Greg DeLarge, President, Plasma Etch, Inc.

How was business in 2022 and what do you expect for the industry in 2023?
Overall, our business saw growth in 2022 despite the considerable effects of inflation, supply chain issues, and global recession. Said issues certainly have had a cooling effect on consumer demand for many of the end-products to which our materials are relevant. Although these challenges may persist in 2023, we are optimistic for sustained growth across our product lines.

Will you be launching new products or services in 2023?
We have launched new products across applications in 2022 and will continue to innovate in 2023 with our new break-through Durafuse™ technology. Durafuse™ LT is a novel alloy technology, launched a couple years ago, that has found growth in many next generation applications outside of low-temperature assemblies.

It also spurred the expansion of Durafuse™ technology for high-temperature applications. Additionally, we have developed novel liquid metal and indium alloys for thermal interface materials used in a variety of high-end computing and power electronic packages. We are also launching new sintering products for power electronics for the exploding EV market.

Have supply chain shortages caused problems for your company in 2022 and what have you done to reduce these issues in 2023?
We have taken deliberate, strategic steps to mitigate the supply chain issues which have ailed much of the global electronics market over the past few years and 2022. Steps include securing secondary sources for key raw materials while also increasing our manufacturing presence around the globe.

Recently, we have introduced manufacturing facilities in Malaysia, the U.S., India, South Korea, Singapore, India, and China to help support our customers’ product needs in these critical regions.

Are you able to hire enough qualified employees? What could the industry do to develop a larger pool of skilled workers?
Despite hiring challenges across virtually all industries, we are fortunate to benefit from well-earned talent pipelines, such as our award-winning internship and leading apprenticeship programs. We are also seeing increased public-private partnerships which I believe can play a vital role in creating the next generation of leaders in STEM industries.

Has your company travel returned to pre-pandemic levels or are you still limiting travel to customer sites or industry conferences in 2023?
Our corporate motto "From One Engineer to Another®" is at the core of our approach to customer service. In order to embody this approach, it is important for us to be on the road, troubleshooting and problem solving with our partners just as we did before the pandemic. We are hopeful that regular travel into and out of China will become possible early in 2023.