Advancing PCB Technology: A Conversation With John Johnson

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Global Sourcing Spotlight: The Hidden Power of the Rep Network

06/17/2026 | Bob Duke -- Column: Global Sourcing Spotlight
In an era where algorithms track shipments and dashboards display supply-chain analytics in real-time, it’s tempting to believe that human networks are no longer essential. However, nothing replaces the local representative who knows the factory floor, the backstory, and the unspoken rules. The independent rep is one of the most underutilized assets in a company’s global strategy—a bridge between regions, cultures, and realities that software alone can’t interpret. When things go wrong in global supply chains, it’s because of a lack of context. Reps deliver that context; they have eyes where you don’t have boots, ears tuned to nuance, and instincts that can save you months of damage control. Here’s why the rep network remains your competitive edge.

Don't Buy AI, Learn It: A Fabricator's Guide to Getting Started, Part 1

05/27/2026 | Sean Patterson, CrossGen AI
The first hard truth about AI in PCB fabrication is that you can buy software, but you cannot buy capability. You can sign a contract, schedule demos, put a few logos on a slide, and tell your team you now have an AI strategy. Plenty of companies are doing some version of that right now. But if the people in your plant do not know how to use AI in real work, then your purchase was more akin to buying a gym membership and never going. (Don’t take that as criticism; it’s just how it works.)

Industry-Wide Memory Constraints Grow as AI-Driven Supply Shift Reshapes Market

04/13/2026 | Global Electronics Association
Artificial Intelligence is consuming a growing share of the world’s memory supply, leaving electronics manufacturers across industries facing longer lead times, rising prices, and increasing uncertainty, according to a new report released today from the Global Electronics Association.

ASTER and Siemens: Design for Test Gets ‘Real’

04/02/2026 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007
For more than 30 years, ASTER Technologies has been a leader in PCB assembly test verification and engineering software. Siemens Digital Industries Software and ASTER Technologies’ recent merger represents the third strategic acquisition by Siemens in the space between design and manufacture. We spoke with ASTER Technical Director Will Webb, Michael Alam, head of corporate development for Siemens’ Electronic Board Systems Group, and Patrick Hope, Valor marketing specialist at Siemens, about the strategy and vision that’s bringing all these post-layout tools into the design workflow.

Elementary Mr. Watson: Where the PCB Ends and Advanced Packaging Begins

01/29/2026 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. Watson
Change sits at the center of almost everything in PCB design. From the earliest days of printed circuits to today’s highly integrated electronic systems, stability does not define this discipline; evolution does. Materials change, component geometries shrink, signal speeds increase, and manufacturing processes advance. With each shift, we reshape the role of the PCB designer, sometimes quietly, and other times in a way that feels like a freight train driving through your living room.