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64 SMT Magazine • May 2017 ond shift. Employees on the 3/12 workweek are paid for 40 hours, which gives them a four-hour bonus. "No one wants to initially work the week- end shift, but once they try it is almost im- possible to get them off because they end up with more free time thanks to the longer days and four-hour bonus. At this point it is limited to two work cells, but we may expand it over time," said Starke. The company is also looking at adding in- ternships later in the year. "We see paid internships as a good way to supplement our team while helping engineering students get some real-world manufacturing en- gineering experience. This year we are looking at adding an engineering and quoting intern and will likely collaborate with Florida State Univer- sity (FSU) to find them," said Eldred. Company executives also try to give back some experience to the educational and busi- ness community. Eldred serves on a Gap Com- mittee at FSU that provides funding to start- up businesses that have R&D that could turn into intellectual property. Ken Gamber, Teligen- tEMS' engineering manager serves on an advi- sory committee for FSU's College of Engineer- ing. McFatter participates in a manufacturing and construction focus group sponsored by Ca- reer Source Capital Region that is discussing re- gional workforce educational needs and strat- egies for attracting employees that may want more flexible working options. "We are fortunate to be located in a region that is rich with educational resources and po- litical leadership that recognizes the benefits of economic diversity. As a manufacturer, having support infrastructure that starts the conversa- tion by asking, 'how can we better help you suc- ceed,' is the single biggest competitive advan- tage I can think of. And, the end result of that type of collaboration is a win for us, a win for employees who want to reach their full poten- tial and a huge win for the community overall," said Eldred. SMT Susan Mucha is president of Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc. She can be reached here. Mitch Holtzer, director of Americas Re- claim Business for Alpha Assembly Solu- tions, discusses the company's reclama- tion technology, where it takes solder dross, used solder paste, and solder paste debris and converts them into reusable soldering materials. He also talks about how solder reclamation can help sustain- ability efforts, and how it helps customers when it comes to their waste materials, such as the dross from their wave solder- ing machine as well as the debris associ- ated with printing solder pastes. Watch the Interview Here Real Time with...IPC: Alpha Highlights Solder Reclaim Technology ENHANCING RECRUITMENT EFFORTS WITH PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS