Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1512467
48 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2023 capacity, you may become landlocked. Cus- tomers always question your current capacity so they can determine how much business they are willing to risk putting into your facility. You could possibly add another shi and per- sonnel to increase capacity, but it's not always as simple as it seems. Competition is always a concern in the EMS provider world, but it is not always based on pricing. Most customers may think that we all do the same thing the same way, but that is far from the truth. If you can dif- ferentiate yourself in capability, qual- ity, capacity, and on-time delivery, then price could become secondary. It's always hard to convince buyers who base their decisions on price alone. 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? I think going green is something that a lot of businesses are working toward these days, but there are costs involved in being environmentally responsible. We do what we can to recycle paper/boxes, stencils, solder, and paste, etc. We also look for ways to conserve or reduce energy consump- tion such as factory lighting and new equip- ment which uses less energy. Unfortunately going green is a cost of business that is hard to recover. Most customers do not consider your carbon footprint when making their buying decisions, so I don't think it is much of a sell- ing point. Which process technologies hold the most opportunity for growth in the industry in 2024? If you've been around the industry long enough, you've seen a lot of changes over the decades. Automation is the one thing that is always constant. Any process on the front end or in the factory that can be enhanced with automation should be considered. Automat- ing a factory can be time consuming and cap- ital intensive, but in the long run, it will pay dividends. I've seen a lot of companies that either refuse to automate processes because "that's the way we've always done it," or just do not realize how much more efficient they can become. Automation can be scary to a lot of peo- ple, but it is necessary to achieve long-term growth. SMT007 Zentech manufacturing floor. X-ray inspection system for production line quality control.