Nolan’s Notes: Tariffs, Technologies, and Optimization
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Finding the Balance Between Cost and Quality
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Best Practices for Electronic Component Salvaging
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
March 7, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s been a busy week. My must-reads include articles and news items on global trends and challenges, groundbreaking technology, the hunt for the elusive young PCB designers, and some personnel changes. We also have a great column on the value of following up and keeping promises. We’re all guilty of “dropping the ball” from time to time, aren’t we? So, how do you recover?
IPC APEX EXPO takes place in Anaheim, California, March 18-20, and we’ll be there from ribbon-cutting through the final announcement telling everyone that the show is closed. We’ll be bringing you Real Time with… video interviews with the movers and shakers in PCB design, fabrication, assembly, and test. I’ll be glad to get out of Atlanta—it’s freezing here.
If you’re at the IPC show, stop by our booth and say hello. In the meantime, have a good weekend.
IMAPS’ Annual Conference Opener in Phoenix ‘Blew My Mind’
Published March 5
PCB007 Editor Marcy LaRont brings us this review of the first day’s events at the IMAPS Device Packaging Conference in Phoenix this week. As she explains, there was a lot of attention paid to AI and advanced packaging substrates, including glass. I understand the appeal of glass at the packaging level. I’ve heard some PCB fabricators discuss using glass; has anyone on the PCB side ever utilized glass?
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Advances Neurotechnology
Published March 5
If you’ve been following Anaya Vardya’s UHDI series, you’re aware that his new technology is a real game-changer. In this installment, Anaya explains how UHDI figures into the development of neurotechnology, especially brain-computer interfaces (BCI). It’s a brave new world for UHDI, and the innovation is only getting started.
Summit Interconnect Announces Key Executive Appointments: Sean Patterson Named CTO, Michael Norman Joins as President and COO
Published March 6
Summit Interconnect has new leadership now, with COO Sean Patterson becoming the company’s first CTO. Michael Norman joins Summit from Raytheon, becoming president and COO. Shane Whiteside will continue as CEO and chairman of the board.
It’s Only Common Sense: Follow Through and Keep Your Promises
Published March 3
Dan Beaulieu really nails it this week: We work in a blizzard of emails and texts, so following up is a real necessity. There’s really no excuse for failing to follow up, and we’re all guilty of this at one time or another. But we all know which of our friends, customers, and suppliers are the most likely to follow up, and they’re the ones we tend to want to deal with. Dan says, “Following through on promises isn’t a common trait.” I’d like to disagree, but he may be right. Check it out.
Recruiting the Next Generation of PCB Designers at Garmin
Published March 6
It’s no secret that we’re running out of PCB designers and design engineers. There are open PCB design jobs around the globe, and there aren’t enough designers to fill these jobs. In this interview, Garmin’s design engineering manager, LB Yates, explains the company’s plans to recruit and train the next generation of PCB designers.
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Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
Taiwan PCB Industry Projects NT$915.7 Billion Output in 2025, Driven by AI Demand
10/03/2025 | TPCATaiwan's PCB manufacturing output is projected to reach NT$218.2 billion in the second quarter of 2025, a 14.4% increase over the same period in 2024.
PCB West 2025 Showcases Success: An Interview with Mike Buetow
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
10/03/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007It’s been a busy week. We’ve been covering PCB West, and we’ll be bringing you a variety of news and interviews from the show in the next few weeks. We’ll also be attending SMTA International later this month, and productronica as trade show season rolls on. This week, we have a number of interesting columns and news items. We start with a positive story about North American PCB sales, which were heading in the right direction in August. Don Ball writes about the ins and out of working with overseas partners, and there’s a great column by Dan Beaulieu on avoiding the temptation to offer discounts when your customer gets squirrely.
North American PCB Industry Sales Up 12.8% in August
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Technica Hosts In-House Visit from PCBAA
10/01/2025 | Technica USADavid Schild, Executive Director of PCBAA (Printed Circuit Board Association of America) visited Technica USA to discuss the activity in the market and the advocacy of the PCBAA. The organization was formed to work on Capitol Hill, educating, advocating and getting congressional support to legislate on behalf of building a stronger PCB and substrate manufacturing base in the U.S.A.