American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
Defense Speak Interpreted: JADC2—Why It’s More Relevant Than Ever in Drone Warfare
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
September 27, 2024 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
If you know Dave Hoover of TTM, then I am honored to inform you that he has retired from the industry as of this week. Dave and I met about six years ago, at a conference, when we were introduced by my colleague Andy Shaughnessy. We quickly established a shared love for American blues music; we even had mutual music industry friends. Dave has been a wealth of industry knowledge for me, just as he has influenced so many of us throughout the years. I’m sure I speak for all who know him that he’ll be missed in the industry. But we can keep tabs on him through his weekly online blues radio program “Groovy Hoovy’s Different Shades of Blue Radio and Video Show.” Congratulations on your transition to “civilian” life, Dave.
This week’s editor’s picks are a real potpourri of industry news items and a bonus column. There's a lot happening in our segment of the electronics world. We'll be covering the Anaheim Electronics Manufacturing Show next week, PCB West after that, followed up by SMTA International. We hope to see you there.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces First CHIPS Award to Polar Semiconductor, Establishing U.S. Foundry
Published September 25
The CHIPS Act money is starting to roll out. In this case, the funds will be used to expand and update the fab in Bloomington, Minnesota. Undoubtedly there will be more news like this in coming weeks and months, and we’ll bring you that news. It will be interesting to see just how much impact the CHIPS investment will have on U.S. manufacturing.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality: Outer Layer Imaging
Published September 26
ASC/Sunstone’s Matt Stevenson has been documenting the PCB fabrication process in great detail lately. If you haven’t listened to his podcast series at “On The Line With..” you should (find it at most of the major podcast sites). In this column, Matt adds additional detail on outer layer imaging. If you’re a designer, you should give this a read.
AI to Boost Wafer Foundry Market by 20%
Published September 19
The wafer foundry market is expected to see a recovery in 2025, with an estimated annual growth of 20%, up from 16% in 2024. This is happening while many components have had their manufacturing scaled back to meet lessened demand. But components specific to AI infrastructure are at the root of this growth number. Learn more here.
iNEMI Announces End-of-Project Webinar for PCB Connector Footprint Tolerance Project
Published September 23
Designers and assemblers may find value in this webinar, scheduled for Sept. 30, 2024. The project’s objective was to equip product designers with the necessary information to ensure predictable quality levels when using high-bandwidth connectors. Through a comprehensive literature review and the expertise of the project team, potential risks were identified, followed by the creation of a survey designed to assess supplier capabilities for quality mitigation in the PCB industry.
North American PCB Industry Sales Up 35% in August
Published September 23
That headline is very large when it comes to sales numbers. The 35% refers to the previous year comparison (not to spoil the surprise). The rest of the report might be less rosy, but the news is not exactly bad. Read more here.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/29/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This week, we bring you Global Electronics Association’s Chris Mitchell’s government relations column on—you guessed it—trade deals. TTM is balancing its facilities between East and West. The Global Electronics Association released July numbers for North American PCB shipments, and the news is good. Meanwhile, the corresponding report for EMS might seem like bad news, but that’s misleading. Be sure to look deeper for the rest of the story. Finally, for a bit space-science palate cleansing, I’m sharing news of the latest launch of NASA’s X-37B.
Summit Interconnect Names Milan Shah as Vice Chairman of the Board
08/26/2025 | Summit Interconnect, Inc.Summit Interconnect, a leading provider of advanced PCB manufacturing, today announced that Milan Shah has been named Vice Chairman of the Board.
The Government Circuit: Navigating New Trade Headwinds and New Partnerships
08/25/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitAs global trade winds continue to howl, the electronics manufacturing industry finds itself at a critical juncture. After months of warnings, the U.S. Government has implemented a broad array of tariff increases, with fresh duties hitting copper-based products, semiconductors, and imports from many nations. On the positive side, tentative trade agreements with Europe, China, Japan, and other nations are providing at least some clarity and counterbalance.
Lessons From a Thousand Columns: Dan Beaulieu on Writing, Selling, and Staying the Course
08/21/2025 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007For 20 years, Dan Beaulieu has been a steady voice in sales and marketing, offering weekly columns that challenge, inspire, and guide professionals in the electronics industry and beyond. Soon, he will reach a remarkable milestone—his 1,000th It’s Only Common Sense weekly column. In this Q&A, we look behind the scenes of Dan’s writing journey, exploring what has kept him motivated, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how two decades of weekly columns have shaped his career and the industry conversation.
University Of Minnesota Team Claims Victory In Bright Manufacturing Challenge 2025 Round 1
08/19/2025 | EMACThe Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC) recently announced that Team "Rise and Grind Crew" from the University of Minnesota has emerged victorious in Round 1 of the Bright Manufacturing Challenge 2025.