Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1512467
36 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2023 Is the CHIPS Act trickling down to you yet? We are pleased to see more investment in component manufacturing capability/capac- ity in U.S. factories, but it will be a few years before it trickles down to our company. In the long run, the CHIPS Act will be a good thing for our domestic industry. What concerns you most in your growth plans: capabilities, capacity, or competition? Our biggest concern for 2024 will continue to be material availability. Some of our pro- grams use very unique components that have long lead times, so aer we receive a purchase order, we may be in a holding pattern for up to a year. We continued to invest in our capability (people, ERP systems, equipment, etc.) dur- ing the pandemic so we are ready for upcoming assembly and test challenges. How does "going green" factor into your business plan? Is it a cost of doing business or a selling point? Is this something you're investing in? It's a co st of doing busi- ness, a selling point , and an investment in our f uture. There are many ways to be green and reduce our impact on the environment. For many years, we have endeavored to recycle as much as we can (paper, cardboard, etc.). We also recy- cle plastic packaging material (empty reels, matrix trays, bags) and solder waste (sol- der paste, dross). We aqueous clean all our boards aer soldering so we use a lot of water. We have post treatment capability to clean the water so it's very clean when it goes down the drain. Which process technologies hold the most opportunity for growth in the industry in 2024? For our company, it's 3D AOI (automated optical inspection) and selective confor- mal coating. Last year, we invested in 3D AOI machines because they can measure sol- der joints and other critical factors. Most of our business requires IPC Class 3 workman- ship, and in some cases the IPC Space Adden- dum, so the requirements are tight. Along with visual inspection, this capability enhances our ability to monitor our manufacturing pro- cesses and verify the assembled product meets the quality requirements. We invested in selec- tive conformal coating equipment to eliminate the time-consuming task of masking boards. is will reduce our cycle time and increase our throughput. SMT007