Dan Hoz, General Manager, Mentor Graphics Valor Division

2014 was an exciting year for AIM both in terms of business growth and planning for our future, due in large part to the nature of the industry we serve. The electronics marketplace is burgeoning with new, even revolutionary, ideas and applications. We are witnessing the 'internet of things' reaching into our homes and offering conveniences that would have only existed in pages of a sci-fi fantasy ten short years ago.

The transportation industry is poised to change the way we move from place to place with the 'driverless car' being rolled out in parts of the world. Medical technology is extending and improving the life of people through implantable electronics and advanced diagnostic tools. 'Wearables' are being introduced in mass and are in their infancy relative to how we can adopt them into our day to day lives.

AIM products, quite literally, join these things together. We anticipate these advances in the industry will drive electronics manufacturing growth and technological advancement for the foreseeable future. In order to meet the market demands, AIM continues to invest in production capacity, capability and innovation.

AIM is introducing a new No Clean Solder Paste, M8, in the first quarter of 2015. M8 will provide users with a tool to address the most challenging fine feature printing requirements, as well as offer wetting performance for improved quality on lead-free style components. AIM metallurgists have developed a new alloy that reduces the formation of tin whiskers, offers improved thermal cycling characteristics and a lower melting point than common lead-free alloys.

In addition to these technical developments, AIM has opened a wholly-owned production facility in, Poland to meet needs of the growing manufacturing market in Eastern Europe. We have doubled the size and capabilities of our operations in Cranston, Rhode Island and Juarez, Mexico, where we have invested nearly $1M in R&D equipment alone. In addition to these material assets, AIM continues to invest in its most important asset, its people. In 2014, AIM has retained the services of personnel that have the skills and drive expand AIM's presence in these markets.

These advancements will allow AIM to meet the needs of a growing electronics market as well as provide industry leading service and support to the users of our materials. As in the past, AIM continues to reinvest in our future, building a company to meet today's needs and tomorrow's challenges.