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More than a decade ago, I stood in front of an IPC APEX EXPO Design Forum audience and talked about something that was becoming more important in electronics design: successful communication with an international engineering team.
I had been working with a global PCB design organization that included a talented team in Bangalore, India. However, I was based in Arizona, where there was a 12-hour time difference separating us. With different work schedules, cultures, languages, and communication styles, there were plenty of reasons that could have made collaboration difficult.
Instead, the experience taught me that these differences did not need to be a barrier. If a global team is structured and managed correctly, geographic and other cultural separations can become an advantage. Communication, trust, accountability, respect, and knowledge sharing must always remain the foundation of any successful global collaboration.
This is equally true for global engineering teams, and now, with improvements in our technology and communication tools, distributed engineering has become integral to the development of complex electronic products.
The Time Difference Can Become an Advantage
One of the most obvious challenges of an international team is working across extended time zones. When there is a 12-hour time difference, meetings are more difficult to schedule, and questions and problems may have to wait for many hours to be answered or resolved.
But I found that the time difference became an engineering advantage. The engineering day effectively follows the sun, so if the work is properly organized, one team can continue where another team left off. A PCB designer in one location completes a portion of the design, documents the work, identifies open questions, and hands it off to another designer who is just beginning their workday. That creates engineering continuity.
To continue reading this article, which appeared in the September 2026 I-Connect007 Magazine, click here.
