The 21st Century PCB Factory– Designed to Eliminate Offshore Cost Advantages
July 1, 2016 | Alex Stepinski, WHELEN ENGINEERINGEstimated reading time: Less than a minute
Over 15 years have passed since North America and Europe ceased being the center of worldwide PCB fabrication and were supplanted by a Chinese market with low-cost labor, lax environmental requirements, and strong government support. In just a few short years, the superior offshore cost advantages of this new dynamic put volume PCB production in the West out of business, aside from the military and specialty technology applications contained in the few shops that continue to exist today.
Recently, however, the conditions that created the current equilibrium appear to be shifting again. In this new dynamic, automation, innovative green wastewater technologies, and next generation process equipment innovations have combined to make new factories capable of achieving rapid ROI for PCB fabrication almost anywhere in the world. This paper means to illustrate this new dynamic, and provide case study examples from the new greenfield installation at our captive facility in New Hampshire.
Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine.
Suggested Items
RTX's Collins Aerospace to Provide UK Chinook Helicopters with Interoperable Avionics System
11/12/2024 | RTXCollins Aerospace, an RTX business, has received a $19 million contract from the Department of Defense to equip a fleet of new H-47 Chinooks for the UK Royal Air Force with its Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) avionics management suite.
Absolute EMS Earns ITAR Registration
10/31/2024 | Absolute EMS, Inc.Absolute EMS, Inc., a six-time award-winning provider of fast turnaround, turnkey contract electronic manufacturing services (EMS), proudly announces its ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) registration, reinforcing its commitment to serving military, aerospace and defense OEM customers.
Intersoft Electronics Establishes Services Branch in Asia Pacific
10/08/2024 | Intersoft Electronics GroupIntersoft Electronics Group announced the establishment of Intersoft Electronics Services APAC. This development perfectly aligns to the strategy of serving local markets and expanding the Intersoft Electronics Group’s global presence as a technology and services provider for civil and military CNS customers.
RENK, QinetiQ Announce Strategic Partnership in Advanced Mobility Technology
09/10/2024 | QinetiQQinetiQ and RENK Group AG, a leading supplier of military and civilian propulsion solutions have signed a strategic partnership agreement that will see the two companies jointly develop future mobility concepts for military land platforms in the weight class of 5 to 60 tons. The partnership will focus on advanced hybridisation concepts and uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs).
Archer Delivers First Midnight Aircraft to The United States Air Force
08/16/2024 | BUSINESS WIREArcher Aviation Inc. announced it has delivered its first Midnight aircraft to the USAF to evaluate as part of its AFWERX Agility Prime contract valued at up to $142M..