Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1524164
46 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2024 methods of hard tooling—like old-school hammer and pins and heavy plates—which carry a lot of regular maintenance costs and are labor intensive? How do we change that environment and make it a more streamlined manufacturing process that is less labor inten- sive? A better work environment helps with employee retention. One can also hire a dif- ferent type of employee. For example, maybe one doesn't need a super-strong employee who can pick up 45-pound-plus caul plates because we've eliminated that need with our pinless process and blocking plate technology. at's the kind of hidden reality that comes into play. e third area is advanc- ing a manufacturer's tech- nical capabilities. If you can introduce new tech- nology that addresses one pain point, increases yields, introduces a more streamlined manufacturing process, and a safer working environment, the third jewel in the crown is advancing technol- ogy capabilities. When customers advance their capabilities, they can enter new PCB markets, gain new customers, and strengthen existing business relationships by offering new products. To level up, customers need new tools, resources, and education on the new processes and technologies available. at's where auto- mation comes in. So, there is actually a fourth area, which is how we actually go about auto- mating our processes. The first step to thriving is getting your house in order. Understand and optimize your man- ufacturing processes. Then, start looking at the bottlenecks and pain points and creating some improvement strategies. Correct. I have the privilege of traveling to many different manufacturing facilities across the world, which gives me an advantage because I see how it's done with pretty much every application and in every country. When I'm talking to customers, we identify the criti- cal pain points and then figure out how we can provide a solution to that challenge. When I ask a customer what their capabili- ties are, I get a lot of big answers: 20, 30, 40 layers. en I ask, "What's your yield on that?" at's when the room goes silent, and you start hearing about the pain points. It's how we get to the truth of the situa- tion. Now, we can work on solutions where DIS can really make an impact, and that's our focus. Jesse, do you have any final words of wisdom for fabricators who want to create a plan to thrive? Yes, do your homework. Become educated. We want to be sure all our customers are well- educated. When we're talking about a pro- cess change—and there's a lot of new technol- ogy out there—none of this equipment is plug- and-play. Each customer uses a different mate- rial and likely a different process or technique. Each customer requires a somewhat custom- ized approach with the technology, the equip- ment, and the solution. I hope customers don't blindly buy or do something simply based on a relationship. at old-school business gets you in trouble, from what I've witnessed. at's my advice for anyone looking at a new process or technology. That's a good note to end on, Jesse. Thank you so much. anks, Barry. PCB007 Jesse Ziomek