Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1506834
14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2023 will address that shortage well beyond micro- electronics—even casting companies and oth- ers are struggling to find mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and especially control engineers as more of our industry gets auto- mated. I am a director for numerous boards out- side of microelectronics, such as automotive and industrial manufacturing, and I'm seeing similar trends. When I go into board meetings for different manufacturing companies, I see that they're having a hard time finding engi- neers and other skilled positions. So, I see that $3 billion spread across numerous aspects of the ecosystem, to help scale up and create the capability that we need. Johnson: Travis, the CHIPS Act is identifying where to spend the money. Do you have much visibility on their status? Not particularly. We have met with the U.S. Depart- ment of Commerce, and at our annual meeting last week we had some speak- ers who talked about com- panies submitting a statement of interest rela- tive to how they can support chip production. e focus is truly on chips. ey're broadening the aperture and dis- cussing substrates and advanced packaging, but first and foremost, the focus is on chips. ey have to sort through it. As you can imag- ine, there are many companies that will require funding. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the next several months, but my perception, having met with the Department of Commerce and others, is that they under- stand the ecosystem. You can now say "printed circuit board" and they know what it is. Or you mention a sub- strate and they ask how you will package these chips coming out of Ohio and Arizona. ey may not have all the answers, but they under- stand that is an area that must be addressed. I'm bullish that we're getting to a good place. When I think about what USPAE and PCBAA have done with our legislative wins on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and obviously, having this new bill introduced again this year, I know we're all heading in the right direction. Right now, it comes down to the execution. at's real. But strategies are only as good as their execution, and that's the phase that we'll get to over the next several months. Barry Matties: I've heard you use the phrase "chips don't float." The better peo- ple understand that, the stronger the support will be across all of the ecosystem. We try. You have to keep it at a high enough level that it resonates with your audi- ence. When someone like Sen. Todd Young of Indiana comes in, as well as other congressional representa- tives, we can explain the eco- system, but we're just trying to make them be conversant in the idea that it's complex. Johnson: Let's assume HR 3249 gets passed and becomes a law. Are there some lessons learned from the CHIPS Act on how to administer it? HR 3249 can take different shapes. Could it pass as a standalone bill? Maybe. If not, it might be attached to a vehicle like the NDAA/ omnibus, etc. In the meantime, we will con- tinue to garner bipartisan support and get co- sponsors. Once we get into the implementation phase, we must be very specific about where to direct those funds. At this stage, we can talk about Strategies are only as good as their execution, and that's the phase that we'll get to over the next several months.