Standard of Excellence: Speed vs. Quality in Customer Service
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Balancing Speed and Flexibility Without Sacrificing Control
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
May 12, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s not hyperbole to say that there’s never a dull moment in the world of PCB design and manufacturing. There’s always something interesting happening, and each week our contributors bring us a wide variety of articles, columns, and news items.
This week’s must-reads contains a veritable potpourri of information from around the industry. We have a Pete Starkey review of the latest EIPC webinar on ultra HDI and thin film resistors, an interview with the founder of an electronics trade school in Texas, and an update from PCBAA about their lobbying efforts in Washington.
We also have news about our brand-new podcast, or “pod,” as the kids say, and a column about the wisdom of Don Draper that just might serve technologists and managers well. Read on, folks!
I-Connect007 Launches 'On the Line with...' Podcast with Series on Sustainability
Published May 10
If you’re like me (and who isn’t?), you’re always looking for new content on Spotify. Well, you’re in luck. Our new podcast On the Line with… is now available on Spotify and other podcast platforms. Our first podcast features Siemens’ Patrick Hope and Pat McGoff discussing sustainability in PCB manufacturing.
It’s Only Common Sense: Eight Things I Learned from Don Draper
Published May 8
Many of us watched “Mad Men,” a show set in a 1950s-era ad agency that critics claimed glorified day drinking and sexual harassment in the workplace. That may be true. But along the way, protagonist Don Draper, creative director of the fictional ad agency, lays down some serious wisdom. Dan Beaulieu explains what we can all learn from the man with the snappy gray suit.
EIPC Review: Ultra-high-density Interconnects, Thin-film Resistor Materials
Published May 10
Pete Starkey returns with another installment of his coverage of the EIPC Technical Snapshot webinar series, and, of course, it’s one of the most-read articles of the week. No one covers these events like Pete; he breaks down cutting-edge presentations from the top experts in the industry, and provides background info so the reader can understand the potential ramifications of new processes and technologies. Always worth a read.
Texas Trade School Links Students With Employers
Published May 9
Chances are, you have a few open positions at your company, and you probably don’t have a stack of resumés awaiting your perusal. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a pipeline of young people who are trained and ready to start working? It may be time to team up with a school like Elvia Quintanilla’s Texas Technical Trade School. In this interview, she discusses the school’s curriculum, an electrical technical program taught by a certified electrical engineer.
American Made Advocacy: PCBAA's New Representation
Published May 11
Ever since the CHIPS Act was released last year, there’s been a lot of talk about how the DoD is going to support the electronics industry. But some of us don’t trust Washington as far as we can throw Rep. Jerrold Nadler. PCBAA is working to make sure that the CHIPS Act isn’t just lip service by congressmen eager to win reelection. In this column, Executive Director David Schild discusses the CHIPS Act, as well as the organization’s mission to “educate, advocate, and legislate for our industry.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
10/31/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Last week, the IMPACT conference took place in Taipei, bringing together advanced packaging experts from around the globe to share their knowledge. We’ll be bringing you post-conference coverage over the next few weeks, so look for that in our newsletters, and in the Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest. Other news seemed to have the U.S. at the center of the global discussions. My picks start in Phoenix, where TSMC, NVIDIA, and Amkor are all scrambling to establish new capabilities. There’s nothing like a strong demand signal to cause build-out, and AI chips are doing exactly that.
Real Time with... SMTAI 2025: Navigating Manufacturing Challenges with Akrometrix
11/03/2025 | Real Time with...SMTAIMarcy LaRont and Paul Handler of Aktrometrix share insights from the SMTAI show in Chicago. They address manufacturing challenges, particularly warpage issues, and discuss Akrometrix's solutions. Paul details three optical technologies for measuring warpage and thermal expansion, emphasizing the need for reliability and defect detection in production. The conversation also touches on new industry standards for board warpage, influenced by OEMs.
I-Connect007 Welcomes New Columnist: Leo Lambert, EPTAC
10/30/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce a column by Leo Lambert, an industry veteran with 40 years of experience, an award winner, and technical director at EPTAC. This column, Learning With Leo, will explore the evolution and related challenges of electronics product assembly, especially as it relates to training.
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.
SMTAI 2025 Review: Reflecting on a Pragmatic and Forward-looking Industry
10/27/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Leaving the show floor on the final afternoon of SMTA International last week in Rosemont, Illinois, it was clear that the show remains a grounded, technically driven event that delivers a solid program, good networking, and an easy space to commune with industry colleagues and meet with customers.