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SAMTEC SIGNAL
GIVING BACK TO SHOW HOW MUCH
SAMTEC CARES
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Welcome 1 3 5 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 23 24
Samtec Cares Arizona Design Center Packaging Innovations Costa Rica’s 1st Reel Cardiac Monitoring System People Services Summit 1st Place for Vietnam Augmented Reality AP SI Team Habitat for Humanity Tool Purchasing Group The Marketplace Mike McCullough Brannon Ashley & PEZ Coffee Around the World Trevor and Bradley Gay & Racing Bikes Around the World
Find Tessie Tessie is hiding somewhere in this newsletter! Once you find Tessie, email us at samtecsignal@samtec.com, and let us know her location. Everyone who finds her will be entered to win a $25 gift card!
Through its history, Samtec has enjoyed supporting various charities and causes as well as encouraging community involvement at our locations around the world. We routinely host donation drives and invite non-profits into our various facilities to learn more about their missions and ways we can help. Being a good corporate citizen of a community carries with it responsibility, and Samtec believes it should always work to improve the quality of life in our communities for our Associates and neighbors.
Samtec’s giving has consisted of two main areas: The Samtec Associates’ Foundation (“SSA”) – Which focuses on Associates helping other Associates in need. Sponsorships and Donations – Which sponsors local charities, schools and community events, especially those most relevant to our Associates like school sports teams, galas, auctions, etc. and corporate donations to organizations where Associates are directly involved and are supporters. Despite a strong history of giving, we were inspired by the sheer number of Associates who commit their money and time volunteering outside the workplace in significant ways to so many vital organizations and activities to do even more. After much thought, it was decided that Samtec would expand our philanthropy efforts with the creation of a grant program. The Samtec Cares Grant Program was created to positively impact and assist organizations within the communities in which we live, work and play. Grants will be awarded in two semi-annual grants cycles to applying and qualified 501(c )(3) non-profits, up to $50,000 per grant. Samtec Cares will have revolving “Areas of Focus” for grants each year to target our giving and hopefully provide catalytic support and change in areas identified as needing our support. The Areas of Focus for our first year are Community Impact, Health and Social Services, and lastly Arts and Culture. In order to get our feet wet and make sure our process worked, Samtec Cares will be limited to HQ for at least the first year. As we fine tune the process, it will be reviewed for possible future expansion to other Samtec locations. In our first grant cycle (Winter 2018), we promoted the program primarily through word of mouth, and we received more than 23 grant applications. The Grants Committee looked for those opportunities where Samtec could make a big impact and be a catalyst for change. On January 4, 2019, Samtec Cares presented checks totaling nearly $450,000 to 17 non-profit organizations within our community during our first grant cycle.
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Family Ark
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Pictured are the Samtec Cares Winter Grant recipients.
One of the organizations that was recognized during our inaugural grant cycle was B.A.Y.A. Beautiful as You. B.A.Y.A.’s mission is to teach young girls that they can be beautiful in their own skin just as they are. Empowering young girls to strive for nothing less than excellence is their goal. Mindy Jackson, who works in Customer Service at HQ, has been supporting this organization as a group leader for several years now. Mindy said that B.A.Y.A is so very grateful to Samtec Cares as their grant will help them reach more young girls in the community by providing more local events. B.A.Y.A. will also now be able to purchase the supplies needed to promote positive self-esteem that will help young girls succeed in everyday life. Another organization that received a grant was Blessings in a Backpack of Floyd County, which sends food home in backpacks with students whose families are in need to help them get through the weekends. Jennie Olmstead, vice-chair, said their grant will help the organization to not only serve elementary school kids, but also expand into middle schools to provide backpacks of food to fifth grade students which, in some cases, it makes the difference between those kids having food to eat on the weekend versus not. For more information about our Samtec Cares Grant Program, visit samtec.com/samteccares. The Samtec Cares Summer Grant Cycle opened for grant applications on April 1, and the deadline for applications is May 1. The Grant Committee will notify organizations of awards by June 15.
Carnegie Center
Dare to Care
Children Shouldn’t Hunger
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana
Friends of the Clock Tower
Blessings in a Backpack
Kentucky Harvest
Hayswood Theatre
Volunteers of America
United Way of Scott County
Stage One
YMCA Louisville
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The Arizona Design Center When did the Arizona Design Center (ADC) open? ADC opened in October 2017. The ADC was originally going to be a PCB design and support center located in Tempe, AZ consisting of a max. of six engineers. The opportunity arose to acquire very experienced RF Connector Engineers. As a result, ADC’s facility now required a larger space. With the newly acquired larger office space, including a small RF lab, we are now located in Mesa, AZ. We currently have 8 Associates with the capability for future expansion up to 22 Associates.
