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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
April 22, 2022 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It’s been a busy week in this industry, and we have news and articles from the PCB design, fabrication, and assembly communities. The roller coaster ride continues, with whiplash-inducing news from IPC about March North American shipment—they’re up from February but down from the same period a year ago.
We also have articles that cover everything from upskilling your labor force to using big data to help bring manufacturing back to North America. We have a review of one of our latest books, Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Stackups: The Design within the Design, and a great column by Anaya Vardya about the need for American manufacturers to stop viewing one another as adversaries and start working together. We’re down to 200 domestic fabricators; cooperation may be the only answer.
As Ben Franklin said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”
IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for March 2022
Published April 22
Good news, bad news: According to IPC, March North American PCB shipments rose 5.6% over the previous month but fell 11.7% YOY. As Shawn DuBravac says, supply chain issues are improving just as orders are dropping in various markets. Never a dull moment in this industry.
Training the Future Manufacturing Labor Force
Published April 19
There’s been a lot of talk about the need to “upskill” the PCB manufacturing labor force, but what does that entail, exactly? In this interview, Michael Connella, Matt Stevenson, and Debra Coburn discuss Sunstone Circuits’ plans to keep their staff trained on the latest in fabrication technology and processes.
Big Data Can Bring Your Business Back
Published April 20
It’s all about data. In this industry, you either manage your data or you get left behind. But big data may provide the advantage that North America needs to regain some of the work lost to overseas companies. In this article, Siemens’ Zac Elliott explains how big data just might be the differentiator that American companies have been waiting for.
The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Stackups: The Design within the Design
Published April 18
The I-Connect007 book Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Stackups: The Design within the Design has been flying off our virtual newsstand. No wonder: The stackup may be the most important part of your PCB design. One of our readers, signal integrity engineer Skyler Sopp, has written a review of this timely tome. Check it out.
Standard of Excellence: From Adversaries to Collaborators—Let’s Do This Together
Published April 20
Columnist Anaya Vardya makes a great point here: “Our domestic PCB industry could have stood stronger and been much more vibrant today if we had stood together, shoulder to shoulder as one united industry. But alas, we did not, and today this what we have: fewer than 200 companies striving to stay alive with our wagons still moving in a straight and vulnerable line instead of coming together in a circle of strength.” Don’t miss this column.
Suggested Items
Digitalisation and ESG
04/19/2024 | Marina Hornasek-Metzl, AT&SDigitalisation and ESG are prominent and high-priority topics in the global business community. The first focuses on applying technology throughout the value chain to produce faster, smarter, and more desirable business outcomes. The latter emphasises the broader value a business is expected to create for its stakeholders from an environmental, social, and governance perspective.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Looking Back, Looking Forward With IEC
04/19/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOIEC came to the RTW booth and discussed both the legacy of IEC's past and the vision for its future. Industry veteran Bruno Ferri highlighted his quarter-century tenure in the industry and with IEC since its founding. He still exhibits boundless enthusiasm for the industry. Brando Stone, a young professional and a future face of IEC, talked about IEC's plans going forward and his experience at this year's IPC APEX EXPO.
Seeking Employment: Meet Parker Capers
04/18/2024 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Parker Capers, a cybersecurity professional with a decade of experience in the SMT industry, earned a bachelor’s degree from DeVry and is CompTIA Security Plus certified. He is open to various industries but has a strong affinity for manufacturing due to extensive familiarity. Parker appreciates smaller companies where personal connections matter. Are you hiring?
SEMI Applauds CHIPS Program Office Progress to Diversify U.S. Semiconductor Industry Workforce
04/18/2024 | SEMIThe SEMI Foundation, the arm of SEMI dedicated to supporting economic opportunity for workers and the sustained growth of the microelectronics industry by creating pathways and opportunities for job seekers, applauded strides made by the CHIPS Program Office to diversify the U.S. semiconductor industry workforce and its release of the First Annual Report Regarding the Opportunities and Inclusion Activities Undertaken by the Department of Commerce.
VDMA: Machine Vision Navigating Through Uncertain Times
04/18/2024 | VDMAFor over a decade, the European machine vision industry has reported steady growth, with turnover increasing by an average of 9 percent annually between 2012 and 2022. Despite a temporary setback in 2020 (minus 4 percent) due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry rebounded strongly in 2021 (plus 17 percent) and 2022 (plus 11 percent).