IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 31 SUMMER 2024 IPC's hands-on, proactive a p p r o a c h t o n e t w o r k i n g , employee training, and leader- ship created a sweet spot for OES, which has set aggressive and strategic goals to expand its reach and stay committed to being a world-class company. In this interview, Jeff talks about the company's goals, training needs, and growth opportunities because of his involvement with IPC. Jeff, please begin by telling us about OES and what you produce. Jeff Stewart: When the com- pany was founded in the 1980s, it focused on engi- neering and contract manufacturing with a keen focus on electrical panels. That led to designing, assembling, and testing PCBAs. Now, OES pro- vides contract manufacturing of electronics in the defense, aerospace, and industrial industries. But what sets us apart is our custom-manufac- tured scoreboards and LED video installations for amateur and professional sports teams, as well as IP in sensing and detection devices used in the automotive wire harness industry. Because of the diverse product offerings and industries we serve, we have a very robust engi- neering department that includes not only in-house electronics and electrical engineering but also mechanical and structural engineer- ing, embedded firmware, and software develop- ment. This unique combination of manufactur- ing excellence, in-house design, and engineering allows us to help OEMs manufacture their prod- ucts and participate in their ideation, R&D, and rapid prototype development teams. What are some of the biggest challenges you face in this industry? OES has faced the typical challenges of onboarding and retention as other companies did through COVID, but since late 2021, the situation has improved greatly. At the Regional EMS Roundtable, we discussed supply chain challenges and suggested mitigations, ERP implementation suggestions and hurdles, and recommended KPIs for specific improvement projects. Inherently, every business and every senior leadership team develops biases and blind spots over time, and it is important to network with peers—even competitors can be peers—to hear what the common problems are and how others are tackling similar issues. What was your motivation for attending a Regional EMS Roundtable, and what was your overall impression of the event? Our key reason for attending was to network. OES is looking to expand our EMS business to other regions across North America through acquisition and expansion. We found the peer roundtable discussions to be a real benefit. The three most beneficial aspects were networking on potential M&A opportunities, learning about key success factors and KPIs from peers, and the presentation on EMS market research.