Office Area
What products/responsibilities is ADC’s focus? There are two areas of focus for the ADC: • The Research and Development / Prototyping of high frequency RF connectors with a goal of up to 110Ghz. They are part of the RF Group reporting to Josh Ferry. • The Design and layout of Printed Circuit Boards and IC Packages. We also assisted in the creation of the new SnapEDA Parts Library for Samtec parts. We are part of the SIG group reporting to David Macemon. What Samtec facilities do you work with most and how? Both groups work with many Samtec facilities. The SIG group has worked mainly with SME located in Colorado Springs. We also work with the support, design and library creation within the SIG group throughout all of their locations including Wilsonville, Harrisburg and the Asia teams. The RF group works with New Albany, Wilsonville, Harrisburg and the Asia teams.
Robin Metz
What is Mesa known for? What do your Associates do outside of work? Mesa is located about 20 miles east of Phoenix. Mesa has a rich history dating back almost 2000 years with the arrival of the Hohokam people. If you like baseball, Mesa and the surrounding areas host many spring training camps. Since we have great weather, many of us spend our time outdoors camping, hiking and biking in the surrounding areas.
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Meeting Room
Robert Achenbach, Eric Olsen, Bucky Clyatt, Tim Clyatt, James Turner, Percival Lorenzo, and Robin Metz
These are the Superstition Mountains located close to Mesa, AZ. They are the largest mountain ranges , measuring at 5,060 feet tall, surrounding the Phoenix area. It is also one of the most photographed and painted mountain ranges, besides the Grand Canyon. There is a Legend associated with these mountains. The Legend of the Lost Dutchman’s gold. People believe there is lost treasure in the mountains. Many have risked their life and many have disappeared or died trying to find it. Even if they did find this treasure, there is a strict “leave no trace� policy because the Superstition Mountains are protected land. 4
Packaging Innovations
For Medical Wearables Steve Groothuis, the Chief Technology Officer of Samtec Microelectronics, recently presented “Packaging Innovations For Medical Wearables” at the Medical Wearables Conference in Santa Clara, California. Steve’s presentation focused on the specific needs, challenges, and innovations within upcoming medical applications and medical device packaging. We caught up with Steve and asked him about the presentation and its message. What are medical wearables? Medical Wearable Devices are autonomous, noninvasive devices that perform specific medical functions such as managing treatment of chronic diseases or monitoring vital signs of the human body. A wearable medical device incorporates capabilities such as wireless data transmission real-time feedback, assessment, and so-on. What are some of the more commonly-used package types for mobile and wearable devices? The most popular package types are touch screen controllers (Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) and fine pitch ball grid arrays (FBGA), application processors (Flip Chip Ball Grid Array), and WiFi/Bluetooth (Land Grid Array and Wafer Level Packages. But the most important design element is low profile. Fan-out Wafer Level Packages (FOWLP) have many inherent advantages, including low profile, higher speeds, more I/O’s, higher integration, fewer processing steps, and no substrate required. What are the most important design attributes of medical wearable devices? Size and weight are obviously huge. Flexibility is also essential. Many of these devices are designed to wrap around your wrist. Examples include the Nike+ FuelBand Packages, Disney’s Magic Band, and IMEC’s flexible wireless ECG sensor.
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The following medical measurement technologies are now appearing in more wearable devices: • ECG/EKG (electrocardiography) = sensors measure bio-potential generated by electrical signals that control expansion and contraction of heart chambers. • PPG (photoplethysmography) = sensors use a light-based technology to sense rate of blood flow as controlled by heart’s pumping action. • EEG (Electroencephalography) = sensors monitor electrical stimulations within user’s brain. • EMG (electromyography) = sensors that record muscle activity. What are the functional requirements of wearable electronics? They all have similar functional requirements. First, the design and form factor must of the electronic must be unobtrusive and nearly invisible. Second, the electronic components must be reliable to withstand the human environment and last the life of a product. And third, the electronics that come in contact with skin must have a comfortable thermal operating range. Common applications include vital sign monitoring, safety monitoring, in-vivo implants, chronic disease monitoring, assessment of treatment efficacy systems, and early detection products, to name a few. At the present time, more than 70% of wearable medical devices is for monitoring and feedback. Many different discoveries and developments enabled the progress of medical wearable devices (MWDs) and are mainly related to advances made in the field of engineering. The major breakthroughs are related to: • Sensors coupled to microelectronics, telecommunication, and data analysis • Battery and energy-harvesting technologies • Telemedicine • Smart phones, apps, and cloud services • Communication platforms As medical wearable devices development progresses, more of the above breakthroughs will appear in production devices and products.
