Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1537054
JULY 2025 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 17 the capacity, but I'm not sure it's a good fit, either economically or for our particular production skill set. Capacity will need to be put in place and investments made on the PCBA side, but it will take years to find that rebalance. How do we keep moving in the right direction as efficiently as possible? I've had the opportunity to sup- port the IPC team in Washing- ton, D.C., to talk to our govern- ment leaders about the complexi- ties of circuit boards and gaps for onshoring. Quite truthfully, it's an education process. If I show them a board for a rocket, or a board for a therapeutic device, as far as most casual observers are con- cerned, those boards are indis- tinguishable. They aren't able to identify what is covered under the Chips Act and what is not. We've pointed out that Congress did a great job of funding certain things, like bringing wafers and chips back to the U.S., but they left behind the rest of the board. It's like having an engine with- out a chassis, wheels, or steer- ing wheel; it won't function on its own. Funding for these things will take time, but we'll get there as an industry. For now, I can help our customers with the front-end on the early stage of design and development. What's your process for reeval- uating or reassessing your niche? Even within your niche, do you look for where markets are emerging? A couple of things come to mind. First, we practice active listening with our customers. I tell our sales force, "We're not selling our abil- ity or our product. We're trying to solve their problem." We listen to the voice of the customer. If I have a space customer build- ing a low-earth orbit satellite for sensing atmospheric conditions, what do they need to accomplish their mission? Where is the gap we can fill? We try to think a little bit further about how we can sup- port their mission beyond assem- bly, for example, with testing. Next, we look at our customers' engineering needs to see how else we can help them beyond our existing capabilities. Who do we know that can help sup- port them where we cannot? If we know someone who can help them, we'll make the connection. As we've started to build a reputation among engineers/ customers in different industries, we've found that reputation has tended to multiply itself. Become that trusted resource for our cus- tomers is a testament to what our operators, testers, and engi- neers are doing. For example, when an engi- neer moves to another company or when they're talking to a col- league, they take their Green Circuits experience with them, and they refer us. How is Green Circuits' market niche likely to change in the next couple of years? We've grown by leaps and bounds, and we will continue to see substantive growth. We're multiple times bigger than we were even four years ago. Our customer footprint has expanded dramatically outside of the Sil- icon Valley bubble. R&D engi- neering needs are growing all around the country, and for our business, we see our footprint expanding. When I look across the spectrum of our competitors, the pie is growing. There's plenty for everyone to go after; it's just a function of getting out there and caring for our customers. What is your recommendation to your colleagues for putting together a niche plan in their specialty? Look to your strengths. Figure out what makes you unique, your secret sauce, and what makes you most effective in serving the customers who have the greatest appetite for your offering. Play to that. If you can do that, then how much you grow will be a function of your ability to replicate that for- mula. Maybe there's an upper limit in some cases, but that may be a good thing because it might mean you develop long-standing relationships and more profitabil- ity in other places. Michael, thanks so much. It was great talking to you, Nolan. SMT007 " " Figure out what makes you unique... and what makes you most effective in serving the customers who have the greatest appetite for your offering.