I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

“May you live in interesting times.” – Ancient Chinese curse

It certainly seems that our times continue to be interesting, don’t they? Just how many different flavors of supply chain disruption can we come up with? Investment on the supply side needs to increase, but the size of the labor force needs to increase even more, if we want to accomplish the task of the buildout itself, let alone running the facilities properly.

Emerging areas of technology­—I’m thinking of AI specifically at the moment—will create entirely new industries for hardware, infrastructure, data collection, storage, analysis, and application. Jobs in these spaces will draw talented workers in large numbers, making for even more of a staffing vacuum in manufacturing even as the AI industry works to automate that industry. The dynamics certainly are interesting.

This week’s theme for our must reads is, loosely speaking, investment in more locally-sourced supply chain, government outreach, research and development, and our technology-interested youth. The best response to the Chinese curse, in my opinion? Make the world even more interesting than you found it.

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for March 2022 
Published April 22

IPC reports that PCB year-to-date year-over-year bookings in March declined 25.9%. Compared to February 2022, bookings in March fell 1.3%. March shipments, however, were up. Click through to the article for more details.

FIRST Program Inspires Next Generation of Innovators 
Published April 22

Today’s students grow up immersed in a world of technology, yet how many of them actually see themselves taking on careers that advance this science? Barry Matties speaks with Adrienne Collins, director of programs at FIRST Washington, about the success of a student robotics program that fosters innovation, builds problem solving skills, and cultivates a concept that most of us have never heard of—gracious professionalism. When you see the interplay of these skills in action, you are blown away. There’s a bright future ahead.

Call for Papers for IPC APEX EXPO 2023
Published April 25

IPC APEX EXPO Technical Program Committee (TPC) is inviting engineers, researchers, academics, technical experts, and industry leaders to submit technical conference abstracts for IPC APEX EXPO 2023. Technical conference paper and poster abstracts are due Monday, June 20, 2022. Read the article here for more details.

TTM Breaks Ground at First Manufacturing Plant in Penang, Malaysia 
Published April 25

TTM Technologies, Inc., a leading U.S. based global manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCB), radio frequency (RF) components and RF microwave/microelectronic assemblies, held its groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate its new manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia. The proposed capital investment for this plant is $130 million through 2025. To learn more about what this means for TTM and their customers, read it here.

PCBAA Member Profile: Davy Nakada, Rogers Corporation 
Published April 25

In this short interview, Davy Nakada, senior director at Rogers Corporation, discusses why the PCBAA (Printed Circuit Board Association of America) is arriving at just the right time. See what Nakada has to say here.