Steve, talk to us about glass core technology and how it can be used in wearable devices? Glass Core Technology - Fan Out Wafer Package Medical Wearables - Samtec Fan Out Wafer Package Using Glass Core Technology GCT is a proprietary process that leverages the performance benefits of glass by creating small diameter, fine pitch Through-Glass Vias (TGV) that are metalized and hermetically sealed. The TGVs are linked via a thin film Redistribution Layer (RDL) process to create custom circuits on a glass substrate. This provides for low loss fan-out of chip and package interconnects, and lower cost compared to traditional silicon-based interposers. Glass Core Technology has at its basis the capability to provide engineering solutions for connectivity, biomedical, MEMS & Sensors, Optics & Photonics, and hermetic packaging platforms. Glass Core Technology uses standard borosilicate glass, fused silica, quartz, sapphire, and zirconia as the base substrate material. With the additional features of microelectrode arrays and microneedles, periodic sampling of the wearer’s sweat or blood can provide the needed medical diagnostics and assessments. Miniaturized components and sensors, advanced power management, and high-performance, low-cost display technologies are making the wearable health market more advantageous for OEMs in the medical devices, and consumer electronics sector. Glass Core Technology provides a much more aggressive set of interconnects than conventional substrates and accelerates the design miniaturization process. Steve, what is the future direction of medical wearable devices? Since smartwatch manufacturers are leading initiatives for medical wearable devices, I believe the following statement demonstrates the excitement of new technologies: “I don’t look at [smart] watches for their relationship to popular culture, which I know is so much of the fun – but rather as somehow the distillation of craft, ingenuity, miniaturization, and of the art of making.” – Jony Ive
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COSTA RICA’S 1ST REEL
The Costa Rica team with their 1st, two reels of finished cable produced by the line. They completed this within one week after the team arrived, incredible!
The new Cable Manufacturing center in Costa Rica is significant in many regards. The product they are producing, a 38awg 50 ohm coax, will only be made in Costa Rica and it is the 1st product ever produced by Samtec Wilsonville. It is also our highest volume cable, Costa Rica will be producing an average of 2 million feet per month! Samtec has invested greatly in the success of the cell, including upgrading the power, water, and air requirements to accommodate 2 extruders, 3 servers, 2 ribbonizers, and 1 respooler machine. Seven Costa Rican Associates were also sent to Wilsonville for 3 months for training and several Wilsonville Associates to Costa Rica for to help with installation. The installation began Jan. 7th and the 1st 2 reels of 30 wide ribbon cable were completed on Wednesday, Jan. 16th! This is a huge accomplishment to place the equipment, debug it, and complete the 1st product 10 days later! It was a great team effort including help from many Associates from Costa Rica and Wilsonville!
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CARDIAC MONITORING SYSTEM Our Customer Medtronic recently released their LINQ 2 device that uses our GCT. The LINQ 2 is the next generation of their Insertable Cardiac Monitoring System.
The LINQ 2 is an implantable cardiac monitor that is smaller than a AAA battery and has a 3 year battery life. The typical use case is when someone is experiencing random cardiac issues doctors can’t figure out through other monitoring. This device can be inserted in the doctor’s office and is minimally invasive with no wires coming out of the body. If there’s a cardiac event the doctor can connect to the LINQ 2 using Bluetooth to see what transpired. As Dan stated this is the first large blanket PO and the project is expected to continue to ramp over the next couple of years. To the right is a patient who benefited from LINQ. Ironically she’s a cardiologist and got LINQ when she passed out while working in the ER. Prior to LINQ she had been through a battery of testing with no answers. She unsuccessfully altered her lifestyle to try and avoid passing out. After LINQ they had an answer within a few months and corrected the issue.
