Features Articles
A discussion with PCBAA president Shane Whiteside.
I recently sat with Shane Whiteside, president and CEO of Summit Interconnect, in his capacity as chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), to discuss the state of the PCB industry and the effects of the additional tariffs currently in place.
Whiteside’s PCB manufacturing and leadership career spans several decades, which lends itself well to PCBAA’s mission to advocate for a stronger US PCB industry. The association is working hard to educate and influence those in Washington, DC on the importance of a secure US electronics supply chain.
Routing flash has EMI implications. Don’t rush.
Memory comes in different types, and one key distinction is whether the memory remembers anything once the system is shut down. Nonvolatile memory stays around for the next session, while volatile memory lives up to its name and melts away between uses.
The automotive high-technology race is now as important to governments as it is to the industry itself.
In September 2024, the Biden administration announced a ban on Chinese connected car technology, including hardware and software. This came on top of existing policies including a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and withdrawal of the government’s $7,500 EV-purchase subsidy for vehicles built with Chinese-made components. Apparently, after imposing the tariff and purchase disincentive, the government decided more measures were needed to protect the American auto industry adequately, including extending the protection to include software. Hence the ban on connected car tech.
Preparing for tariffs and other supply chain disruptors.
2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. Tariffs and cuts in government spending influence many EMS providers' planning sessions, creating considerable uncertainty about how these changes impact individual programs and whether customer sourcing strategies will change. One thing is certain: in times of uncertainty, relationships matter.
Management decisions threaten the entire electronics industry.
The simple chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Chains have been used for centuries to connect and secure everything from ships to anchors during a storm, large and heavy payloads onto trailers for transport, and more recently, businesses to customers and suppliers for commerce.
Chains are subject to many challenges. Rust and corrosion are the most obvious potential causes of failure for metal chains. Temperature and chemical exposure can cause failure with plastic chains, and politics, as well as epidemics, can test the strength and tenacity of the chains of commerce. And human error challenges each and every one.
Global supply chains have been created, nurtured and evolved into what could best be characterized as one of the most efficient systems ever utilized in the history of manufacturing. The global supply chain that supports our electronics industry in particular has enabled amazingly cost-effective production of high-quality materials, supplies, sub-assemblies and finished products, enabling much higher overall value. The scope of the supply chain is extensive, touching everything from raw materials to consumer products to industrial equipment, and includes not just finished products but also the spare and replacement parts necessary to keep everything functioning long after a product goes into service. This continues to take place despite the pulling, twisting, stressing and testing of each chain’s links over and over again over the past decades.
Naka nailed it: The domestic PCB industry will flounder without a clear direction.
“History is always repeating itself, but each time the price goes up.” – Will Durant
In February 2017, I wrote a column titled “An Afternoon with Naka” in which Hayao Nakahara (or Naka to his friends) – a true PCB veteran embarking on his 60th year in the industry – described the state of the US PCB manufacturing. Naka nailed it then. And eight years and two presidential administrations later, his analysis is just as applicable.
Let’s review some of what I call his “Naka-isms” and how they apply, with the additional element of tariffs, which, for obvious reasons, are top of mind for many in our industry right now.
Press Releases
- Weller Tools Celebrates 80 Years of Innovation with Special Black Edition WE1010 and ZeroSmog Shield; Philippe Buidin Comments
- Saki America, Inc. Appoints Mario Ramírez Galindo as Project Engineer in Mexico; Craig Brown Comments
- BEST Inc to Host Soldering 101 Workshop at Illinois & Michigan Locations
- Incap Corporation: Incap's Annual and Sustainability Report 2024 published