Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1544707
MAY 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 35 That growth defies what most EMS companies are doing. What do you attribute that to? I attribute it to several things. Our people are the core of everything. Our employees are dedicated and committed. Everyone here cares about fulfill- ing customer requirements with a strong focus on first-pass yield, quality, and minimizing returns. Honestly, I think the sectors that we're playing in, like networking, telecommunications, and mil/aero, are the reasons for our growth. Mil/aero is grow- ing very quickly for us. We're also now working in the renewable energy space. We have an exciting partnership with Duracell Power Center (a North American Duracell licensee). When you combine that with our core company values and staff, we're benefiting from those factors and market sectors. You've targeted the sectors currently in the spot- light for returning business to North America, and your metrics are clearly demonstrating that's a good choice. What about your Vietnam facility? We made that decision about a year ago. When the tariffs hit, we questioned whether this was the right move. We explored logistical structures and material flows, and we found we had a nice flow of material going into and out of Vietnam, where we only paid tariffs on the value-add, i.e., the labor. Twenty percent on a value-add service that costs one-sixth the cost in the U.S. is still a significant cost advantage. Given those numbers, the cost savings, and the labor-only tariff, it is still very much worth it. The vision was there, and we decided to contin- ue down the path. Luckily, the tariff landscape has turned more favorable, and now we're proving we can shift production to Vietnam, deliver cost reduc- tions to our customers, and execute on our growth strategy in both places. Without giving away the secret sauce, what do you see the market doing, and who is your ideal cus- tomer over the next couple of years? I see the trend continuing to provide more manu- facturing services in the U.S. Our ability to do that is augmented by some cost savings in a lower-cost region that is identified as a "friendly nation" rather than a "prohibited foreign entity" or a "foreign entity of concern." Those are critical terms related to U.S.-based manufacturing and tax incentives. We're participating in all of that, with or without the tax incentives. The market segments that we're playing in will continue to expand. While policy support for solar and energy stor- age may vary, the underlying market fundamentals remain very strong. The rapid expansion of U.S. data centers is driving unprecedented demand for reliable power, making energy storage an increas- ingly critical part of the solution. We're seeing that play out in real time—particularly in markets like Texas, where residential battery adoption is ac- celerating quickly. Through our partnership with Duracell Power Center, we're directly supporting that growth. At the same time, we continue to see strong momentum in mil/aero, where we are actively engaged in multiple hardware programs. Together, these sectors represent meaningful and sustained growth opportunities for Omega EMS. Chris, thanks so much. You got it, Nolan. Take care. SMT007