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What I like most about from what I’ve seen so far is how welcoming everyone has been; everyone has been so helpful and patient with me (I’ve asked a lot of questions). It is a company that does what it states on the tin – it cares for its people. It is a company that is quite unique; it’s not like other companies. Karen McQuade Samtec Scotland
What I enjoy in Samtec are “Work together, Learn together & Grow together”. Elaine Hong Samtec Penang
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I learned that even though we come from different cultures and backgrounds, we all have the same goal, to serve the people and make Samtec a great place to work. Bleu Aldrich Samtec Microelectronics Colorado Springs
Working at Samtec is like getting up in the morning and feeling at home. The People Services Summit allowed us to personally meet the rest of our HR & Learning and Development family, each shared moment was memorable for learning, growing and having fun!” Karen Mora Samtec Costa Rica
I’ll have been working here for fifteen years by next month, I started as an operator, then group leader, coordinator in operations, moved to HR department in 2006, now I am responsible for China region HR and Training. Jane Wu Samtec China
I like Samtec because of its friendly atmosphere & people here are great. Carmen Chin Samtec Penang
Global Learning & Development is an excellent team, we shared our knowledge, culture and training experiences with each other, learned our team members were using the company systems/ training tools well. The People Service Summit connected us closer together! Vesta Ma Samtec Dongguan
Samtec DNA which is not only valuable in our work life but also can be adapt to our daily life. Fiona Tai Samtec Taiwan
What I like most about Samtec is the same thing that I enjoy. It’s the fact that all people are respected. Regardless if it’s your peers, supervisors, or upper management, if you are the subject matter expert in something that another person has a question, that person will come directly to you; regardless of who it might be. Michael Townsend Samtec New Albany
To me, I like Samtec culture the most. It is about supportive and no blame which always help me feel comfortable and enjoy working here. Jennifer Nguyen Samtec Vietnam
PEOPLE SERVICES This past year, Samtec New Albany hosted its first ever People Services Summit! People Services refers to the group of Associates in Human Resources and Learning and Development whose jobs are to serve Internal Associates, every day.
A few People Services Associates shared a quote about why they love working at Samtec and helping Associates like you, worldwide!
At Samtec, everyday is a new learning process for me that I’m look forward to. The People Services Summit was fantastic because I was able to meet everyone physically and understand the different needs of each facility. Zuriati Ahmad Badawi Samtec Johor
It was very nice to get to meet and connect with all this Samtec family members, it was an awesome experience of growing, learning, connection and reinforcement of how great Samtec is as a company, and how lucky I am to be part of it. Fressy Cruz Samtec Costa Rica
I really feel like my coworkers encourage and help me be the best person I can be; both personally and professionally. Sarah Webster Samtec Scottsburg
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1ST PLACE FOR VIETNAM In celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th, the district Women’s Union coordinated with the District Labor Federation to hold a Flower Arrangement Contest with the theme “Praise the homeland and the Vietnamese women.”
The meaning of the flower arrangement is as follows: • The bricks represent the stove • White flowers represent white rice cooking in the pot • The red flowers are for the fire • Green bamboo represents the wood
The contest attracted 60 participating teams, which included more than 200 women and union members. Samtec Vietnam is so proud to win the 1st prize in this competition over Vedan (2nd place) and Bosch (3rd place). This glory is a pride for Samtec Vietnam.
The image of a Vietnamese mother from past to present represents the life of a woman by acknowledging the three obediences and four virtues of Confucianism.
The flower arrangement is titled “The rice pot that my mother cooked,” which is meant to honor all the mothers.
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Mothers are important to all of us. We were born and raised by the unconditional love of our mothers. We will always remember our mothers cooking every day for us. Vietnamese mothers are the pride of the Vietnamese women. They’re giving us the best ways to learn for the next generation. Thank you to all the women who sacrifice for her husband and raise the children with her heart full of love.
AUGMENTED REALITY Samtec has begun to test the waters with augmented reality (AR) in the enterprise. AR has been a concept in technology for decades, but over the last few years we’ve seen a surge of improvement in both hardware and software, making what was previously thought of as science fiction finally accessible to the masses. While the technology is still in its infancy, corporations are already exploring how and where to best utilize AR now and in the future. At Samtec, we’ve tried to identify simple but valuable use cases. AR is not something that you will see everywhere immediately, but rather we want to slowly introduce the technology to as much of the enterprise as possible and plant the seeds for future ideas and use cases. Basically, we want everyone at Samtec to be aware of this new modality of computing and open the door for it to be a new tool in our jobs day-to-day. Our first focus is on using head-mounted displays to perform hands-free, first-person-view remote assisted tasks. This technology is called a “remote expert” system. You can scan the QR code at the bottom of this article to view a video demonstrating this technology in the work environment. We can use remote expert technology today to try and reduce travel costs and improve efficiency when long distance collaboration is required, for example: • Production issues – quickly resolve line-down situations • Training/process assistance/new equipment setups • Product design / review • Remote tours / audits / walk-arounds
There are many other potential use cases for this technology. For example, Boeing, Siemens, GE, and Mercedes-Benz are all actively using AR and seeing measurable benefits even with early versions of AR hardware. You can follow the other QR code to view an article that goes into more detail about how these companies are using the technology, as well as what kind of impact it is making for their associates. In addition to commercial remote expert systems, we are also exploring custom-built pilots and learning how to develop AR applications that are user-centered and offer some differentiating benefit not available on traditional displays. We’ve learned a lot and have a lot to learn, but our main goal is to be prepared, both technologically and culturally, to make the most benefit of these technology over the next 2-3 years as we see hardware trend toward cheaper/smaller/faster devices and headsets. We currently have headsets deployed to the below facilities: New Albany, Scottsburg, Wilsonville, Costa Rica, Huizhou, Dongguan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. If you are interested in a demo, or want to just further discuss and explore this technology, please reach out to RemoteExperts@Samtec.com and someone will be there to help you get started and answer any questions you may have.
