Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1514628
40 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024 Interview by Barry Matties I-CONNECT007 As the largest privately-held printed cir- cuit board manufacturer in North Amer- ica, Summit Interconnect is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has eight facil- ities, including one assembly shop. Summit COO Sean Patterson came back into the indus- try aer a career move that took him to Ama- zon and now reflects on issues including cul- tural alignment, the new workforce, and PCB capacity in the United States. Barry Matties: As chief operating officer for Summit Interconnect, what's a typical day like for you? Sean Patterson: My day starts with check- ing in on the day's production, working Driving Operational Efficiencies at Summit Interconnect with sales on upcoming quotes from a customer perspective, and then getting into larger projects for the rest of the day with an eye toward our long-term vision. Overall, I'm looking at our operations from the day before as well as trends from the prior weeks for all eight facilities. Seven are fabrica- tion facilities and one is a quick-turn assembly shop. You have made some acquisitions, the most recent being Royal Circuits in Hollister, California. Is that right? Yes, we acquired Royal Circuits in Hollister, Advanced Assembly in Denver, and South Coast Circuits in Santa Ana, California.