Smarter Circuits, Greener Boards (w/ Tom Askew, PanelRight)
🎯 Summary
Podcast Episode Summary: AI, Efficiency, and Disrupting the PCB Industry with Tom
This episode of “Two Token Short,” hosted by Robert Dolorosa and Mitchell, features an in-depth conversation with Tom, an industry veteran focused on driving massive cost efficiencies in the design and manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). The core narrative revolves around Tom’s journey, the proprietary software he developed to revolutionize PCB design, and the strategic pivot toward a Software as a Service (SaaS) model.
Key Discussion Points & Narrative Arc
The discussion began by exploring Tom’s decades-long career dedicated to finding manufacturing efficiencies. The hosts probed whether these efficiencies stemmed from design flaws or systemic production line changes, highlighting the significant investment often required for such overhauls. The conversation quickly established that Tom’s solution offers substantial cost savings, even amidst rising raw material costs (noted as up 25%). The arc then moved from past successes to the future: how his proprietary software, which incorporates Machine Learning (ML), is being positioned for broader adoption, especially concerning high-demand components like NVIDIA CV chips. A significant theme emerged around the environmental impact of waste reduction, moving from hundreds of sheets down to significantly fewer, and the subsequent handling and recycling of hazardous PCB waste. Finally, the discussion centered on the business model transition to SaaS, market penetration strategies, and how AI tools can assist Tom’s small, bootstrapping team in scaling operations.
Major Topics and Technical Concepts
- PCB Efficiency Optimization: The central focus is on proprietary techniques and software designed to drastically reduce material usage in PCB manufacturing.
- AI/ML Integration: The software incorporates machine learning to enhance efficiency, though the specific application to cutting-edge AI chips (like those from NVIDIA) was raised as a key future market.
- Waste Management & Environmental Impact: A critical, often overlooked aspect discussed was the fate of the saved material waste, emphasizing environmental responsibility (CO2 reduction).
- Business Model Shift: Transitioning from traditional consulting/implementation to a SaaS model (potentially royalty-based or enterprise licensing).
- Market Scope: The PCB industry is estimated to be an $80 billion market, with Tom aiming for significant penetration.
- Target Industries: Applications span across automotive, consumer electronics (washing machines), aviation, marine, and medical devices.
Business Implications and Strategic Insights
- Value Proposition: The primary driver for adoption is clear cost savings, making the solution highly attractive even to companies using legacy systems.
- Disruption and Resistance: The hosts noted that established players might resist disruption, suggesting Tom needs creative sales models (like small royalties) to incentivize adoption rather than confrontation.
- SaaS Accessibility: A key insight is the software’s design simplicity, making it accessible to everyone from Fortune 500 companies to hobbyists (“the average Joe in his garage”), reflecting an altruistic mindset toward democratizing efficiency.
- Scaling Challenges: Tom’s small team faces challenges in marketing, sales, and administrative automation (collections, contracts).
Solutions, Recommendations, and Actionable Advice
The hosts strongly recommended leveraging AI agents and web flows to automate Tom’s scaling pain points:
- Marketing & Lead Generation: Using AI to scrape and aggregate lists of global board manufacturers, complete with contact details.
- Operational Automation: Implementing automated workflows for contract signing (DocuSign), payment collection, and customer communications (email/SMS updates).
- Incentivizing Sales: Structuring the SaaS model to incentivize external sales reps through built-in percentages.
The hosts offered to follow up with Tom by providing one-sheets and building custom AI web flows to supercharge his marketing and administrative functions without requiring him to hire additional staff, aligning with his bootstrapping approach.
Context and Significance
This conversation is vital for technology professionals because it showcases a real-world example of deep domain expertise meeting modern software delivery and AI integration. Tom represents the traditional engineering innovator who is now pivoting to a scalable SaaS model. The discussion highlights the dual benefits of technological advancement: significant economic savings for businesses and measurable environmental benefits through material reduction, making this innovation relevant across manufacturing, sustainability, and business strategy sectors.
🏢 Companies Mentioned
💬 Key Insights
"I think that's really where the magic happens—is you're making the world a better place, you're saving people money, and you're doing something that it took you a long time to ideate and finally, you're right there on the press of being able to get this out there for people to use it."
"What we're trying to do in our lives is free up time so that we can go and join and do things. So, we've got systems in place that are doing things for us as opposed to having people that we have to manage or micromanage."
"We're always thinking about being frugal and spending our money wisely and trying to do things right the first time as opposed to trying to do something, figuring out it's not right, and having to go back and spend more time, energy, and money."
"There are AI agents out there to aggregate these lists. So, if you were to say to us, 'Hey, Mitchell, we want to be able to get a list of all the different board manufacturers, big and small, in whatever countries around the world,' I mean, there are tools to be able to scrape that data and get that data for you in a relatively quick period of time, like really quick."
"It's an $80 billion market, I imagine. I don't know what percentage of that $80 billion market you have at the moment that are utilizing your program?"
"You've built a software that the average Joe, that's just a computer geek that likes building stuff in his house and his garage, even a kid, can utilize your program, as well as Fortune 500 companies."