Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1505694
14 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2023 We just started looking at how many circuit boards we consume, and the prices we were pay- ing. is is such a key component in our prod- ucts. Why not do it ourselves, do it cheaper, and in some cases, do it better? It's just a win for us and a win for our customers. Matties: Now, you're a zero-discharge facility as well. What role did that play in the decision? Our community, Moscow, is only seven miles away from our global headquarters, and we have many employees who live near the PCB factory, so it just makes sense to be a good steward of the environment. It wasn't because of any EPA regulations or what have you. It's just part of our company values. We want to be a good neighbor. We don't want to be discharg- ing anything that might harm our employees or communities. We built what we believe is the greenest PCB factory in America, if not in the world right now. Matties: That is quite impressive. Now, when you're thinking about strategy, how important was the idea of being an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) company? In your strategy development, how does this carry you forward? were consuming the rest of the capacity within the United States. If our circuit board fac- tory had been online a year earlier, we could have avoided a lot of headaches and scram- bling, plus a lot of expediting fees. So, being able to control the costs, quality, and lead times makes this a win for us. Our CFO did some calculations on the return on this $100 million investment, and how long it will take to see payback. We're estimating it to be a couple years. Matties: That's an incredible ROI. Engineering Director John Hendrickson estimated about three to four years. I'm probably a little more optimistic than John is (laughs). Matties: What was the final tipping point to decide that you were building a factory? SEL's zero liquid discharge process area. John Hendrickson, Engineering Director, SEL.