The SEL Supply Line: An Introduction

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During my recent tour of SEL’s new $100 million PCB factory in Moscow, Idaho, I spoke with Engineering Director John Hendrickson specifically about the partnerships they formed with the many equipment suppliers it took to build a new factory. I wanted to know when he’s choosing a supplier in a critical aspect, what is he looking for?

John Hendrickson: [As] close to home as possible. That's definitely one of the things we want to look for. Do their business philosophies align with ours, and do they have the right equipment sets to meet our needs? We find the right partner and maybe their equipment sets don't meet our needs today, but that's where we want to build those deep relationships and work together to develop technology that meets both of our goals.

John said that constant communication between all suppliers involved is key. Mike Brask, president of IPS and a key supplier to SEL, joined me on the SEL tour. I asked him to talk about the communication process from start to installation of the ENIG line.

Mike Brask: John had dedicated engineers for the ENIG line that would work on it with us throughout the entire process. SEL had also chosen their chemical supplier, so we met with them early in the process, aligned with them, and bound them to the project by integrating them into the decision loop of all the features that we'd want to build into the line. It was that trifecta approach—the customer, the chemical supplier, and us—with a clean sheet of paper working to identify potential problems and innovations.

As our conversation continued, I asked John about this collaborative approach.

Hendrickson: Mike and his expertise were instrumental for us—especially because, at the beginning of the project, our knowledge on the process was very limited. Mike and his team helped us understand some of the things we should and shouldn’t do. He pointed us in some directions based on his experience. Relying on them—and our other key suppliers’ expertise—to select the right equipment and help train our team gives us an advantage. We would meet at least once a week.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the September 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here..