Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/710139
12 SMT Magazine • August 2016 understand the reason behind their frustration and turn their problem into a solution, you will win their trust. 3. How good or bad is the competi- tor's product Always listen to a customer who talks about the competitor's product. By listening, you are basically arming yourself with knowledge that may enable you to turn your product to a bet- ter one. 4. What is working now doesn't mean it will work in the future. Have you ever heard the idiom "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? This should not be applied to any products, even if customers are extremely happy and have no intention of changing. You will never know what you might find, which in turn may help customer save cost or improve their test coverage. 5. Know what is coming in the future in terms of technology advancement Where do you find the newest technology? Your customer production floor, of course! Be- ing in touch with your customer allows you to have access to all this information ahead of everyone. Being the first means you are always the one who offers the latest solution based on what the customer needs and knowing the challenges they face with the advancement of technology. These are my tips on how I use every inch of customer feedback and turn it to the advantage of the test system that we offer to the market. Frederick Blancas Strategic Planning, Marketing and Sustainability Manager INTEGRATED MICRO-ELECTRONICS INC. What I like about the electronics industry now is its openness to collaborate. The govern- ment, academe, and private electronics com- panies are intensifying their collaboration to find solutions to problems that besiege soci- ety. Through their collective expertise and expe- rience, they create synergy that leads to greater value for each of them as well as the public. Imagine a world where medical equipment is inexpensive, allowing clinics and hospitals in impoverished regions to provide better health- care for the masses. Imagine IoT or IoV devices helping decongest clogged streets, enabling peo- ple to spend more time at work and at home. The whole ecosystem has started to embrace the concept of sustainability—that businesses, with the support of government and academe, can engage in profitable endeavors while addressing social and environmental issues. Robert Boguski President DATEST CORP. Fear is a Lousy Motivator With the dumbing down and banalization of English nowadays, problems have been banished from the lexicon and replaced by euphemisms— legislated away by popular acclaim. Instead, we call problems by their bastardized title: "issues." Example: "We have a payment issue with our customer. A large, much-anticipated sum has been delayed. Hence we can't pay you, dear Supplier, for the one-day turnarounds you gave us recently (thanks for the superior service, by the way! Oh, and do we have your AS9100 cer- tificate on file?)." For most small businesses, that's a catastro- phe, not an "issue." Imagine the subcontractor's General Manager telling her employees, "Gee guys, we hoped to run payroll this week, but since Behemoth Aerospace didn't pay us (be- cause they can do that), and won't for 120 days (their stated terms), you'll have to wait awhile for your paycheck. Better news in October (said in July). Until then, chin up." Do you think for one minute that Behe- moth Aerospace waits 120 days for payment from the Feds? Why is it that companies best able to pay and flush with cash, resist paying to time-hon- VOICES OF THE INDUSTRY X X