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SMTAI 2022: Like a Tesla in a Drag Race
November 3, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute

If you’ve ever experienced an electric car launching from a dead stop, felt the torque and acceleration that a motor made of magnets and copper coils can deliver over a combustion engine, then you’ll have a sense for how this year’s SMTAI took off—both literally and figuratively.
The launch to the event was John Thomas’ keynote on “the EV conundrum.” Thomas is a key executive with Autel, a new startup specializing in EV chargers. Early in his presentation, referring to the industry and government commitments to stop selling combustion engine automobiles by 2035, Thomas said, “Never have I seen an adoption happen as fast as this.”
Later, however, he used a pair of photographs to illustrate how we’ve transitioned even faster in the past. One photo showed a New York City street in 1903, with a crush of horse-drawn carriages and a lone automobile. The second photo, taken of a NYC street in 1913, showed a traffic jam of automobiles, with a single horse-drawn carriage. Did the hay-selling companies transition to gasoline?
Thomas’ keynote positively dripped with optimism wrapped in uncertainty. By the end of his speech, it was clear that the automobile will eventually be made up of 94% electronics and 6% mechanics. Clearly, in the automotive industry overall, the hay-sellers of today will need to pivot to new business models. Simultaneous optimism and urgency was the takeaway from the keynote.
Moments later, the show launched like a Tesla in a drag race. Just 90 minutes into the show, multiple exhibitors I talked to proclaimed that they’d already taken more customer leads than during the entire show in 2021. Attendees were here to learn and, most likely, make some purchase decisions. The technical conference tracks and the networking events continue through tomorrow.
We’ll be posting audio interviews from the show on our Real Time with… SMTAI site. Keep checking back for more show coverage over the next few months. See you on the road.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/18/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007It may be the middle of the summer, but the news doesn’t quit, and there’s plenty to talk about this week, whether you’re talking technical or on a global scale. When I have to choose six items instead of my regular five, you know it’s good. I start by highlighting my interview with Martyn Gaudion on his latest book, share some concerning tariff news, follow that up with some promising (and not-so-promising) investments, and feature a paper from last January’s inaugural Pan-European Design Conference.
Elephantech Launches World’s Smallest-Class Copper Nanofiller
07/17/2025 | ElephantechJapanese deep-tech startup Elephantech has launched its cutting-edge 15 nm class copper nanofiller – the smallest class available globally. This breakthrough makes Elephantech one of the first companies in the world to provide such advanced material for commercial use.
Copper Price Surge Raises Alarms for Electronics
07/15/2025 | Global Electronics Association Advocacy and Government Relations TeamThe copper market is experiencing major turbulence in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on imported copper effective Aug. 1. Recent news reports, including from the New York Times, sent U.S. copper futures soaring to record highs, climbing nearly 13% in a single day as manufacturers braced for supply shocks and surging costs.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.