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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
March 4, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
![](https://iconnect007.com/application/files/1917/2542/9909/Nolan_Johnson_300.jpg)
In the news this week we found a synchrony of topics. Much of the world is aware of the speaking points from U.S. President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address this past Tuesday. In that speech, President Biden talked prominently about U.S. legislation in process to bring more technology manufacturing back to the states. In fact, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was not only an invited guest, but was referred to directly in the speech as a positive example. I can only assume that President Biden meant that moment to be a motivator for other CEOs in the industry.
But President Biden’s speech only went so far in his mentions. We in the printed circuit manufacturing industry know that semiconductors aren’t useful until you can connect them to the entire system. Funding chips alone will not be enough. Organizations such as IPC and PCBAA are working to help legislators in the U.S. (and globally, in IPC’s case) understand that critical attention and development thought needs to be focused on the printed circuit portion of the supply chain if they want the semiconductor investment to be successful.
The March issue of SMT007 Magazine was released this week. This month, we looked at the strategic investment environment in the U.S. and internationally. It is our intention to help move this conversation forward—not for political reasons, but for the good and resilience of our industry worldwide. Please give it a read.
My other favorite picks this week include:
IPC Applauds Biden’s Focus on Semiconductors, Urges Passage of Competitiveness Legislation
Published March 2
Released to the press on the day of President Biden’s State of the Union address, IPC highlighted the anticipated sections that would address our industry. IPC pledged to “continue to work with the Biden’s Administration to strengthen America’s semiconductor supply chain and urges the swift passage of competitiveness legislation to help expand the domestic semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industries.” I don’t have to say much more about why this is so important.
Northrop Grumman Develops Prototype Constellation Supporting Joint All-Domain Command
Published March 1
From the press release, “Northrop Grumman leveraged its commercial marketplace partnerships to deliver a rapid, affordable, highly-effective solution for SDA. “We’ve fully embraced SDA’s rapid, go-to-market spirit. It’s this vision for speed that allows us to field an innovative system quickly,” said Blake Bullock, vice president, communication systems, Northrop Grumman.” The U.S. Department of Defense has been working diligently on its communications systems between military units, and this is a welcome solution.
SEMI Survey Highlights U.S. Chip Industry Competitiveness, Government Investment
Published February 28
SEMI highlights three primary takeaways from the survey, intended to identify the challenges facing the semiconductor industry:
- Invest in the Entire Semiconductor Ecosystem
- Public and Private Funding is Key
- Invest in Multi-Generational Workforce Initiatives
Not unsurprisingly, these are the same takeaways as we find in the PCB manufacturing ecosystem as well. Read the article for more details.
North American EMS Industry Down 6% in January
Published February 28
Don’t panic too quickly. Though total North American EMS shipments in January 2022 were down 6% compared to the same month last year, the book-to-bill ratio stands, however, at 1.58. Click through to read all the details on IPC’s EMS Shipments report.
IPC: North American PCB Industry Sales Up 7.7% in January
Published February 25
Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist, says “We believe supply chain constraints will continue to slowly ease through the remainder of the year which should help companies improve shipment schedules.” We’re not out of the woods yet, but there are positive signs of recovery.
David Pogue Keynote Opens IPC APEX EXPO 2022
Published February 28
Pete Starkey’s inimitable reporting style brings Pogue’s keynote to life. It’s as simple as that. Readers flocked to this particular news item as well. In fact, reads were high enough to make this one article, the keynote report from our special Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO Show & Tell Magazine a statistical outlier. I just had to include it. I’m going to be talking about this issue a lot, because there’s much to be gained from our coverage of the show. If you were there, you’ll see what I mean. If you weren’t, you won’t feel like you missed a beat.
Suggested Items
SEMICON India 2024 to Highlight Local Semiconductor Ecosystem Growth and Industry Trends
09/06/2024 | SEMISEMICON India 2024 will bring together global leaders, semiconductor industry experts, academia, and government officials from September 11-13, 2024, at the India Exposition Mart Ltd. (IEML) in Greater Noida, Delhi NCR.
STARTEAM GLOBAL Announces Strategic Partnerships with Notion Systems and Peters Group
09/03/2024 | STARTEAM GLOBALSTARTEAM GLOBAL, an established printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer with over 35 years of expertise, is pleased to announce new strategic partnerships with two German corporations: Notion Systems GmbH, a manufacturer of inkjet printing systems for functional materials, and Lackwerke Peters GmbH & Co. KG, also known as Peters Group, a full-range supplier of coating materials for electronics and PCBs worldwide.
Audits: A Critical Element of Process Control
09/03/2024 | Randy Cherry, IPCA formal audit always seems difficult to justify. Companies do not want the expense, and employees do not want the hassle. There is always a chance of failure, and management struggles to understand the benefits. If you or your company has had issues with auditing, hopefully, this article will help you feel a little more comfortable about the auditing process.
YES Signs MoU with Tamil Nadu Government
08/30/2024 | PRNewswireYield Engineering Systems (YES) is a leading manufacturer of process equipment for AI and HPC semiconductor solutions. YES announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Government of Tamil Nadu.
Electronics Manufacturing Services Market to Grow by $164.6 Billion from 2024-2028
08/30/2024 | PRNewswireThe global electronics manufacturing service market size is estimated to grow by $164.6 billionn from 2024-2028, according to Technavio.