Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/622045
42 SMT Magazine • January 2016 FEATurE inTErViEw by Stephen Las Marias i-connecT007 Headquartered in the Lake Geneva region, Switzerland, Valtronic is a contract manufac- turer of miniaturized electronic products for medical devices. The company also has manu- facturing facilities in Casablanca, Morocco, and in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. Jay Wimer is the executive vice president of the Valtronic Group, and president and CEO of Valtronic USA. He also serves as director of the Advanced Electronics Technology Center in the United States. In an interview with I-Con- nect007, he discusses the impact of the medical market on the electronics manufacturing in- dustry, the challenges facing medical electron- ics manufacturers and technology providers, and how the trends happening in the medical electronics segment are driving innovation in electronics manufacturing. Stephen Las Marias: how has the medical elec- tronics industry evolved over the past decade, and what major changes have you witnessed? Jay Wimer: Ten years ago, OEMs were chasing lower costs in other countries for manufactur- ing. Most recently, we are finding OEMs willing to build/manufacture medical electronics in the United States due to lower total costs. Las Marias: how do you get to become an ap- proved or qualified supplier or manufacturer for medical electronics? Wimer: By demonstrating your ability to fulfill a customer's need and provide solutions, as well as pass a customer quality audit. Las Marias: overall, what can you say about the impact that the medical market has on the elec- tronics manufacturing industry? Wimer: The biggest impact that the medical market has had on the electronics manufactur- ing industry is quality systems due to the regu- lations of medical devices. Las Marias: Are there regulatory standards that you have to comply with? Valtronic Highlights Vital Components in Medical Electronics Manufacturing