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AP SI Team Asia Pacific Signal Integrity (AP SI) Team
With 40% of our sales occurring in Asia-Pacific – should Samtec have SI support in Asia to support high speed requests? The answer is “Of Course”. This simple dialogue was 8 years ago and was the genesis of the AP SI team. The vision was to establish regional SI competence to support customers. Competence comes from “walking the walk” so the full gamut of SI capabilities was in the charter for the team. Full wave modeling, SI testing, channel simulations and yes, sending models to customers are functions the team serves. The team is managed by Leon Wu who came to Samtec from Flextronics and FCI. With previous connector experience and system knowledge Leon was “the guy” to grow the team. Ted Wang was accustomed to the fast paced world of consumer electronics and was a natural fit for the key customer support position. Viky Jia and Henry Dai man the AP SI lab in Huizhou and (now Dongguan) and quickly started to chew through the backlog of SI testing for mainstream products. The tertiary benefit of a second SI lab was that it freed up the HSB SI Lab to work on new ventures. Growth has been continuous for the team as Samtec has expanded. Leon has been the key technical guy training DynaHz on the ways of RF testing. That RF role has grown to include hiring of Tony Chen into the role of RF testing at the Taiwan Design Center. In addition to SI testing Viky and Henry now support many SIG requests from all over the globe. And finally, to support new product development Raff Hung has joined the team as a SI modeling specialist and is currently focused on the Examax product line. Training and collaboration has been continuous and has led to some wonderful experiences inside and outside of the office.
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY On September 29, 2018 and April 13, 2019, Samtec New Albany Co-ops took part in painting a house and framing a roof with Habitat for Humanity’s “Build Day.” This organization helps build and renovate houses. After they have been built and renovated, Habitat sells these houses to people who meet certain qualifications, but while they sell these homes, the organization itself is does not profit. Since 1991, Kentuckiana’s Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated over 43 homes in Floyd and Clark County.” Many organizations around Kentuckiana are eager to help build these homes around the community including Samtec!
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TOOL PURCHASING GROUP What is TPG? Non BOM (Bill of Material) Sourcing and Operations, also known as, TPG consists of 46 associates over the globe. We have setup each Samtec location with sourcing and operation-based associates. The group consists of seasoned Samtec associates (Jeff Murphy is a 34 year tiger) all the way down to a Co-op level (Emma Galligan has just been with us for 2 months). We are a group of many hats. Here is a list of some of the other responsibilities our team has. We have associates that are ready to save lives by being a part of the ERT (Emergency Response Team), Human Resources, Precious Metals (from sourcing to refining), Facilities, compliance, logistics, and even some accounting! In the past 2 years the NON BOM group has automated and cleaned up several archaic processes with Sharepoint and some automated reports to the vendor base to track a true vendor rating that in turn improved the OTD! These initiatives have allowed us to be more proactive in our global footprint’s objectives by becoming more efficient and letting data drive actions and purchases. All our improvements were ultimately to improve our customer service to our internal customers. YOU! Because if you are reading this and need something purchased you will be sending a request to our group. If you need a NON BOM item sent to another location, we will take care of that too! Our moving forward path is getting all systems from sourcing to accounting linked using 1 system! As well as giving the procurement process an Amazon like experience for the requester. Our hope is that this changes the game for our BOM segment so that ALL of Samtec are operating and accounting in the same platform.
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Not Shown in pictures: Jeff Murphy / Robin Metz
ERIE - Judy Heberle can now add interior designing to her Samtec resume with the completion of the Samtec Tool move in Erie.
Wilsonville, OR Vietnam
Harrisburg, PA
Costa Rica Columbia, SC
Taiwan - Crystal Lu loves cooking cakes and playing golf. She admits she is a rookie at both but is determined to improve!
SME - Daniel Ferrell who wears several hats for SME just completed his first 5K run. He attributes the feat to quitting smoking.
