-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueWhat's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
Moving Forward With Confidence
In this issue, we focus on sales and quoting, workforce training, new IPC leadership in the U.S. and Canada, the effects of tariffs, CFX standards, and much more—all designed to provide perspective as you move through the cloud bank of today's shifting economic market.
Intelligent Test and Inspection
Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
August 2, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

This week, we bring you a veritable smorgasbord of news, columns and articles from the past week.
After getting stuck in an airport during the Crowdstrike outage, our colleague Nolan Johnson has a review of the first-ever THECA trade show in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a column by Matt Stevenson on drilling optimization, and an interview with Schmoll America President Kurt Palmer about what it takes to thrive in this industry. We have an article by SMTA’s Tara Dunn that focuses on the organization’s educational offerings, and news about All Flex joining the PCBAA.
It's been a busy week. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Impressions from THECA 2024
Published July 31
Our weary editor Nolan Johnson brings us his review of the inaugural Thailand Electronic Circuits Asia trade show. Nolan had the bad luck to be heading to the airport when the Crowdstrike snafu first began, turning his already-long trip to Bangkok into a three-day ordeal. He says it was all worth it, and THECA drew a pretty good crowd of attendees, many looking to Thailand for its China+1 potential. Check it out.
Connect the Dots: Navigating the Intricacies of PCB Drilling
Published August 1
Drilling is a fairly simple operation, but it can be one of the most complex tasks in the PCB fabrication cycle. In this column, Matt Stevenson offers various tips and tricks that can streamline your PCB drilling, beginning with pre-drilling planning and preparations.
Schmoll America: Thriving in the Global PCB Market
Published July 31
Is your business thriving? What does it take to thrive in this industry? In this interview with Marcy LaRont, Kurt Palmer, president of Schmoll America, discusses what it takes to not only survive, but thrive.
Training and Education in the Electronics Industry
Published July 31
With many of the “silverbacks” in our industry heading toward retirement, educational resources are in high demand now. Tara Dunn, director of training and education for SMTA, walks us through the organization’s educational offerings, including webinars, in-person classes, technical papers, and much more.
The PCBAA Accepts All Flex Solutions as Newest Member
Published July 31
PCBAA was founded just a few years ago, but it’s been on a continuous growth path, with more companies joining the organization in its mission to advocate for U.S. PCB companies. Flexible circuit maker All Flex Solutions is the latest company to join the organization, which now numbers 61 PCB U.S. manufacturers.
Suggested Items
Murray Percival Company Welcomes CeTaQ to Its Line Card, Optimizing SMT Processes for PCB Manufacturers
07/03/2025 | Murray Percival CompanyThe Murray Percival Company, a trusted supplier to the Midwest's electronics industry, is pleased to announce that it has added CeTaQ to its line card, a global expert in Surface Mount Technology (SMT) measurement systems.
Why I Finally Embraced Autorouting
07/03/2025 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAHere is a common misconception held by those who don’t fully understand the PCB layout process or how to wield today’s high-level EDA tools: "All I need to do is push the autorouter button, let the computer route all the signal traces, and get the layout 100% routed. It’s a no-brainer. Anyone can do it. It should take less than a few hours.”
China Plus One, Part 3: Inorsen Group, a Vietnam Success Story
07/03/2025 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.In recent years, Western OEMs have continued to push for China Plus One factories and the advancement of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). At present, there are two main modes for PCB companies to go global: building greenfield factories or through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Thailand is currently the primary geographic choice to build greenfield factories, whereas, increasingly, mergers and acquisitions in Vietnam and Malaysia provide opportunities for companies to expand markets and acquire resources.
Symposium Review: Qnity, DuPont, and Insulectro Forge Ahead with Advanced Materials
07/02/2025 | Barb Hockaday, I-Connect007In a dynamic and informative Innovation Symposium hosted live and on Zoom on June 25, 2025, representatives from Qnity (formerly DuPont Electronics), DuPont, and Insulectro discussed the evolving landscape of flexible circuit materials. From strategic corporate changes to cutting-edge polymer films, the session offered deep insight into design challenges, reliability, and next-gen solutions shaping the electronics industry.
Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
07/01/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionFor PCB designers, just hearing the word “autorouters” can trigger everything from eye rolls to heated debate. We all have stories—some painful, some comical—of boards gone sideways at the hands of an overzealous routing algorithm. But these tools aren’t going away, and frankly, they shouldn’t. Used wisely, they can save some project teams hours or even days. Used blindly, they can cost weeks. So, where do autorouting tools stand today, and is interactive routing the smarter path forward?