American Made Advocacy: While Congress Debates, America’s PCB Competitors Invest Billions
Defense Speak Interpreted: The Impact of Venture Capital-backed Defense Contractor Firms
We are well into trade show season and what a season it has been so far! SMTA Dallas, IMAPS, and the SMTA UHDI Symposium have filled out the past two weeks as we barrel toward IPC APEX EXPO in just a week’s time. There have been many exciting announcements of equipment and technology that will be showcased at IPC APEX EXPO, including announcements from Ventec, Blackfox, Insulectro, Indium, and more. Click through the news to see what’s in store for the big show. But in this week’s must-reads, I am highlighting a new series, “Seeking Employment,” featuring young professionals who are searching for employment and interested in our sector. Stay tuned as we develop this series.
Speaking of the young and motivated, columnists Dan Beaulieu’s column discusses a new, fresh breed of salespeople. In keeping with the PCB007 Sustainability issue, which came just last week, Alex Stepinski of Smart Factory Design has announced new system technology and a supply chain model to make zero liquid discharge (ZLD) more attractive and affordable to all manufacturers. The IMAPS Device Packaging conference last week was an eye-opening event. Check out my conversation at the show with industry veteran John Andresakis. Shawn DuBravac gives an overview of what he will be talking about in his closing keynote presentation on the final day of IPC APEX EXPO.
Seeking Employment: Meet Gary Turner
Published March 25
Part of a new series where we connect young professionals who are seeking employment with our audience of companies, take a moment to meet Gary Turner, who we met while at the SMTA Dallas show last week. With a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in material science and engineering, young Gary should have no trouble finding employment. We hope it is in our industry!
It’s Only Common Sense: Meet the New Young Guns in Sales
Published March 25
I just love the way Dan Beaulieu says things as they are. He’s been in the industry too long to pussyfoot around on important topics like sales and revenue generation. Noting that today’s new salespeople are two generations removed from Dan himself, I was encouraged to hear that Dan finds this new, young breed of salespeople “a breath of fresh air” and “invigorating.” Getting back to “sales” as a core skillset, with PC boards something that can be learned, and with a natural affinity for community building through social media and collaboration, our sales future could be very bright.
New North American Product Family Release from Smart Factory Design
Published March 22
Alex Stepinski, CEO of Smart Factory Designs, and engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur, is well known in our industry for his essential work on Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). He was recently in Bangkok and officially announced a new system technology and supply chain model for providing ZLD wastewater recycling systems to North American companies at a much lower investment point. Having recently spoken with Alex personally about his goal to “right size” his systems for wider and more immediate adoption, I was happy to see his formal announcement. If you are interested in sustainability and thought that ZLD just wasn’t in the cards for your facility at this time, you will want to take a moment to read this.
The IMAPS Show: A Conversation with John Adresakis
Published March 26
In my write-up on the IMAPS Device Packaging show, which happened in Arizona last week, I mentioned how my mind was blown at all that we have ahead of us in chip design and future packaging models. Happy to see a few friends at the show, I sat down with industry veteran John Andresakis of Quantic Ohmega, to get his thoughts on his week at the Device Packaging show. If you haven’t already, take a listen.
Keynote Preview: Reshaping our Engagement With the World
Published March 28
We are just a week away from the start of IPC APEX 2024, which will kick off on the weekend with standards committee meetings and professional development sessions. Again this year, economy expert Shawn DuBravac shares his insights into where we are in his presentation, “Reshaping our Engagement With the World.” Shawn will provide the closing keynote presentation on Thurdsay at 2 p.m. For a preview, you’ll want to read this.