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TPG Associates Worldwide
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New Albany - Don Mangels who manages the MRP for NON BOM here in New Albany was a Clark County Police Detective Sergeant for 7 of his 10 years in service. Specializing in Narcotics and Death Investigations so don’t think you are getting a request entered without filling out all the needed information!
Vendors were setup in 2018
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Vendors are managed by TPG Globally
Systems you may recognize: NON BOM MRP Planned Purchases and part setup NEW SUPPLIER SETUP Full supplier on-boarding PURCHASE REQUEST What do you need? Enter a request and consider it done! NON BOM SHIPPING o HTS management / global alignment via SharePoint o Machine Moves in 2018 New Albany alone has relocated 275 machines/assets to our global sites. MACHINE BUILD KITTING Putting Tooling into SUB levels for quick machine assembly DENIED PARTY SCREENING Compliance related screening for new vendors and non Samtec ship to locations
SUPPLIER SCORECARD Compiling critical data to manage Samtec’s NON BOM vendor base REFINER PORTAL Managing our precious metal scrap globally Here are some numbers to put into perspective the amount of NON-BOM sourcing and operations support that is needed. In 2017 combined NON BOM purchasing (MRP and EPMS) totaled a little over 80 million. Our 3-year average is 83 million per year. 85% of these purchases are through EPMS while the other 15% is Huizhou planned purchases through MRP. Our multi-quoting efforts on the EPMS side was over 1 million for the last 6 months while the planned MRP side saved over 500K. Over the last half of 2018 we have made great improvements to start charting this progress and savings. This allows us to continue to scale the planned purchases with new location setups and maintain the current spend level.
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Marketplace balance work+life
AUTO DETAILING Alternating Days 9:00am to 3:00pm Full Service Detail, Shampoo Seats & Carpet, Headlight Restoration and more! Cash or Card.
MASSAGE THERAPY Every Wednesday and Thursday 10:00am to 4:00pm 30 and 60 min massages! Cash or Card.
Samtec New Albany introduced The Marketplace in Fall 2018. This is because we believe that balancing work+life is essential to a happy and healthy life! Now you can knock out everyday chores while at work so you can focus more on life! Sign up at the Kiosk in the break room or on the HR portal!
DRY CLEANING AND LAUNDRY SERVICES Mondays and Thursdays Drop off before 9am Pick up after 3pm
YOGA Every Thursday 11:30am to 12:30pm 5:15pm to 6:30pm Cash or Card.
Cash or Card.
THE ERRANDS SAMTEC BY ANGIE STORE Available by Appointment
Errands, chores, and more! Cash or Card.
Alternates Wednesdays and Thursdays 5:30am to 7:30am 11:00am to 1:30pm Cash or Card.
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HAIR SALON Every Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm Cash or Card.
ESTHETICIAN Every Friday 9:00am to 3:00pm Facials, Waxing, Make-up and more! Cash or Card.
Mike McCullough How long have you worked at Samtec and what is your role? I have been at Samtec Tool in Erie, PA for 5 years. Most people know me as “the plastics guy.” Samtec makes over 500 million plastic parts each year that go into our finished products. Samtec Tool supports almost all of these products from housings for edge cards, backplanes, etc to insert molded components to optics, HDR, etc. What is one of the most interesting parts of your role? I love to travel. Between work and personal, I average four international trips per year. How has traveling opened opportunities to pursue your passion outside of work? In January 2017, I took my first, short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic with an organization called Meeting God in Missions (MGM). MGM was founded over 20 years ago and today hosts over 1,200 volunteers each year. In late 2016, God presented an opportunity to build a school for deaf children. Over the next few days, land was donated, funds were donated, and one of the world’s leading in-ear cochlear implant surgeons decided to move to the DR to perform free surgeries! In 2017, I spent my week helping pour concrete into the block building. In January 2018, my family and I went back. I was part of a small team that wired the entire school. We did everything from pull wire to hang lights and ceiling fans.
In January 2019, my family and I returned. This year we finished wiring the cafeteria. MGM supports hundreds of families with clean water, safe housing, jobs, and spiritual development. So far, the project has raised about $150,000 to support this school and another $100,000 is needed to finish the dormitories. I am so happy to be a part of this. Have you served anywhere else? Through a series of crazy events, my wife and I decided to travel to Southeast Asia in October 2018. We had 1 week to prepare for the 11-day trip (gathering visas, arranging our kids’ school schedules with grandparents, etc). The trip allowed us to lead a Bible camp for children who were at risk of being sold into child sex slavery. My family and I sponsors children in “Remember Nhu” and even worked with them hand-in-hand. “Remember Nhu” has over 100 homes in 15 countries and have prevented over 2,000 children from being sold to date! Why do you travel so much? For starters, even though I dislike flying, I love to travel and learn about different cultures. I think it gives us a greater perspective on people in general, and it’s exciting to have the opportunity. Beyond that, while I love plastics and Samtec, I want my life to have a lasting and eternal legacy. Traveling and serving is one of the ways that God has gifted me to make that impact.
