Q&A with Mr. Damon Pouya, COO at Chip 1 Exchange

Q&A with Mr. Damon Pouya, COO at Chip 1 Exchange

February 15, 2022

1. What has been the impact of the supply chain shortages and other pandemic-related issues on Chip 1’s revenue growth in 2021? Starting off with COVID negative impact, until we adapted to the new challenges that COVID brought (instability in office, office closures, implementation of COVID protocols, general insecurity) + getting acclimated to the work at home situation. Also, soft market in the beginning. Once we adapted and the industry accepted/acclimated to the new environment, and with strong demand increases, the revenue growth was exponential.

2. What part of the business was most impacted by these challenges in 2021? Sales, positive and negative, which ultimately affects all departments of the company.

3. What do you expect in terms of Chip 1’s revenue growth in 2022? With shortage relief not in sight, we are expecting continuous strong growth throughout 2022

4. Is Chip 1 Exchange considering retaining any business practices that were implemented in 2020 and 2021? Absolutely, COVID opened our eyes to the great advantages of remote working, which brings lots of advantages and some challenges.

5. How bullish/bearish are you for business in 2022? Very bullish, due to continuous supply chain challenges caused by COVID, increased demand in our expert industry segments (automotive) and our continues expansion to more markets.

6. What do you see for growth in 2022?

As far as Growth for 2022 we are looking at 20-30% growth in both North America and European markets and 30-50% growth in the Asian market.

7. What is your capital investment priority in 2022? We are primarily investing in our people, as no company runs without a happy staff. But on a company level, inventory will play a key role, plus an expansion on our products and services offering.

8. What is the most significant business opportunity in 2022? We believe that our Asia operations, in conjunction with the request of our global OEM and EMS customer base, to serve their Asia counterparts locally will play a big Role in our growth for 2022.

9. What is the most significant risk you face this year? I don't see many, but of course, we all know the “party” can’t go on forever , and there might be a correction in demand towards the end of next year.

10. Which end market segments (automotive, aviation, communications, computing, industrial, military, etc.) do you think will provide the strongest growth opportunities in 2022 and beyond? Historically Automotive is our strong suite. Being very OEM centric, and making quality our number 1 Criteria , has always been the key to success in that sector for us. With legislations around the globe changing, and the gradual move from combustion engine vehicles to Electric vehicles, that segment present the biggest growth opportunity to Chip1.

Q&A answers were provided by Mr. Damon Pouya, COO at Chip 1 Exchange