Gary Stoffer, Global Director of Sales and Marketing, Metcal

Plexus is constantly evaluating our customer's needs and the trends within the industries and markets we serve. Two significant trends we have seen recently are the miniaturization of products for size and weight reduction and the incorporation of bare die sensor devices.

Mobile and fixed use applications are driving the reduction of the size and weight of many products. Many examples of this trend are prevalent within the healthcare/life sciences market to enable interconnectivity of data back to healthcare providers.

Integrating bare die sensors within electronic devices and coupling them with special microprocessor devices enables real-time measurement and the ability to achieve automatic, electronically controlled responses to physical changes within the system's use environment.

The increasing demand for integration of bare die sensors is common in a range of applications including pressure monitoring devices widely used in avionics and healthcare monitoring systems. Image
sensing devices including ultrasound and thermal imaging products that are widely used in healthcare, commercial and government applications are also incorporating bare die sensors.

These and other trends, have contributed to Plexus' decision to invest in and expand our service offering of product miniaturization solutions. Significantly enhancing our microelectronics marketing, design and manufacturing capabilities enables future growth by supporting our customer's needs.

Our strategy is broken down into 3 key areas. First, we are employing a targeted marketing approach by partnering with companies seeking to miniaturize their products while utilizing the advantages of sensors in microelectronics design and module manufacturing.

Secondly, we are investing heavily in our microelectronics manufacturing capabilities; including a significant expansion at our Microelectronics Center of Excellence housed within our manufacturing facility near Boise, Idaho. We are tripling the size of our ISO 7, Class 10,000 compliant cleanroom and upgrading our specialized manufacturing equipment. Finally, and most importantly, we are adding to our already strong and capable team by bringing on board additional talented engineering resources.

With these changes, we are confident we will continue to be recognized as an industry leader and provider of choice for the design, manufacture and servicing of our customer's products.