EM Asia: Are the rising prices of metals still a major concern for the solder materials industry? Nishimura: Yes, the rising raw material price is always is a concern but currently a very serious one is the stability or lack of stability in the tin supply from the smelters. Recently, the economic recovery in China has increased demand but concerns regarding "conflict tin” have put tight physical restrictions on the supply especially in the Asian market. EM Asia: First there was lead free, followed by halogen free, what’s next? Nishimura: We are looking towards potential growth in VOC free flux materials as environmental concerns continue to be a driver with our customers. We also are receiving requests from some markets for lower cost alternate lead free materials. We continue to propose process solutions and develop new materials and formulations to address the needs of such customers. EM Asia: How important is it to establish manufacturing hubs in your major markets? Nishimura: We believe manufacturing in locations close to our customers is very important. Customers are demanding quick delivery in addition to prompt service and support. Local manufacturing allows us to provide this and meet their needs which is the reason we have recently expanded our factory in China as in the end it brings greater customer satisfaction. EM Asia: How are soldering materials coping with technological demands at various stages of the assembly process? Nishimura: Development of new materials such as paste to address head-in-pillow is important but understanding process capabilities and limitations is also important. Our answer to the technological demands is to offer a ‘total solution’ to the customer which includes the proper material and matching it the process. We want to suggest the best match of material and process which means we need develop not only leading soldering materials but also propose ‘how to use it’ to achieve the highest process reliability. EM Asia: Nihon Superior’s flagship solder alloy SN100C just celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year. As the inventor of this alloy, tell us what this means to you. Nishimura: The 10-year anniversary means more than just that passage of time. Those 10 years of use tells a story of widespread and continually growing acceptance of an alloy that has delivered failure-free service while also satisfying the strict requirements of the present era that it does not damage the environment or human health. This long period of service is evidence of the reliability of SN100C. The alloy would have disappeared from the market long ago if failures were occurring in service. In fact the number of users has increased and long term users are expanding the range of products in which SN100C is used. EM Asia: What benefits has this alloy contributed to the electronics industry? Nishimura: It might seen arrogant of me as the inventor of SN100C to say this but my opinion is that this alloy of tin, copper, nickel and germanium is the best lead free solder available. By providing a reliable solder with long term stability the introduction of SN100C has made a major contribution to the development of electronics design. One of the expressions of confidence in the reliability of SN100C of which I am most proud is its inclusion in the NASA/DoD Lead Free Electronics Project. That is evidence that SN100C is being considered as a solder that can provide reliable service at the leading edge of technology even in extremely harsh environments. EM Asia: What is your company’s approach to providing your customers with the best solution for their manufacturing challenges? Nishimura: The approach we strive to take with our customers is ‘Quick’, ‘Easy’ and ‘Comfortable’. When we say ‘Quick’, we mean to be prompt in our manufacturing, delivery, and support and also be responsive to improve and develop quality products. ‘Easy’ means that our products perform as expected so it is easy or simple to use them and to do business with Nihon Superior. We also want our customers to feel ‘Comfortable’ when selecting and using our products which means they are satisfied with the performance andquality. | 
