LEESBURG, VA – May 2026 – The SearchWorks Group, a leading executive search firm specializing in the electronics manufacturing market, is seeing a noticeable shift in how electronics manufacturers are hiring—and how candidates are responding—heading into the second half of 2026.

At the top level, executive search activity is up. Over the past 6–12 months, there’s been a steady increase in demand for C-suite and functional leadership roles, including CEOs, COOs, commercial leaders, and heads of operations. Much of this is tied to companies preparing for growth, ownership transitions, or private equity activity over the next few years.

At the same time, candidates aren’t moving as quickly.

Even strong candidates are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to changing jobs. Between economic uncertainty, housing concerns, and general risk avoidance, many are hesitant to make a move unless the opportunity clearly outweighs what they already have. In a market that’s already close to full employment, that hesitation is making hiring more competitive.

One of the biggest challenges continues to be the “next generation” gap.

Companies are actively looking for experienced Gen X and early Millennial leaders to step into senior roles, but that group remains limited. Many Baby Boomers are still in leadership positions but are beginning to plan exits over the next few years, while younger talent is still building experience. That leaves a narrow band of candidates who are both ready and willing to step in—and they’re in high demand.

Engineering talent is another pressure point.

Even as automation, AI, and robotics continue to gain traction, the need for experienced manufacturing, process, and quality engineers hasn’t gone away. In many cases, it’s the opposite—growth is being slowed not by lack of business, but by lack of technical talent to support it.

On the commercial side, business development remains the most active hiring area.

Roughly half of recent searches have been tied to BD roles, ranging from leadership positions to individual contributors. These roles are often highly specific, requiring either deep experience in a vertical market like aerospace, medical, or industrial, or a strong presence in a defined geographic region.

Supply chain leadership is also getting more attention.

Companies are shifting away from purely cost-driven sourcing strategies toward more regionalized, risk-aware models. With ongoing tariff pressure and component constraints, there’s a growing need for leaders who can build resilient supply chains and get involved earlier in the design process.

“Know what you bring to the table and what you want next,” said Jeremy Vanselous, President of The SearchWorks Group. “The market is still active, but companies are being selective. If you’re going to make a move, it should be for the right reasons—not just to explore.”

Based on what it’s seeing across the market, The SearchWorks Group is encouraging companies to be realistic—and proactive—about hiring.

That means recognizing the generational gaps, being ready to act when strong candidates become available, and making sure compensation, benefits, and career paths are competitive. Just as important, companies need to understand how candidates are thinking right now. Changing jobs carries more perceived risk than it did a few years ago, and that mindset matters.

The SearchWorks Group works closely with electronics manufacturers across North America and Europe, helping them navigate these challenges and secure the talent they need to move forward.

For more information about The SearchWorks Group and its executive search services, visit www.searchworksgroup.com.

Altus Group, a leading distributor of capital equipment for electronics manufacturing in the UK and Ireland, has announced the return of its ‘Factory of the Future’ event for 2026. Taking place from 22–24 September in Buckinghamshire, the three-day event will once again bring together leading manufacturing technologies and suppliers from across the electronics industry.

Following two successful events hosted at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, this year’s Factory of the Future will introduce a new format, and take place inside a customer’s manufacturing facility. The site has recently invested in one of the most advanced SMT lines in the UK, giving attendees the opportunity to see a real high-performance production environment.

Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group, said: “Factory of the Future has always been about giving manufacturers the opportunity to see complete production solutions and technologies working together across the full assembly process.

“For 2026, we wanted to take that concept even further by hosting the event inside a customer manufacturing facility, giving attendees the opportunity to see how advanced SMT technologies are implemented within a real production operation.

“The event also comes at an important time for the UK and Ireland manufacturing sector. We continue to see strong levels of investment in capital equipment, driven by increasing production demand, major programme opportunities, and manufacturers preparing for future growth.”

The host company, which will be revealed closer to the event, is a UK-based OEM developing and manufacturing a high-technology product range with significant market potential and ambitious production forecasts. The facility serves as the company’s key technology centre and will offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about an important future-focused technology and how it is manufactured at scale.

