Built to Survive: Drones—Designed for the Mission
American Made Advocacy: While Congress Debates, America’s PCB Competitors Invest Billions
Defense Speak Interpreted: The Impact of Venture Capital-backed Defense Contractor Firms
My must-reads this week are dominated by supply chain news, especially earlier this week. Topping the list is the Panasonic Taiwan factory fire, which we can expect to disrupt the laminate supply chain. In contrast and coincidentally, Ventec and MICAM announced plans to ramp up laminate production in Ireland. Qnity released a companion guide to its “On the Line With…” podcast series, and the topic is, naturally, advanced materials. We take one step out of supply chain to bring you Chris Mitchell’s column on what to expect in U.S. trade policy now that the midterm elections have set the stage for the next two years, and we wrap up by welcoming I-Connect007’s latest columnist, Dow’s Dr. Cody Schoener, writing on mil/aero and space resilience.
Taiwan Panasonic Factory Fire Puts Supply Chain Under Further Pressure
Published November 10
A Nov. 4 fire at Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials Taiwan’s plant in Hukou Township, Hsinchu County, killed two employees and injured five. The cause remains under investigation. The facility had passed a fire safety inspection in August. A prolonged shutdown could compound pressure for advanced laminates, particularly if equipment replacement and customer requalification delay recovery.
The Government Circuit: Fewer Hammers, More Scalpels—What Divided Government Means for U.S. Trade Policy
Published November 10
Chris Mitchell, the vice president of government affairs at the Global Electronics Association, assesses the fallout to be expected from the blue wave in last week's U.S. midterm elections. With Congress shifting to Democratic control in both the House and Senate, Michell asks, “What will a divided government mean for trade?” Mitchell shares six key points on trade in this new environment.
I-Connect007 Welcomes Dr. Cody Schoener as Newest Mil/Aero Columnist
Published November 9
I-Connect007 is excited to welcome Dr. Cody Schoener of Dow as a new monthly columnist for our weekly Mil/Aero007 Week Newsletter. His column, Built to Survive, explores the materials and technologies used to protect electronics in demanding military, aerospace, and aviation environments. Through his column, Schoener will draw on that experience to examine how materials contribute to the reliability and performance of mission-critical electronics. Read his inaugural column here.
3 Key Takeaways: Why Advanced Materials Are Shaping the Future of Electronics
Published November 10
The electronics industry is facing a new generation of engineering challenges, and engineers face mounting pressure to increase performance, manage rising power densities, and ensure reliability as electronic systems become smaller and more complex. Qnity offers three key insights.
To learn more, download the companion guide, Engineering What’s Next, which expands on the discussions featured in its six-part On the Line With… Qnity: Engineering What’s Next podcast series, produced in collaboration with I-Connect007. The guide explores how advanced materials, engineering collaboration, and system-level design are helping the electronics industry address these demands while preparing for emerging technologies.
Ventec, MICAM to Establish European CCL Joint Venture in Ireland
Published November 9
The ongoing demand pressure for high-performance laminates is creating new manufacturing opportunities. For example, Ventec International Group, a Taiwanese specialist manufacturer of copper-clad laminates (CCL) and prepregs (PP), and MICAM, a long-established manufacturer of advanced composites for the industrial, security and defense industries, are developing a joint venture to establish CCL production at MICAM’s manufacturing facility in Mallow, Ireland. If you’re following the materials market, this announcement has potential supply chain benefits.
