Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: We Must Work Together—or Else!

Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of one another's business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you like to be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!"

When someone sent me this joke last week I could not help thinking about the companies in our industry. We are so focused on beating the other guy that we don’t spend much time working on making our own companies better. In fact, we are always so focused on disrespecting our competitors that we would rather see them fail than succeed. I have noticed that there is usually some satisfaction when we hear that another shop has gone out of business. 

Think about this. Should we be happy if one of the few shops left in this country goes out of business? We are already feeling the negative results of the steadily diminishing number of shops in our part of the world. The numbers are up for debate, but from what I can estimate, there were once at least 1,200 shops in North American in the early 1980s. Now, there are around 200—and that’s individual locations, not companies. If you don't count all of the TTM locations separately, you get even fewer. 

This is what has happened while we were cheering as our competitors went under:

• We have lost our leadership position in the PCB industry.
• We are no longer the technology leaders we once were. It’s time to quit telling ourselves that all technology is developed in the US because it is no longer true.
• We no longer have the strong vendor base we once had, to the point where, if you have a shop in the Southwest or the Northwest, you are no longer seeing vendors as often (if at all) as you once did.
• This means that we have also lost the technical support we once relied on, along with having a strong vendor base.
• Our customers, especially defense contractors, are so worried about the scarcity of qualified American vendors to handle their defense and aerospace PCB needs that they are petitioning the DoD to allow them to go offshore, or at least to work through American contract manufacturers who buy their boards from “qualified” offshore sources. 

None of this bodes well for the remaining companies. We have two choices: We can keep beating the crap out of one another until there is no one left, or we can figure out how to work together and become strong partners instead of weakening enemies. Think about it; maybe it’s time for the remaining companies to circle their wagons and figure out a way to start working together in a cooperative effort, to stand together and make the American board industry as strong as possible. 

Collaborating with one another is the only way to go if we want to make the future ours—if we even want to have a future. PCB companies need to find ways to come together and present a stronger front to their customer base. Here’s one way to start: 

• Communications: Start talking to each other. Find out what your competitor can do that you can’t and work out an agreement.
• Share technology: Research new innovations together.
• Share capabilities: One shop might have via-fill equipment while another has plasma etch; by working closing together and doing some bartering, both shops will be able to offer both capabilities
• Combine your buying power. Remember the old granges that allowed farmers to get together to buy seed and equipment and get a better deal from their vendors? That’s the idea. If four board shops get together to buy four drills from one equipment vendor, they are going to get a much better price than if each buys their own. And they will also have more influence when it comes to having that equipment serviced. 

These are just a few of the things that shops could be working on together—if they choose. They say that if you don’t define your future, someone else will. Aren’t you tired of someone else determining your future? Don’t you think it’s time you did something about it? 

It’s only common sense