This week, Don Monn, Midwestern Regional Sales Manager from Taiyo America, discuss what is keeping his territory in Midwest going.

Dan Beaulieu: Don last time we talked you were covering the Midwest and also Europe is that still the case.

Don Monn: I am no longer directly responsible for sales in Europe. We realized to have sustained growth we needed to increase our coverage of the area. We now employ a direct Sales Manager and a Technical Service Engineer stationed in that region. We also have an active distributor. These adjustments are currently, and will continue to make, a measurable difference in our success.

Dan: How are things in the Midwest? In Chicagoland? In Minnesota end?

Don: The Midwest in general is steady as it seems customers have their niche. Ordering patterns can make scheduling difficult, but that is simply something we need to stay on top of. As with many things, communication is key.

Dan: Do you see any new Technologies coming up?

Don: Ah Dan, you know this is one of my favorite topics. Promoting Inkjet Solder mask has been a passion of mine for years. It appears that 2022 is the year that we will remember as the time Inkjet Solder mask took off! Many of the daily phone calls and e-mails I receive are centered around Inkjet. Many new installations have occurred, not to mention new orders for equipment. Anyone who hasn’t investigated Inkjet is already a bit behind. If you are reading this and have yet to consider inkjet, give me a call!

Dan: What are you hottest Taiyo products right now?

Don: Inkjet of course, but we have many other things happening. Thermal management will be needed as designs get more demanding; we are introducing a screen printable source of moving heat. Also offering a flexible dry film which could be a real game-changer to the flex market.

Dan: How did you sell during the pandemic?

Don: The pandemic was a trying time for all of us. For a very long time we were unable to communicate with customers face to face. The logistic issues we all had to deal with compounded the issue even more. The amount of extra work it took to build and ship product was amazing. I am very proud of our employees as well as our customers. We did our best to keep our product delivered to our customers to keep them producing.

Dan: How do you see the future of PCBs trending at this time?

Don: It appears that for many, the race to produce microelectronics is on! There are many other acronyms for this, but we’re talking about everything getting smaller. Lines, traces, holes, and boards in general. This will not be an easy transition but will be investigated by many.