Srini Subramanian, Vice President, Nordson Electronics Solutions

Was your business able to recover fully or partially from the global pandemic during 2021? Do you still have employees working from home?
The day after the State of California shut down, we received "downflow" instructions from several of our customers on behalf of The Department of Defense (DOD) classifying us as an essential business. As a result, we did not shut down.

We had a meeting with the entire team sharing that information with them. We offered anyone that felt uncomfortable or unsafe coming to the factory the option to stay home at full pay. No one took us up on that offer and everyone chose to come to work. This is a testament to the dedication of our team and their desire to support our customers.

I believe the electronic assembly industry as a whole did not suffer the fate of many other industries. We like many others in the EMS space experienced robust sales. The only exception to our commitment to support our customers was our frequent inability to provide field service due to our customer's restrictions on hosting visitors.

Has your company been affected by the inventory shortages of semiconductors and electronic components in 2021? Are you able to hire enough qualified employees?
Purchasing materials over the past year has been a challenge. We transitioned from a "just in time" purchasing cycle to a "just in case" purchasing cycle. While the process of acquiring parts has been challenging, so far, we have been fortunate not to experience delays in shipments as a result of the supply chain challenges.

What are your expectations for the electronics assembly industry in 2022?
While travel has returned to normal levels, I believe the supply chain issues will continue throughout much of 2022.

Have you or will you travel again to customer sites or industry conferences in 2022?
Customer visits and conference attendance is returning to normal. While virtual events are still in vogue, I have attended two live conferences in the past two months with two more scheduled in January 2022. I believe 2022 will witness the return of most live conferences.