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FINDING AN OLD PEZ IS LIKE FINDING A MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE. YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM OR HOW FAR IT’S TRAVELED OVER THE YEARS BUT IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO IMAGINE ITS JOURNEY. Brannon Ashley is an Associate at Samtec New Albany. He has been with Samtec for 21 years and is an Engineering Support Specialist. He says that, “Samtec has provided me with the ability to receive a college degree several years ago and I’m a grateful for that. Also, throughout the years I have taken several other training sessions here and via computer courses to further my education and abilities,” but in his spare time, he likes to collect PEZ dispensers! We asked him a few questions about his PEZ collection. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START COLLECTING? My parents got me started when I was around 3-4 years old. They would typically buy a Santa Claus or Easter Bunny during the holidays. As I started seeing different ones while we are out at stores I’d ask if they could get one for me. The collection has since grown to over 1000 (not all seen here) and I hope that my son Walker and his soon to be little brother (Phoenix) will continue [collecting] in years to come.
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DO YOU ENJOY EATING PEZ, OR DO YOU SIMPLY LIKE TO COLLECT THE DISPENSERS? Of course, I ate them a lot as a kid but for the majority of my adult life it was more about growing the collection. However; now that my son Walker is getting into it, we tend to fill up the new ones that we buy and eat the candy together before they get put into their permanent place. Walker, of course, likes me get to one or two out every now and then so he can use them as they were originally intended. Which ones are your favorite and why? My favorites are the ones that I remember getting when I was young. They aren’t specifically “unique” or that difficult to find but they remind me of the surprise I had as a child waking up to find them in my stocking or Easter basket. Getting toys was also fun but I preferred the candy filled PEZ heads. The most unique are several that I have from Europe, Japan and U.S. made from the 70’s. There are several that are considered to be the jewels of the PEZ world…unfortunately they are very expensive, and hard to find… I’m still hunting for them. HOW DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF DISPENSERS YOU HAVE? Honestly, I have no idea how I keep them straight, but I never buy duplicates. I do receive them as gifts from friends from time to time and I may already have it, but I don’t tell them. People like to find me new ones that [they think I don’t] have yet so I hate to burst their bubble. HOW DID YOUR WIFE REACT WHEN SHE FIRST SAW YOUR COLLECTION? When she first saw it, I think she was a bit skeptical that a grown man would have a large candy dispenser collection, but she soon grew to understand how important it was to me. It isn’t just a plastic candy dispenser. Each of them, especially the old ones, have its own story from either me or someone else. DO YOU HAVE ANY INTERESTING STORIES? Most people coming to my house for the first time find the collection interesting and reminiscent of their childhood as well. Everyone sees these hanging in store aisles but it’s rare to find a collection like this with years of memories beyond them. Most are out of the package as I am not concerned with resale value but if I do find one still in the bag that is over 20 years old, I will usually leave it in there. The best part about it now is being in a store with my son and he says, “Look Daddy… PEZ!”
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Coffee around the world A YEAR DRINKING COFFEE OR AN IPHONE X? An American spends on average $1,092 a year on coffee. That’s around $20 a week. That is also close to the price of the newest iPhone. Young people generally spend more on coffee than older people.
Korea banned coffee from schools to promote healthier choices.
THE WORLD’S 2ND LARGEST TRADED COMMODITY.
Crude oil is first. Coffee is consumed in great quantities, making it the most beloved beverage after water. It’s worth is over $100 billion worldwide!
A FRUIT?
That’s right! Coffee beans grow on a bush. They are actually the pit of a berry, which makes them a fruit.
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HAWAII IS THE ONLY AMERICAN STATE THAT GROWS COFFEE The average Malaysian is said to consume about
2.5
CA PHE DA
is a popular coffee beverage in Vietnam. It is basically iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk instead of cream.
THE BIG FOUR
Kraft, P&G, Sara Lee, and Nestle buy about 50% of the coffee produced worldwide!
cups of coffee per day.
Espresso Vs. Coffee The main differences between espresso and coffee are the fineness of the grind and the brewing time. They are both made from a coffee bean!
