It’s Only Common Sense: Marketing Isn’t Fluff, It’s Ammunition
Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
CMK Hits the Gas on Automotive PCBs
April 14, 2023 | Kelly Dack, CID+, EPTACEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Guest Editor Kelly Dack recently spoke with Mike Meyer, senior business development manager for CMK Americas, which specializes in manufacturing PCBs for the automotive sector. In this interview, they discuss CMK’s latest developments, trends in the global automotive market, and why they plan to expand their facility in Thailand.
Kelly Dack: Mike, nice to meet you. Tell us a little about CMK. What’s your sweet spot?
Mike Meyer: Absolutely. We are a Japanese-based printed circuit board manufacturer. Our headquarters are in Tokyo. We have manufacturing locations in Japan, China, and Thailand. We're primarily automotive-based. About 80% of our business is in the automotive industry.
Dack: Let's zoom in on the automotive industry. What are some special considerations for automotive PCBs?
Meyer: Well, quality and reliability are two of the requirements if you want to be a PCB supplier in the automotive industry. Also, you really need a global presence and the ability to support other types of initiatives like warehousing and things like that. This is something that we're really pretty good at. Very few people know that CMK is actually one of the world's largest automotive printed circuit board companies. That's because up until now, we’ve primarily done business with other Japanese automotive electronics companies. So what we're trying to do now is to start to expand that into non-Japanese car companies as well.
Dack: How about capability? Designers are always asking about capabilities.
Meyer: Sure. The bulk of our business is your standard multilayer, HDI, 10-layer, 12-layer, and 3-N-3 type product, which is typically going into your automotive applications. But we do have some capabilities like rigid-flex, metal-bonded boards and things like that for thermal management that we're able to do as well.
Dack: Very good. Now, why Thailand?
Meyer: When you consider what's happening right now on a global basis, we're very strategically located—not only in Japan and China, but also in Thailand. In fact, Thailand is the location where we're anticipating the most growth. In fact, it's public knowledge already that we are planning to expand that facility in anticipation of folks wanting to explore options outside of China.
Dack: That's the way it's going, right?
Meyer: Yes, it is. If you pay attention to the news and what's happening in the industry, there's a lot of interest in Thailand. In fact, we know that some other printed circuit board manufacturers are interested in moving into that region. We believe we have an advantage because we've been there since 2007. We’re very well established there and have a great facility which is very capable and, quite frankly, it will soon have a lot more capacity.
Dack: Thanks for speaking with me, Mike.
Meyer: Thank you. I appreciate it.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Kevin Barrett Joins Technica USA as PCB Business Development and Account Manager
11/03/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA is proud to announce that Kevin Barrett has rejoined Team Technica as PCB Business Development /Account Manager.
Better Sustainability Policies for Electronics
10/29/2025 | Diana Radovan, Global Electronics AssociationI joined the Global Electronics Association in August 2025 as the director of sustainability policy. Since then, much has happened in terms of geopolitics and in the development and re-envisioning of sustainability policies in the industry. While the European Commission has released several legislative packages to simplify sustainability requirements (“omnibus”), these developments haven’t yet settled and are not in effect. Given the many recent and ongoing public consultations, with often conflicting input from a broad range of stakeholders, final negotiations remain rather polarized among policymakers.
Marcy’s Musings: The Legislative Outlook—Helping or Hurting?
10/20/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsJust before we were ready to publish our October issue of PCB007 Magazine, some breaking news from the White House, unfortunately (but perfectly) parlayed into why the topic of this month’s issue has been so important to cover in great depth.
Our Legislative Outlook: PCB007 Magazine October 2025 Issue
10/16/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamMost agree that we are experiencing an unprecedented time in global business and economics, with rules and laws that open doors to business but can complicate operations and make profitability more challenging. This month, PCB007 Magazine features some of today’s leading experts on legislative issues affecting the electronics industry, including rules and laws, trade, sustainability, business expansion, grants, and more in the U.S., Europe, and China.
It’s Only Common Sense: Stop Whining About the Market—Outwork It
10/06/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseWhenever the market hiccups or the industry cycle dips, I hear the same tired chorus: “The market is down. Customers aren’t buying. What can we do? We just have to wait it out.” Nonsense. If you think that by showing up, opening your doors, and waiting for the economy to smile kindly upon you, that success will follow, you are in the wrong business. Worse yet, you’re living in the wrong mindset. Most people don’t want to hear the truth that winners find business in down cycles. Losers blame the economy.