Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1514628
66 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024 Goodwin: Some of those products in the gaps are there to allow for cost engineering as things go to volume later. But that's not where you should start. is concept I had with the small packag- ing/fast delivery came when I was at a rugby match 18 months ago with some UK custom- ers. We were having dinner aerward, and I asked them what they needed. ey said, "We need products in small quantities, and we need them faster. at's basically it." I said, "What can you compromise on? e copper weight?" ey said, "Make everything a half-ounce; we can plate up to one ounce, we can etch back to 12 microns. But then deliver ever ything quickly." We a s k e d t h e m i f t h e y needed every product, and they responded, "We need something in this and this range." So, Ven- tec went ahead and did it, and didn't ask for a PO; we just built inven- tory availability. Now they are ordering from us quite regularly, and other customers are starting to order because we're out there telling them it's available and they don't have to wait. is has little to do with technology, and more to do with paying atten- tion to need. Morgan: Mark and I go back 30 years, pro- moting standard builds for multilayers. Stan- dards are still very important. Many things have changed on the glass side. We all use thin- ner fabrics now. ere are different standards, but you can still go for a standard design. If a designer can have that kind of standard build, it gives them a starting place. Goodwin: I'd forgotten that, but it's how Ven- tec built its business in four, six, and eight mul- tilayers—three cores and two prepregs. It's more complicated now, but we need this kind of creative thinking. It's the same concept. Goodwin: Yes, it's the same concept. You need to think a little differently and put those thoughts into action. Morgan: You need to understand what's avail- able and what will work in your designs. We can help with that. Goodwin: I asked a couple of customers to send me the stackups for the last 20–30 jobs they've had so I could look at them. I was just looking for patterns. ose patterns are there and can be used to understand and build solutions, and when those patterns are extrapolated over many customers, the solutions improve. Morgan: If all customers do it the same way, it makes life easier for everybody. It makes supply chain cheaper and more effi- cient. We should be looking at that for indus- try efficiency as well. We strive to differentiate from the competition, but it helps to have standardized offerings. OEMs and designers can then go to specific standards or look at the slash sheets specifically for a suite of performance requirements. at's how it has worked in the past, and how it will work again. As always, gentlemen, it has been a pleasure talking to you both. Thank you for your time and your contributions to the industry. Goodwin: ank you. PCB007 Mark and I go back 30 years, promoting standard builds for multilayers. Standards are still very important.