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10 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 Feature Interview by Marcy LaRont I-CONNECT007 Materials and substrates are an ongoing dis- cussion for PCB fabricators today, offering PCB designers and fabricators much more choice than was available two decades ago. When it comes to running a printed circuit board com- pany, materials management is a critical piece for operations. Material management can be an even greater challenge when you are doing high mix, low volume. is discussion with Anaya Vardya of American Standard Circuits sheds light on best practices, innovative approaches to vendor relationships, inventory manage- ment, and panel optimization, highlighting the critical role materials play in the success of elec- tronics manufacturing today. The Critical Role of Materials Marcy LaRont: Anaya, ASC is a high-tech PCB manufacturing facility that works with many different product and material types. What is your approach to materials manage- ment? Anaya Vardya: On the supply chain side of materials management, we have a large range of materials used for the products we manu- facture. For standard FR-4, we are fortunate to have a handful of different material vendors that stock in the Chicago area. is means we can minimize the amount of inventory we're holding inside our facility, which saves space and inventory dollars. We typically have mul- tiple deliveries a week from these suppliers.