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52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2023 type machining. We source plastic injection molding, blow molding, and magnetics; trans- formers and coils are products that make sense for offshore sourcing. We also source mem- brane switches and wire harnesses. In other words, anything that's high labor content is an opportunity to save some money over domes- tic manufacturing. Customers come to you for their specific PCB needs, but there are the other pieces of the BOM that make up the subassembly for the PCB. Is that where you come in? at's correct. When you look at the electronic assembly, it's ultimately a box build, and it's associated with these other things that we offer as a solution. Now, the customer can come to us and say, "We have other custom items. Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 American Standard Circuits provides more services than strictly bare board fabrication. During a recent visit to the ASC facility in West Chicago, Illinois, Nolan Johnson spoke with Bob Duke, president of ASC's Global Sourcing division, about the dynamics of helping a cus- tomer source custom commodity subassem- blies. Bob, would you talk about the mission of your division? I use the experience I gained working in Asia to bring in other custom types of products— outside of the printed circuit boards—for those customers who need a competitive price and understand the value of sourcing offshore for products like metal, metal fabrication, die cast- ing, stamping, precision machining, and CNC- Custom is Never a Commodity