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July 2017 • SMT Magazine 79 to high expectations because of the life-saving and mission criti- cal products that we support. Las Marias: What about cy- bersecurity? What strategy do you have in place to address this issue? Gavelis: IEC is completing actions to be compliant with DFAR 252.204-7012 and flow- downs for contract data security. NIST SP 800-171 R1 and SP 800- 53 R4 are large portions of the standard that will be required by December 31, 2017. The first DFARs controls in the works are called the Cen- ter for Internet Security (CIS) 20 Critical Securi- ty Controls (CSC 20). These are broken into 171 out of 277 DFARS controls that are applicable to IEC and are on track for completion by the re- quired date. Cybersecurity is a very real thing for us at IEC. We treat our own and our custom- er's data very seriously. Las Marias: How do you deal with OEMs trust issues when it comes to fear of their road- maps or strategy being shared with other OEMs? Gavelis: IEC understands that as with any relationship, it takes time and trust. When we first engage with a customer, we recognize that we are now an extension of their company. Our goal is to minimize their supply chain risk and deliver solutions to make them more success- ful. We show them that the small things mat- ter to us just as much as it does to them. We rec- ognize that we are a partner, not just a supplier. Over the years, IEC has developed several long- term customer relationships in which the trust has grown over time and it is a true partnership. Las Marias: What are the key factors that OEMs should consider when choosing an EMS partner? Gavelis: Key factors that OEMs should con- sider when choosing an EMS partner are: 1) What is the challenge I am trying to solve for my supply chain and how does this company address that? In many cases, OEMs are look- ing for an EMS that can help to solve challenges, minimize sup- ply chain risk, and deliver solu- tions, not just manufacture the product. 2) Do they have the ex- perience with the types of high- ly engineered/mission critical products that require a sophis- ticated level of manufacturing capabilities? Being a partner to A&D companies requires more than just an SMT line, it requires the know-how and advanced ca- pabilities such as design & test engineering and vertical manufacturing to truly maximize the efficiency and responsiveness for their business. Las Marias: What is your outlook for the overall military/aerospace industry market this year and the next? Gavelis: Given the current global political climate, we see growth opportunity in the mili- tary and aerospace industry. With sequestration as well as recent international tensions, it is im- perative that companies are ready to respond to the dynamic global market. Las Marias: Do you have any final com- ments? Gavelis: IEC's mission is to be the most cus- tomer centric manufacturing partner by mini- mizing supply chain risks and solving complex technical challenges for life-saving and mission critical products. As a 100% US-based small company, that is over 50 years old, we are fo- cused on continuing to deliver solutions to the aerospace and defense industry because we un- derstand that field failure is not an option. Las Marias: Thank you very much. Gavelis: You're welcome. SMT FIELD FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION Audra Gavelis