Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
It’s Only Common Sense: Your Biggest Competitor Is Complacency
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
The Promising Future for CEE PCB in Thailand
January 22, 2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Tom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, understands the importance of collaboration between U.S. and Chinese fabricators. He believes that to understand the current political and economic conditions between the two countries, we must maintain a level of international business cooperation. In this interview, we discuss market conditions under a new U.S. administration, how companies like CEE are responding to potential changes, and CEE’s strategic move into Thailand.
Nolan Johnson: Tom, let’s start our discussion with market dynamics. What changes in agenda items and priorities do you anticipate with a new U.S. administration?
Tom Yang: The entire landscape is changing, similar to the trade war that started in 2018 between the U.S. and China. Then, the pandemic hit, and China’s lockdown disrupted the entire supply chain. That’s when U.S. customers started adopting the China Plus One strategy, looking to mitigate some risks by diversifying beyond China. It wasn’t just about the trade war but a mix of other concerns as well.
Now, U.S. and European customers have shifted parts of their supply chain to Southeast Asia. As a result, China is facing an oversupply problem with fewer customers. The market’s taking a tough turn—suddenly, it’s all about price, with everyone competing to undercut each other. It's honestly a bit chaotic, something we’ve never seen before, and it’s a real challenge for Chinese suppliers.
Johnson: With these changes, does there seem to be a push for Chinese suppliers to concentrate on the Chinese domestic market over an international market?
To read the entire interview, which first appeared in the January 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
American Made Advocacy: Smart Policies Can Ensure AI Data Centers Are Secure
10/28/2025 | Shane Whiteside -- Column: American Made AdvocacyMegatrends in the economy always capture the interest of the media, politicians, investors, and industry titans. The latest megatrend is artificial intelligence (AI), which has created a mad rush to increase American capabilities and has manifested itself in the proliferation of massive data centers.
Marcy’s Musings: The Legislative Outlook—Helping or Hurting?
10/20/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsJust before we were ready to publish our October issue of PCB007 Magazine, some breaking news from the White House, unfortunately (but perfectly) parlayed into why the topic of this month’s issue has been so important to cover in great depth.
China Expands Rare Earth Export Restrictions, Tightening Grip on Global Supply Chains
10/16/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamChina sharply expanded its rare earth export restrictions on Oct. 9, adding additional elements and refining technologies to its control list while imposing stricter rules on foreign users in the defense and semiconductor industries.
Critical Minerals: The New Power Play in Global Trade
10/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Access to critical minerals essential for electronics manufacturing, and China’s monopoly of them, is increasingly under scrutiny, with gallium (Ga) and germanium (Ge)at the forefront of this discourse. However, all critical minerals imported from China share a similar narrative, and understanding the implications of this dependency and the risks to both U.S. commercial and defense sectors has created an urgent need for a comprehensive electronics strategy to secure and diversify access to these vital minerals. In this candid interview, USPAE Executive Director Jim Will discusses the issues and the mitigation steps that must be taken to adequately address them.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
09/26/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Though the news cycle felt a little less exclamatory this week, there were many global business news headlines worth revisiting. Among them, China announced a bold carbon emissions goal of 10% over the next decade to double its solar and wind power capacity. The Wall Street Journal published an article, “Global Port Leaders See Trade Shifting, Not Slowing,” a nod to businesses’ risk mitigation strategies and execution around overreliance on China coming into play in a bigger way.