The SMT line on display will represent a full turnkey assembly solution delivered by Altus in partnership with Fuji, highlighting Altus’ capability as a complete manufacturing solutions provider. The line will feature a broad range of SMT processes, including board handling, laser marking, screen printing, solder paste jetting, SPI, pick-and-place, vacuum reflow, and 3D AOI inspection.

Alongside SMT assembly technologies, the event will also showcase conventional assembly solutions supporting through-hole automation, back-end processes such as conformal coating and cleaning, component management systems designed to improve traceability and handling efficiency, and a broad range of manufacturing consumables, further highlighting Altus’ turnkey manufacturing offering.

Registrations for the event will open soon. For more information, visit www.altusgroup.co.uk

Circuit Technology Center, Inc. announced the purchase of an additional reflow oven to support the company’s growing high-volume BGA reballing operations. The investment reinforces the company’s commitment to delivering fast turnaround times, consistent quality, and scalable solutions for customers requiring advanced PCB rework and component services.

This new Heller Model 1707MK7 - Ultra Low Power Consumption Reflow Oven will enhance production efficiency and increase throughput for BGA reballing projects across a wide range of industries, including aerospace, defense, medical, telecommunications, and industrial electronics. By expanding its equipment capabilities, Circuit Technology Center is better positioned to meet increasing customer demand for reliable, precision BGA rework and reballing services.

The addition of a third reflow oven complements Circuit Technology Center’s existing suite of advanced rework, reballing, and PCB repair technologies. The company continues to invest in equipment, engineering expertise, and process development to support increasingly complex electronic assemblies and manufacturing challenges.

With more than 40 years of experience in circuit board repair and rework, Circuit Technology Center provides services including BGA reballing, PCB repair, pad and trace repair, component modification, and engineering support for OEMs and electronics manufacturers worldwide.

For more information about Circuit Technology Center and its BGA reballing services, visit www.circuitrework.com.

MILPITAS, Calif. — May 27, 2026 — SEMI, the industry association serving the global semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, today announced the availability of a new industry research report focused on the glass core substrate market and trends, produced in collaboration with Global Net Corp. (GNC). The Glass Core Substrate Market and Development Trends Report examines the emerging market for glass core substrates, a potential next-generation packaging technology attracting increased attention as AI and high-performance computing (HPC) drive demand for larger and more advanced semiconductor packages.

“As chipmakers look for new ways to improve system performance beyond traditional device scaling, advanced packaging has become a critical area of innovation,” said Clark Tseng, Senior Director of Market Intelligence, SEMI. “Glass core substrates are being evaluated as one possible solution for future high-end packages because they may help support larger package sizes, finer interconnects, and improved dimensional stability compared to conventional package-substrate materials. This new report helps industry stakeholders understand where glass core substrates may fit in the next phase of packaging technology and what challenges must be addressed to achieve broader adoption.”

The report highlights increasing industry activity and investment around glass core substrates as companies prepare for the next phase of advanced packaging—providing an independent view of the technology’s market potential, development status, key players, and remaining barriers to commercialization. Under the report’s market-development scenarios, initial production could begin around 2028 in selected high-performance applications, with adoption expanding over time across larger and more complex package architectures. Based on the average of its Positive, Base, and Negative scenarios, the report projects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 67.2% from 2028 to 2040. It also maps an increasingly active global development ecosystem, with companies and research organizations across Asia, North America and Europe advancing glass core substrate technologies.

Key topics covered in the report include:

• Market outlook and adoption scenarios for glass core substrates
• Technology drivers and barriers to commercialization
• Expected applications in AI, HPC, advanced processors, co-packaged optics, and image sensors
• Company activities across substrates, glass materials, equipment, processing, inspection, and related supply-chain segments
• Development hubs, consortia, and supply-chain structure
• Forecast scenarios through 2040

The Glass Core Substrate Market and Development Trends report is available in English and Japanese editions through SEMI Market Intelligence. Download the report.

For more information, please visit the Glass Core Substrate Market and Development Trends page or contact the SEMI Market Intelligence Team at mktstats@semi.org.