Apr 23, 2009 
Q. Please describe your new role as Director of Marketing and Product Technology.
A. This is a new role for Kester and it essentially brings technical marketing, key customer management and new product development within one department. With product managers and product development chemists working side-by-side, so to speak, it brings the customer base much closer to our product development, creating many clear benefits to Kester and its customers.
Q. Why are you the right person to lead this new group?
A. I have been with Kester for 11 years, and the soldering materials industry for 14. With prior roles in Quality, Field Support, Product Management and Sales Management, I have a deep understanding of the market needs, technology drivers and the expectations that our customers have for best-in-class, cutting-edge materials.
Q. Why was this new role created?
A. For the past several years, Kester has performed all solder paste, cored wire and liquid flux product development in Asia, and there certainly were many advantages to having all the product development talent under one roof. But as we looked at the market, it was clear that Asian product development initiatives were primarily focused on the computer and consumer electronics market segments, and while products made for these markets theoretically could be successfully sold into other market segments, we are striving to become more focused on the market segments that are prominent in North America and Europe. This role was specifically created to improve Kester's technical support and also to connect our key customers' needs directly to new product solutions. We expect this move will enable Kester to react more quickly to the needs of the North American and European markets and the key end-user segments that are prominent in those geographies.
Q. Does this new role represent a shift in Kester's strategy?
A. On the surface, it may seem that way, but it is actually an extension of the strategy that we have been driving through the entire organization since the ITW acquisition of Kester in 2006. The ITW 80/20 strategies revolve around sharpening focus on the things that matter most, and developing new products for the key end-user markets in North America and Europe is really the next step in that process for Kester.
Q. What benefits will Kester customers enjoy following this transition?
A. The next generation of soldering materials will not be one-product-fits-all as prior generations have been. We may see a group of products designed specifically for automotive end users, and an entirely different group of products for telecommunications products. The automotive and telecom end users have fundamentally different requirements for soldering materials and they have been force-fed �standard� products for decades. The move toward more market-driven materials is a natural progression in our market and will result in customized product solutions for individual end markets.
Q. Wouldn't that approach result in adding several new products to the Kester product line? How does that fit into the ITW 80/20 strategy?
A. It could well increase the number of unique product offerings that Kester produces, but if the end users are happy with their customized offerings, they win and Kester wins as well. Kester is totally committed to evolving new products that fit the needs for today's market. Our 80/20 strategy does enable us to focus on key markets and customers while ensuring that we do not waste time and energy going in too many different directions.
Q. Given the economic environment that exists today, how is Kester able to hire new people to fill a new Product Development group?
�A: Well, this certainly may seem to be a strange time for expanding our capabilities by hiring new people, given the economic climate.�But we aren't going to let a temporary market condition get in the way of making sound business decisions and doing the right things for Kester in the long-term.�Plus, there is a lot of available talent in the market today, and it makes sense to use our financial stability to find real difference makers that will help sustain our product development leadership into the future.
Q. What specific market trends are you tracking and what products will Kester be developing as a result?
A. With the lead-free transition already in the rearview mirror for many companies, we are focused on a handful of technology trends that will chart our new product development strategy over the next couple of years.�The key driver today is the halogen-free initiatives that are coming from parts of the market, mostly in the computer and computer peripherals market segment.�Additionally, there are trends away from the traditional SAC305 alloy and into lower-silver alloys for SMT, wave soldering and hand soldering.�Although wave soldering and hand soldering are already somewhat established in this arena, the industry lacks choices in the SMT side of this equation.�The market is asking for new paste products that are compatible with low-silver alloys and also halogen-free, along with performance that we have come to expect from traditional SAC305 solder pastes.�There is certainly a high demand for a low-voiding water-soluble lead-free paste, an area where Kester is already a market leader with our new EM828 product.�Finally, there is a definite trend toward smaller aperture printing for microBGAs and other very fine-pitch applications.�Next-generation solder pastes will need to meet the challenge of 0.3 mm pitch printing applications.
Q. How will the halogen-free initiatives affect Kester?
A. Nearly all legacy soldering products contain at least some halogenated ingredients, and most exceed the 900 ppm/1500 ppm requirements that have been accepted in the industry. This means that nearly all end users that are planning to transition to halogen-free materials will need to qualify new solder pastes, liquid fluxes and cored wire products. Naturally, Kester is already working on new products to meet this new demand in the market.
Q. Do you have any new products that are coming to the market in 2009?
A. We have three new solder pastes on the drawing board that are slated for 2009 release. One product, called NXG1, is the first of a new product family that is designed to work with standard lead-free alloys (SAC305) and also the emerging low-silver alloys (SAC105 & SAC0307). Its sister product, NXG2, will have the same alloy flexibility and also meet halogen-free requirements. Additionally, we have a new VOC-free flux ready for market release and others on the way.
