The Direction of MacDermid Alpha’s Automotive Initiative

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Nolan Johnson speaks with Lenora Clark about MacDermid Alpha’s automotive initiative, where her role fits into the company’s focus on supporting carmakers in various business areas, and where the future of automotive is heading.

Nolan Johnson: We did an interview at SMTAI 2019 about your new role as director of autonomous driving and safety technology at MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions. Refresh us on that role. How is it going?

Lenora Clark: It is going very well, thank you. I am learning every day, and I enjoy working in the automotive space during this exciting time. My role is to understand the technical and strategic challenges of the automotive market. This is to see how a chemical supplier can make automotive Tier 1s and, ultimately, carmakers successful during a time of change, specifically with respect to advanced safety from a systems level.

Johnson: How did you arrive at this role? Give us a little background on the start of your career.

Clark: I started in this organization fresh out of college with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. My focus was surface finishing, which gave me a lot of exposure to end-users. At the time, we worked closely with all market segments, testing immersion silver. It was a time of transition away from leaded hot-air solder level. Immersion silver was my introduction to alternative surface finishes.

Through this, I learned assembly and the importance of collaboration through a supply chain from a chemical supplier to a PCB fabricator. This included the assembly facility and finally testing and execution of a final product in end-use. This experience in surface finishing laid the perfect foundation for my role today in the automotive initiative.

Johnson: Is the automotive initiative new to MacDermid Alpha?

Clark: MacDermid made the decision 15 years ago to give the automotive industry the next level of support, particularly with respect to corrosion-resistant and decorative coatings. We hired a group of people who understood the large carmaker organizations. The work they did helped promote further penetration and collaboration on all levels of the supply chain, including electronics. We provide technical support for our products and also help develop their global supply chains.

To read this entire interview, which appeared in the February 2020 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.

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