Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
Marcy’s Musings: Can You Hear the Voices?
Facing the Future: Successfully Navigating the Uncertain Path Ahead
Driving Operational Efficiencies at Summit Interconnect
January 23, 2024 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
As the largest privately held printed circuit board manufacturer in North America, with headquarters in Irvine, California, Summit Interconnect has eight facilities, including one assembly shop. Coming back into the industry after a career move that took him to Amazon, Summit COO Sean Patterson reflects on the issues of culture, the new workforce and PCB capacity issues in the United States, to name just a few.
Barry Matties: As chief operating officer for Summit Interconnect, what's a typical day like for you?
Sean Patterson: My day starts with checking in on the day's production, working with sales on upcoming quotes from a customer perspective, and then getting into larger projects for the rest of the day with an eye toward our long-term vision. Overall, I’m looking at our operations from the day before as well as trends from the prior weeks for all our eight facilities. Seven are fabrication facilities and one is a quick-turn assembly shop.
Matties: You have made some acquisitions, the most recent being Royal Circuits in Hollister, California. Is that right?
Patterson: Yes, there was Royal Circuits in Hollister, Advanced Assembly in Denver, and South Coast Circuits in Santa Ana, California.
Matties: You're operating in California, perhaps one of the most expensive states to do business. What’s your strategy for offsetting costs?
Patterson: We focus on efficiency and verifying our processes up front before we start production. This maximizes our workforce to keep labor costs down. We also focus on employee retention by providing long term career planning with opportunities to move into higher level engineering positions.
Matties: How do you help your employees take advantage of paid training?
Patterson: At IPC this year, of the 20 people who went through the Emerging Engineering program, eight were from Summit, so we had the largest team there. It's healthy that we all cooperate to bring more people into the industry and not just move them from site to site. That's not helping our industry. We want to continue that IPC training, developing a career path throughout our company and within the industry.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
03/28/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I’ve spent my week recovering from a busy and interesting week in Anaheim for the 25th IPC APEX EXPO. I think back to my first APEX EXPO, and the changes since then are too numerous to count. I first attended in 2004, also in Anaheim, back when there was almost no design content in the conference or expo portions of the show. It was just a few years after the downturn, and attendees and exhibitors alike were skittish, almost afraid to show confidence in our industry. A few unemployed design friends handed out copies of their resumes. Travel budgets were still down, and the aisles weren’t exactly packed with traffic.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Emphasizing Sustainability in PCB Design with Summit Interconnect
03/27/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOAndy Shaughnessy and Gerry Partida of Summit Interconnect discuss the rising customer interest in sustainability within PCB design. Gerry points out that many designs neglect sustainability, resulting in low yields and higher costs. The conversation stresses the importance of adhering to PCB standards and collaborating with fabricators to tackle design challenges and enhance sustainability.
Summit Interconnect Announces Key Executive Appointments: Sean Patterson Named CTO, Michael Norman Joins as President and COO
03/06/2025 | Summit Interconnect, Inc.Summit Interconnect, a leading provider of advanced PCB manufacturing solutions, is pleased to announce two key leadership updates to its executive team.
Summit Interconnect Welcomes Leo LaCroix as Vice President of Aerospace & Defense Operations
02/21/2025 | Summit Interconnect, Inc.Summit Interconnect, a leading provider of advanced printed circuit board (PCB) solutions, is pleased to announce that Leo LaCroix has joined the company as Vice President of Aerospace & Defense Operations. In this role, LaCroix will oversee operational strategy, customer engagement, and manufacturing excellence for Summit’s aerospace and defense-focused facilities, driving continued growth and innovation in the sector.
I-Connect007 Welcomes New Milaero Columnist Jesse Vaughan
02/18/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamI-Connect007 is excited to announce the addition of a new monthly column, “Beyond the Board,” authored by Jesse Vaughan, a seasoned expert in the PCB/milaero sector. Jesse, a third-generation printed circuit board technologist currently working at Summit Interconnect, brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our publications.