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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
October 24, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
This week, we have quite a bit of international content in this week’s list of must-reads. Nothing happens in a vacuum, including electronics manufacturing and design, and this has been quite an eventful year. How many of us are now tariff experts? I’m certainly not, but that hasn’t stopped me from opining about the situation.
We start with a column by Don Ball, who addresses an idea that many managers have had: Is now a good time to consider reshoring? Maybe, or maybe not. He shares a few recent experiences with customers pondering that same question. Then Alison James of the Global Electronics Association looks at the current state of PCB manufacturing in the EU, as well as the governing body’s political and legislative outlook regarding electronics. We have news about MacDermid Alpha’s expansion of its state-of-the-art lab in Bangkok. Thailand is certainly becoming a leader in the China Plus One movement.
Zach Caprai of Siemens EDA discusses optimizing your power delivery network when working with advanced SoCs, and he walks us through a case study by AMD that focuses on their Versal adaptive SoC platform. And Nolan Johnson explains why EMS managers might want to study up on AI; it could help their bottom line, and in more ways than one. Yes, many of us still don’t totally trust AI, but if it can help increase revenue, I’m listening.
We’ve been covering SMTA International in Rosemont, Illinois this week, and we’ll have a post-show review of the show coming up on Monday. Stay tuned!
Waging the Battle for American PCB Reshoring
Published October 21
In the past, you may have thought about reshoring your PCB manufacturing needs once or twice. With all of the tariff-fed Sino-American intrigue, this might seem to be the perfect time to open a fabrication facility right here in the good old U.S. of A. But how do you know if that’s the best move for your company? This week, columnist Don Ball discusses two recent examples of customers who were considering reshoring, and the pros and cons to evaluate before saying “zàijiàn” to your suppliers in China.
An EU at the Crossroads
Published October 23
Speaking of international relations, Alison James of the Global Electronics Association has a great piece about the European Union’s electronics manufacturing industry. As she points out, the EU’s political and legislative efforts have been affected by changes in the geopolitical landscape, such as the war in Ukraine, as well as defense and supply chain requirements. What does all of this mean for European PCB manufacturers? Read on.
MacDermid Alpha Expands Laboratory Facilities in Thailand to Strengthen Regional Innovation and Customer Collaboration
Published October 23
President Donald Trump, with his focus on tariff reform, has thrown quite a bit of kindling into the China Plus One fire. More and more companies are investing heavily in Asian countries, as we see with this latest news from MacDermid Alpha and the expansion of its Bangkok laboratory. We can expect to see more investment in Thailand for at least the near future.
PDN Optimization: Balancing Performance and Cost in SoC Designs
Published October 22
Proper power integrity is becoming tougher for designers to achieve, especially when dealing with today’s cutting-edge SoCs, and it will only get tougher. In this article, Zach Caprai of Siemens EDA lays out a number of advanced PDN optimization techniques by highlighting a case study of AMD’s Versal adaptive SoC platform. Power Rangers, activate!
Five Ways to Revolutionize EMS Sales With AI
Published October 22
Whether you like AI or not, you have to admit that it’s having quite a year. I use AI almost every day as a sped-up Google, basically. But, as Nolan Johnson explains in this article, there are many ways that EMS providers can use AI to help their bottom line. For those of us who saw the Rolling Stones before they had their first gray hairs, this is all pretty wild. Check it out. The more we understand about AI, the easier it will be to prevent Skynet from taking over.
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