Nolan’s Notes: Everyone Has Their Eye on India
Standard of Excellence: The Human Touch in an Automated World
The Government Circuit: Navigating New Trade Headwinds and New Partnerships
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
February 2, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
I’m writing this in Santa Clara, California on the last day of DesignCon. It was nice to get out of Atlanta, which was 28 degrees when I left. It’s a little rainy here, but it’s been in the 60s all week, and I’ll take that kind of weather any day.
In this week’s must-reads, we have a little bit of everything, including sad news about the passing of our columnist Michael Ford. Everyone who knew him just loved the guy.
I need to catch an Uber, so I’m keeping this short. Have a good weekend.
Rain or Shine, DesignCon 2024 is Happening
Published February 1
Yes, DesignCon seems to be a draw, regardless of weather. This show was busier than a one-armed paper-hanger, despite intermittent rain. It was great to see so many young people at this show. Is this industry becoming cool again? Everyone I met was bullish on their company and the industry overall. Let’s hope this is good omen for the rest of the year.
The Pulse: New Designer’s (Partial) Guide to Fabrication
Published January 31
What do designers need to know about fabrication? They don’t necessarily have to be manufacturing experts, but the more they know about fab processes, the more likely they’ll produce successful designs. Columnist Martyn Gaudion breaks down the manufacturing considerations that can affect the design’s signal integrity.
The New Chapter: Easing the Learning Curve for Young Professionals
Published January 31
Now that young people are once again entering the world of PCB design and manufacturing, many companies are focusing on updating their onboarding processes. In this column, Paige Fiet—out of college for only a few years—shares her thoughts on ways that companies can shorten the learning curve for new engineers, leaving them less anxious and more productive.
Electronics Industry Mourns Loss of Colleague and Visionary Michael Ford
Published January 31
We lost a really great guy this week. Michael Ford was an industry expert on everything related to CFX, Industry 4.0, and Smart manufacturing, and one of our most popular columnists. After he left Siemens for Aegis Software, one of the Siemens engineers joked that it might take two people to replace Michael. But more importantly, he was also a really nice guy, and a lot of fun. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge to make the industry a better place. Michael will be missed.
It’s Only Common Sense: What Are You Afraid Of?
Published January 29
In this column, Dan Beaulieu gets right to the point: What are you afraid of? Smart company managers are not afraid to take necessary risks, but some PCB companies are run by managers who are almost paralyzed with fear. As Dan says, get over your fear and take that risk; you’re actually more likely to fail if you don’t get over that fear. What are you afraid of, anyway?
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Building Electronics Excellence in India
09/08/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineOver two decades, Dave Bergman has helped steer the Global Electronics Association’s work in India, from a single training course to a thriving regional operation with deep government and industry ties. In this interview, Dave explains how the group went from partnering with IPCA to opening its own office in 2010, creating India’s first domestic electronics manufacturing standard, and securing funding for dozens of Indian companies to attend U.S. trade shows.
Walt Custer: Making Data Interesting
09/03/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I just learned that IPC Hall of Famer Walt Custer has passed away at 81. I first met Walt about 20 years ago when I started covering the fabrication industry. Right away, he started telling me which companies to watch and which trends to follow. This was in the years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid.
The Chemical Connection: Experience and Wisdom Gained by Doing Business
09/03/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionA well-managed company learns to adjust its strategies and processes based on what it learns during challenging times. The experience gained from making (or losing) a difficult sale is invaluable in adapting new sales and manufacturing processes necessary to make that sale the next time, no matter how painful those new processes might be.
Labor Day: U.S. Federal Holiday
09/01/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Today is Labor Day, a U.S. federal holiday that Americans celebrate on the first Monday of September each year. This marks the 131st anniversary of the holiday. In 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday. In 1894, after the Pullman Strike, Congress passed a bill that recognized Labor Day as a federal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law.
Target Condition: Floor Planning Without a Floor
08/27/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionBy a show of hands, how many PCB designers have been asked to start a layout without a board outline, keep-out zones, or even height constraints? How many have had to work within a specific enclosure before the schematic was finalized? If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Starting a PCB layout without critical constraints is like hiring an interior designer to buy furniture and carpet for a house you haven’t even purchased yet, or, even worse, trying to fit four bedrooms' worth of furniture in a one-room cabin.