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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
January 5, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The Christmas and New Year’s holidays made for much-appreciated off-time in the U.S. and Europe, but there was still a lot of good industry reading for all to enjoy. From Happy Holden’s influence on our youngest and brightest to the cost of rework, policy challenges ahead for European PCB and PCBA companies, to new faces in the industry—with some bonus R2-D2 thrown in for good measure—these articles are worth a few minutes of your time. Here are my picks from this past week in industry news and feature articles.
The New Chapter: My Review of Happy Holden’s '24 Essential Skills for Engineers’
Published January 3
It is wonderful to see some of our young professionals stepping up to write and to lead in our industry. Hannah Nelson and Paige Fiet’s shared column, aptly named The New Chapter, is an opportunity for us to experience their perspective. Their wisdom and insights are great reminders for all of us, no matter what stage we are in professionally. Hannah met industry icon and pioneer Happy Holden a couple of years ago. Read her take on Happy’s 24 Essentials Skills for Engineers.
Nolan’s Notes: The Cost of Rework
Published January 3
Rework is a dreaded and costly reality in our business. It is time intensive, labor intensive and requires great technical skill. But what are the real costs of rework? Our very own Nolan Johnson tackles this topic in his column in this month’s SMT007 Magazine and throughout this issue, including the question, “How is the rework job function being changed by new packaging technologies and increasing board densities?”
IPC Europe: Raising the Industry Flag of Support
Published January 2
Europe and the United States have similar struggles in how their PCB and PCBA industries currently look and in all they are doing to attain better global competitiveness. This in-depth interview by Barry Matties with our compatriots at IPC Europe provides good insight into the European landscape for our companies as well as a glimpse into all the activity and progress being made educationally and legislatively amongst the 27 different European nations that are part of the European Union. With their own Chips Act and the messaging, “Silicon to Systems,” IPC Europe will remain busy educating policymakers and advocating for changes toward a more level playing field for European manufacturers.
Jordan Mandel: The New Face of Totech North America
Published January 3
Taking over for industry veteran Richard Heimsch, we have a fresh industry face in Jordan Mandel, sales director in North America for Totech. In this interview, he discusses his new role with the company and explores what he sees as an incomplete understanding of and significant untapped potential for dry storage.
And a bonus sixth pick to kick off the new year:
Paul Bailey, R2-D2 Expert and Former Tech Director of Disney Imagineering, to Keynote IPC APEX EXPO 2024
Published January 2
Who doesn’t love anything to do with “Star Wars” or Disney? IPC does a great job in picking outstanding keynote speakers at this annual event, and this year will be no exception. Paul Bailey is an interesting man who has had an incredibly interesting career. Check him out! This is just one more reason to register for IPC APEX EXPO 2024, with discounts offered if you register by March 1.
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10/22/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineAs a leading provider of factory digitalization solutions for electronics manufacturers, Cogiscan is at the heart of the software integration process. Davina McDonnell, director of marketing and product management, discusses how Cogiscan ensures that customers are ready to integrate and what it looks for to ensure a quick and appropriate installation.
MES Software Tools Need Thoughtful Integration
10/21/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineThe Global Electronics Association recently published a survey report on the state of EMS production software. This project, led by Thiago Guimaraes, director of industry intelligence, connects the dots across the global electronics value chain to uncover practical insights that individual companies might not have seen on their own. In this interview, Thiago discusses the whys and hows of this report.
SEMICON West: The Path to a $1 Trillion Future
10/14/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007After more than 50 years in San Francisco, SEMICON West moved its 2025 show to Phoenix, which is significant because it highlights the importance of Arizona as a semiconductor and tech hub. Though the show will be back in San Francisco in 2026, the overwhelmingly warm welcome SEMI received from Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, and ASU President Michael Crowe—who has been responsible for ASU repeatedly achieving the U.S. News and World Reports most innovative university ranking—was remarked upon repeatedly. All indications are that SEMICON West may well be back in Phoenix after that 2026 season.
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Is Glass Finally Coming of Age?
10/13/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Substrates, by definition, form the base of all electronic devices. Whether discussing silicon wafers for semiconductors, glass-and-epoxy materials in printed circuits, or the base of choice for interposers, all these materials function as substrates. While other substrates have come and gone, silicon and FR-4 have remained the de facto standards for the industry.