-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSpotlight on India
We invite you on a virtual tour of India’s thriving ecosystem, guided by the Global Electronics Association’s India office staff, who share their insights into the region’s growth and opportunities.
Supply Chain Strategies
A successful brand is built on strong customer relationships—anchored by a well-orchestrated supply chain at its core. This month, we look at how managing your supply chain directly influences customer perception.
What'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?
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Walt Custer: Making Data Interesting
September 3, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

I just learned that IPC Hall of Famer Walt Custer has passed away at 81. I first met Walt about 20 years ago when I started covering the fabrication industry. Right away, he started telling me which companies to watch and which trends to follow. This was in the years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid.
I still remember the first time I saw him do a presentation at a TMRC conference years ago—was it Scottsdale, Arizona? I thought it was going to be a snooze-fest, but I needed the content. Maybe I could get some other work done while I was taking notes.
I got zero other work done. Walt walked us through his data like an attorney laying out the case for his client. And he zealously represented his client—data!
He opened by acknowledging that, yes, this was going to be somewhat dry, but to bear with him. The content itself was borderline boring, but Walt’s delivery was anything but; he was almost bursting with data that he needed to get out of his system. He could have talked for days about “rest of world” semiconductor volumes.
Walt would post these seemingly disparate slides about, say, global PCB material prices, and just when the audience was wondering where this was all going, he would display a slide that tied everything together, and Walt would smile like a new dad.
But for a lot of audience members, the best part of a Custer presentation was the selection of cartoons that peppered his slide shows. Walt was the first presenter I ever saw use cartoons throughout a presentation, not just at the beginning or end. You never knew what cartoons would make it into his slide deck; it might be something from The Far Side or The New Yorker, or some cartoon you’d never heard of. After a dozen or so graphs and charts, you knew a cartoon was on the way.
Walt got the joke: As important as this data was to him, he understood that it was hard for the audience to pay attention for an hour after lunch.
Walt taught us to pay attention to the data, even from “rest of world.” His son Jonathan is now leading Custer Consulting Group, the company Walt founded 26 years ago. We all wish Walt’s family the best.
Click here to read Jonathan Custer's letter to the industry regarding Walt's passing.
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
HyRel Technologies Showcases Summer Intern Success Through Hands-On Innovation
09/16/2025 | HyRel TechnologiesHyRel Technologies, a global provider of quick turn semiconductor modification solutions, proudly highlights the accomplishments of its two recent summer interns, Danny Hoang and Nisarg Jadav.
ICAPE Group Unveils Exclusive Report on Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing
09/15/2025 | ICAPE GroupICAPE Group, a global leader in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and custom electronics manufacturing, today announces the launch of its 2025 Industry Outlook & Innovation Report: Sustainability in Electronics Manufacturing. This exclusive report is accompanied by fresh insights from a dedicated Statista survey of 100 electronics manufacturing professionals, commissioned by ICAPE Group.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
09/12/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007We may be post-Labor Day, but it is still hot-hot-hot here in the great state of Arizona—much like our news cycles, which have continued to snap, crackle, and pop with eye-raising headlines over this past week. In broader global tech news this week, AI and tariff-type restrictions continues to dominate with NVIDIA raising its voice against U.S. lawmakers pushing chip restrictions, ASML investing in a Dutch AI start-up company to the tune of $1.5 billion, and the UAE joining the ranks of the U.S. and China in embracing “open source” with their technology in hopes of accelerating their AI position.
Machvision Leads Shift to Automated Inline Final Inspection, AOI in North America
09/10/2025 | Ralph Jacobo, all4-PCBSchweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) chose Machvision inspection equipment due to its capabilities and versatility. Machvision of Taiwan offers circuit inspection, hole inspection and measurement, IC Substrate and HDI inspection, and final visual inspection solutions. The best fit for SEL was the 4.0Pro Circuit Inspection for inner and outer layers, and the AFI6 for final visual inspection of finished panels.
Dan Feinberg on Walt Custer: Remembering an Extraordinary Business Associate and Friend
09/09/2025 | Dan Feinberg, Technology Editor, I-Connect007The passing of Walt Custer marks the end of an era for all those who knew him and were helped and impressed by his presence, both personally and professionally. Walt's life was characterized by his unwavering commitment to the industry, his profound wisdom and willingness to share it, and his infectious enthusiasm for everything he did.