Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/937683
FEBRUARY 2018 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 63 Beaulieu: Dan, what would you say makes your company stand out? Thau: Our mission is to be "a strategic part- ner committed to growth of our customers by offering high-quality products at competi- tive prices, innovative solutions and industry leading support services." Our competitors have simple buyer/seller transactions with their customers, which is fine, but it does not really provide true value to their customers. We are in constant communication with our customers. We talk to them about every or - der, no matter the size of that order. By be- ing a strategic partner to our customers, we are a source of information about not only manufacturability of their product, but also best practices. Our customers often say they are surprised by the amount of attention we pay them. At MCL we are heavily invested in the service we provide along with the prod - uct. We consider this all part of a great overall package. Our salespeople are really customer specialists who are dedicated to the success of their customers. If our customers succeed, so do we. Beaulieu: Who are your customers? What kinds of companies use your services? Thau: That's interesting, because while we can provide competitive pricing to our customers, we are not always the lowest priced, nor would be want to be. Beaulieu: No kidding. Why not? Thau: Because our customers place a greater importance on value than they do price. At MCL we don't believe that it's ethical to sim- ply source the cheapest boards possible for our customers. Instead we want to provide them with the best overall value that comes with be- ing a resource to our customer rather than just a board supplier. Our customers rely on us to be their PCB consultants and that is a responsi- bility we take very seriously. We strive to have much more than just a transactional relation- ship with our customers. Beaulieu: What do you see as a challenge in to- day's market? Thau: Today, this industry is moving so fast that the challenge is to stay ahead of the curve. MCL is focused on continuous improvement and by doing that we are constantly challeng- ing our team with cutting-edge designs and demands from our customers. We thrive on change and we succeed by providing our cus- tomers with tomorrow's technology today. Beaulieu: Continuing with that line of ques- tioning, how do you see the market today? Thau: As I mentioned, it is an ever-changing market and it is our responsibility to keep up with those changes. Our strategic partnerships are based on technology. Whether a custom- er is looking for a single or double-sided PCB or an HDI microvia board, they know they can come to us and get the best value-based solu- tion on the market today. Our belief is that if a customer is looking for just a lower price they will find it no matter what. Especially if that is all they care about, that to us at MCL is not value. For us to have a good working partner- ship with our customers, they have to see and appreciate the value in what we do. In terms of technology, it is always advanc- ing and now more than ever, at a very rap- id pace, so the PCB supplier who chooses to stand still will be out of business in a very short time. To succeed, today's value-added distributor has to stay up to date in what he Figure 2: Team photo, summer 2017.