Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
84 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2024 Interview by Marcy LaRont I-CONNECT007 When I last spoke with Tom Edman, presi- dent and CEO of TTM Technologies (TTM), he provided an update about the company's new high-tech printed circuit board facility under construction in Syracuse, New York, and how the grand opening of a facility in Malaysia is informing TTM's overall expansion efforts: a cutting-edge facility spread across 27 acres and providing roughly 1,000 jobs. Now, Tom pro- vides more details about the new automated facility, its regional and global impact, and the importance of having both government and industry support. TTM's Grand Opening in Malaysia Marcy LaRont: Tom, tell me about TTM Malaysia. Tom Edman: TTM Malaysia is a slightly more than 800,000-square-foot building with a single- level production floor, which allows us to incorporate a high degree of automation. For example, we're combining process steps to accommodate automation using inline equip- ment when and where we can and between process steps as well. We're also using auto- mated guided vehicles (AGVs) to transport panels. Almost everything inside the facility is automated, including the drills and the drill bit