Chinese consumers are known to prefer sweet and clean coffees.
BURGER KING
recently rolled out their one coffee a day monthly subscription for $5, in March 2019.
THE AMERICANO
is a South Korean favorite, with the highest ordering rate among all drinks in South Korea. An Americano is a shot of espresso infused with a little hot water.
ADD CREAM
If you want your coffee to stay warm 20% longer, adding creme is known to help you achieve this goal.
COFFEE IS A WORLDWIDE, RENOWNED DRINK.
People drink it for various reasons – to wake up in the morning, to stay up late at night, or just because they enjoy the taste. Samtec Associates are no different. Various Samtec facilities around the world enjoy a cup of joe on a daily basis. You’ll be surprised to see the miscellaneous facts that were found on various coffee cultures. Below are the average cups of coffee consumed per day, per country. NETHERLANDS
2.414 CUPS PER DAY
GERMANY
1.231
CANADA
1.009
USA
0.931
COSTA RICA
0.793
FRANCE SPAIN SINGAPORE JAPAN
0.694 0.559 0.379 0.245
MALAYSIA
0.105
CHINA
0.086
VIETNAM
0.034
INDIA
0.024
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RACING BIKES Bradley Gay and Trevor Gay are brothers that love to ride (and now race) dirt bikes. Trevor has worked at Scottsburg Samtec for 8 years and has been in Purchasing & TPG for nearly 3 years. Bradley has worked at Samtec Scottsburg for almost 2 years in Automation. We asked Trevor some questions below.
Any interesting stories? Our dad broke his shoulder last year while we were riding, [and] that wasn’t very fun. Also, during one of the races last year, Brad hit me on a turn in order to make a pass on the last lap. Can you believe that? Took out his own brother.
When and what made you want to start racing? We always had dirt bikes growing up and rode for fun until we decided to try a race out for the heck of it, but [we] just started racing last year (2018) in July. The adrenaline rush while waiting for the gate to drop is crazy. This will be our first full year starting with the 1st race of the Kentuckiana MX series on March 30. There are about 15 races this year that we hope to attend.
How did you get your Dad interested in riding? He grew up riding around the country. When we showed more interest last year and decided to get a little more serious, he jumped on full force. In fact, the day he broke his shoulder (clavicle) was the day he was testing out 2 different bikes to decide which one he was going to use for his 1st race that weekend. Needless to say, he didn’t race. He has been a huge help to me getting started and helping with the never-ending maintenance on the bikes.
How often do you race/practice? We shoot for riding 2-3 days a week at the minimum if the weather cooperates, but it seems like it hasn’t stopped raining for a whole year. We now have our own track under construction, so this year should be even more fun. Where will your track be? Our track is in Scott County. My dad has all the equipment needed for building the track and we are in process of having all the dirt hauled from another location. It takes a lot more dirt than you realize for building jumps. We are excited to have a place to ride 10 minutes from home instead of driving an hour to a motocross track.
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Do you have any racing goals this year? My racing goals are simple: 1) Don’t come in last place and 2) Don’t get injured. Anything else you would like to add? Overall, the experience has been awesome. To be able to go ride dirt bikes with my two brothers and dad and just hang out, it’s something most people don’t get to experience, and I feel lucky to have that. We have already shared many memories, and I feel like we will have many more to come.
AROUND THE WORLD Samtec Taiwan Samtec New Albany
A group of Associates watched the Indiana Pacers, a professional basketball team, play a game then had the opportunity to play a pick up game on the court!
Samtec Taiwan expands Samtec’s vertical integration capabilities into the realm of Precision RF products. Samtec Taiwan’s expertise in machining, cable termination, and high frequency testing allows Samtec to manufacture product up to 67 GHz (110 GHz in the near future) and continue providing the versatility to quickly offer solutions to our customers.
Samtec Penang, Malaysia
On April 23rd, 2019, over 700 Samtec Associates at Samtec Penang took part in a Safety Campaign. This Campaign’s purpose was to empower individuals to adopt a more safe and healthy lifestyle.
Manufacturer of the Year Our customer Enics recently named Samtec their 2018 Manufacturer of the Year. Enics is an Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider that specializes in industrial electronics. Their headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland, with locations all over the globe.
Samtec Headquarters New Albany, IN
For Employee Appreciation Day, Samtec New Albany celebrated with tiger cookies!
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WE ARE LOOKING FOR OUR NEXT ARTICLES! If you have a Samtec Signal story or idea, email us at SamtecSignal@samtec.com Some ideas include: • Associate with Unique Hobbies • Samtec Awards • Customer Success Stories • Workplace Accomplishments