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American Made Advocacy: A Voice in Washington for American-Made PCBs

If you spent the holidays searching in vain for a present, waiting days for a rental car, or wondering why your package was still “in transit,” you’re not alone.

Millions of Americans feel the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many are starting to appreciate the way advanced electronic components underpin our way of life. Shortages of everything that run on electronics (and these days, what doesn’t?) have disrupted life in ways that were hard to imagine just a few years ago.

Facing an anxious public, Congress and the current administration are pushing for investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing to reduce our dependence on overseas manufacturing. The nearly $52 billion CHIPS Act is a welcome start, but it’s not the end of the story. Truly “building back better” requires that policymakers consider the entire supply chain.

That’s where a new focus on printed circuit boards is required, and a new voice for that industry is needed.

PCBs are a $60 billion global industry that over the past 20 years has moved away from the United States at an alarming rate. At one time, the U.S. produced over 26% of the world’s PCBs. Today that number is down to 4% and the number of domestic PCB manufacturers has decreased from 2,500 to only 145 companies. As COVID-19 brought into vivid focus, dependence on other countries created a supply chain risk to everyday consumer technologies as well as critical national security applications.

The Printed Circuit Board Association of America was formed to address these issues through pursuing three major objectives:

1. Support the domestic production of PCBs.
Foreign subsidies have led to artificially low prices on PCBs produced abroad. It’s time to level the playing field for producers that choose to manufacture PCBs in the United States and for purchasers who choose to improve their supply chain resiliency by purchasing domestically manufactured PCBs.

2. Enhance domestic supply chain security.
?Without robust and secure domestic supply chains, the production of electronics for critical commercial and national security systems is not sustainable. It’s time for the United States to support the microelectronics industry the way other nations have done: by creating an environment that enhances our domestic producers’ ability to compete globally.

3. Advocate for initiatives that create fair market conditions.
America's reliance on overseas manufacturing for PCBs arose out of unfair market dynamics. Foreign governments subsidize PCB companies, flooding the market with excess capacity and artificially low prices. This creates unfair market conditions which puts U.S. companies at a significant competitive disadvantage. This needs to change to allow American microelectronics manufacturing to flourish.

As we head into a new year, there are reasons to be optimistic. Less than a year after it was formed, our association has grown to over a dozen members, and there is a steady stream of more companies interested in joining.

Our public education campaign and advocacy efforts in the halls of Congress have begun to pay off. Lawmakers are more aware of the impact of a lopsided microelectronics ecosystem largely controlled by other nations. A growing number of elected officials support the need for a resilient supply chain and the benefits of reshoring microelectronics manufacturing, and have influenced favorable legislation. For instance, the recent National Defense Authorization Act contains language that promotes domestic production of critical microelectronics.

While our team celebrates the progress we’ve made, we understand the hard work that remains in front of us. We have a unique opportunity to secure our electronics supply chain, reinvigorate high-tech manufacturing, and maintain America’s leading technological edge.

The PCBAA believes in—and fights for—market fairness and a level playing field on which U.S. PCB manufacturers can compete and win. If you’re interested in joining our effort, please visit us online.

This column originally appeared in the January 2022 issue of PCB007 Magazine.