VIEWPOINT 2021: Ken Molitor, Chief Operating Officer, Quik-Pak

Ken Molitor, Chief Operating Officer, Quik-Pak

A key thing our industry has learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that the supply chain we've long taken for granted can be easily interrupted by many factors we ultimately cannot control. Overseas manufacturing, for example, is ripe with benefits but can grind tech companies' development and production to a halt should their products or materials be affected by shuttering of the workforce, factories, or even country.

Tech companies that were overly dependent on overseas suppliers without having more risk-averse second sources already lined up prior to the COVID-19 outbreak suddenly found themselves scrambling to adjust to the new normal.

Placing greater concentration on manufacturing within the U.S. allows companies to reduce the number of variables that could potentially negatively impact their business, thus lessening their overall risk and giving them greater control over their supply chain. A strong push to bring more semiconductor manufacturing onshore is already under way.

Major chipmakers such as TSMC, Globalfoundries and Intel have announced plans to build or significantly expand fab capabilities here in the U.S. This will require more U.S.-based post-fab wafer processing and assembly capacity, which lends itself well to Quik-Pak’s capabilities and expertise.

Quik-Pak has long been known as a leading onshore packaging and assembly provider, and this gives us a distinct advantage over our competition. While some of our supply chain is located offshore, we deal primarily with suppliers whose own supply chains are very strong, so we've been fortunate to experience no shortages or delays during the pandemic.

Because we were able to continue operating as an essential business, demand has remained high, with customers continuing to do business with us while their own employees are working from home. This includes university students, who've flooded us with orders to obtain what they needed to complete projects or undertake new research. As result, over the past few months, we've experienced steady growth and have continued to add staff in our new San Diego-area facility.

We anticipate continued growth next year in the semiconductor industry and, likewise, we see continued strong growth for many aspects of our business. A key example is the military-aerospace sector, which requires onshore manufacturing due to security considerations. In our ITAR-registered facility, we can provide customized services using products such as our air-cavity packages that help speed development work and get mil-aero devices to market faster.

We look to 2021 with a new sense of gratitude for the health and safety of our employees and their families and optimism for the opportunities that lie ahead.

Ken Molitor, Chief Operating Officer
Quik-Pak
http://www.tresky.de

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