Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/924542
86 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2018 adjacent stands. There is a huge sense of re- lief when everything has made it into position safely. Our build this year took two long and hard days of machine assembly and connection. I was assisted this year for the first time by my 20-year old son, Ben. It is not always easy working with family, but I will say I was so pleased to have his youth and enthusiasm available to help get the job done. Young eyes and strong hands seem to make things happen twice as fast. Now I must admit that at this point I am al- ready more than a little tired but there is not much chance for a rest. Time to shave and freshen up in preparation for facing the cus- tomers. This is a different type of work. The Show For people who have been in the industry for a while it is a real chance to catch up with old friends. Before I was involved in the sales of equipment, I worked in circuit manufacture and I have a lot of friends from back then who are still involved in the supply of machines and materials; the show is a real opportunity to catch up. This year our stand was right next to the guys from MPK who were very hospi- table and had excellent coffee. I don't get that much contact with drilling technology any more, but this was a chance to look at current best practice and what the industry current- ly needs. I really liked their drill design with a single spiral at the tip for extra rigidity chang- ing to a double spiral part way up the shank to maintain swarf ejection. There is always some- thing new (or at least new to me!). There is a lovely feeling when you see a cus- tomer approaching down the aisles with a big smile and a hand held out in greeting. This is how equipment sales should be—when you see people several years later and they are still really happy with the work you have done for them. We saw a customer from Slovenia where Ben and I had installed a small etch machine a couple of years ago when Ben had just fin- ished high school. That installation was a com- bination of a father-son bonding road trip as well as the experience of building the machine. pretty much the whole day. Every time I make this trip, it always seems that Munich is a lit- tle further away than I remember. This year we rolled into Munich around 10 pm ready to crawl into bed for a few hours' rest. Set-up, Day 1 When visitors come to productronica, I am sure they don't realise what a huge mess it looks like during the set-up period. It is some- times difficult to get up the aisles to your stand. There are workmen everywhere doing their best to get their part of the job completed as quickly as possible. Packing materials and all kinds of other debris seem to end up every- where and the access gets more and more re- stricted. This year we had some large wet pro- cess modules on stand, which needed a rea- sonable size forklift to get them off the lorry and into position. It makes the heart beat fast- er when you see your customer's etching mod- ule swinging around 5 meters up in the air to clear the ladders and pallets being used on the