Heather Gombos, VP of Business Operations, MicroCare

How has Covid-19 affected your business in 2020?

The real downside for Seica in 2020 has been the lack of customer 'face to face' meetings and attendance at trade shows. Although virtual meetings and conference calls have increased tremendously, travel had ground to a halt, and is now possible only for essential field work in the medical, military, and aerospace sectors. Our service teams have had limited travel, and with quarantine restrictions we have had to better plan trips around covid testing.

Has the pandemic affected your business plans for 2021?

Fortunately for Seica, our product portfolio is really diverse in the test and assembly capital equipment sectors. Even with the pandemic, this year we have seen double digit revenue growth. If we were a single product company or if we had just a couple of products, I would be pessimistic for 2021. However, we have been able to weather the storm due to our diversity in flying probe test, in-circuit and functional test, semiconductor test and assembly and finally, industrial automation. With this pandemic, if you have only 1 offering, for example, a restaurant with indoor seating only, business will suffer.

What are your expectations for the electronics assembly industry next year?

I must remain optimistic for 2021 as the vaccine ramps up and a new administration heads into the White House. Regardless of who voted for whom in the US, there must be a careful balance between business development, environmental protection, construction and energy industry, financial sector, and housing. After all, the electronics industry plays an integral part in all of these markets!