. Thank you very much. S&T IPC Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award