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Developing a Fabrication Business Strategy
September 5, 2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute

Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about business strategies for PCB manufacturers here in the pages of PCB007 Magazine. But let’s back up a bit and look at the process for developing a new strategy. Where should you even begin? What’s your strategy for developing a strategy, if you will?
We asked Chris Chapman, a Lean/Agile leadership coach and publisher of the Digestible Deming newsletter, to share his thoughts on developing successful business strategies and how the management philosophy of W. Edwards Deming can help leaders in our industry take their companies to the next level.
Andy Shaughnessy: Tell us about your background, and how you got into studying Deming and the process of developing strategies.
Chris Chapman: I’m a software developer turned consultant turned management consultant, and I’m based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And I've been doing what I do for over 20 years.
I started as a software developer in the year 2000. I quickly discovered all of the problems that existed in management of software projects, and became exposed through that to the ideas and thinking of folks like Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, who created the Scrum framework, and Kent Beck, who created the XP (extreme programming) framework. And a lot of these guys were influenced by practitioners like Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka, who discussed the new product development game in the Harvard Business Review in 1986. They were trying to figure out how to develop complex knowledge-based products in such a way that we can actually control the variation that exists.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the August 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
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Our Legislative Outlook: PCB007 Magazine October 2025 Issue
10/16/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamMost agree that we are experiencing an unprecedented time in global business and economics, with rules and laws that open doors to business but can complicate operations and make profitability more challenging. This month, PCB007 Magazine features some of today’s leading experts on legislative issues affecting the electronics industry, including rules and laws, trade, sustainability, business expansion, grants, and more in the U.S., Europe, and China.
It’s Only Common Sense: Stop Whining About the Market—Outwork It
10/06/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseWhenever the market hiccups or the industry cycle dips, I hear the same tired chorus: “The market is down. Customers aren’t buying. What can we do? We just have to wait it out.” Nonsense. If you think that by showing up, opening your doors, and waiting for the economy to smile kindly upon you, that success will follow, you are in the wrong business. Worse yet, you’re living in the wrong mindset. Most people don’t want to hear the truth that winners find business in down cycles. Losers blame the economy.
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: 'A View from the Top: Moving from Success to Significance'
10/02/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: Dan's Biz BookshelfOnce in a while, a book comes along that reminds you why you started down this road of business and leadership. Zig Ziglar’s "A View from the Top" is that book. It’s not just about business and motivation. It’s about living a life that counts—for your family, your company, your community, and yourself. Ziglar delivers this book in his typical fashion, with the punch of hard-earned wisdom, a bit of humor, and a lot of common sense.
Punching Out: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Buyers for PCB/EMS Shops
09/24/2025 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!A growing trend in the U.S. is the rise of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) buyers for every business under the sun. Just as private equity firms have been active in a wide range of industries, ETA buyers have picked up their interest in both PCB and EMS companies.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
09/12/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007We may be post-Labor Day, but it is still hot-hot-hot here in the great state of Arizona—much like our news cycles, which have continued to snap, crackle, and pop with eye-raising headlines over this past week. In broader global tech news this week, AI and tariff-type restrictions continues to dominate with NVIDIA raising its voice against U.S. lawmakers pushing chip restrictions, ASML investing in a Dutch AI start-up company to the tune of $1.5 billion, and the UAE joining the ranks of the U.S. and China in embracing “open source” with their technology in hopes of accelerating their AI position.