Be the Partner Engineers Can Rely On

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Green Circuits’ unique niche in the electronics manufacturing industry comes partly from its location in Silicon Valley, but also from its specialty of serving up quick-turn prototypes and low-volume work with high-complexity production. In this conversation, CEO Michael Hinshaw emphasizes the value of end-to-end services, especially while the pace of R&D development is accelerating amidst a growing demand for complexity across industries. Green Circuits’ sustained success, he says, stems from being a partner engineers can rely on—something that scales through relationships, referrals, and a reputation for complex builds.

Nolan Johnson: Your location in Silicon Valley provides a unique placement and customer base to serve locally. How do you describe your niche at Green Circuits?

Michael Hinshaw: To our customers, we are a quick-turn prototype house, but we straddle the line between the capabilities of a large contract manufacturer (CM) and the agility and interpersonal relationships of a small shop. Truthfully, with 190 employees, we're probably one of the largest CMs—certainly one of the largest quick-turn CMs—in California, and maybe even in the U.S. We run five lines with 20 Juki machines, so our lines are substantial. Our builds focus on agility and high complexity. We've can take customers from prototype into low-volume complex production.

Silicon Valley is a solid customer base for us. I'd say about 60% of what we do is on the West Coast; 40% is in the rest of the country, including New England; Space Coast (Florida); Huntsville, Alabama; Texas; and Colorado. We've a diverse geographic footprint.

Our customer mix is about 30% aerospace and defense and about 30% medical. The rest is a mix of power systems, automation, and AI, all with a tendency toward higher complexity, smaller volumes, and high-performance situations.

To continue reading this interview, which originally appeared in the July 2025 SMT007 Magazine, click here.