I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
September 2, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
The CHIPS Act continues to captivate the attention of industry insiders, as evidenced by the reader interest in our U.S. legislation coverage. When talking with all of you, we hear a wide range of opinion regarding the CHIPS Act funding, ranging from enthusiasm to cynicism—sometimes in the same conversation with the same person. You can expect ongoing coverage as news continues to unfold. Advanced packaging and the CHIPS Act are increasingly being linked together on the printed circuit side of the industry conversation. Perfect timing, then, that IPC is hosting a symposium on advanced packaging October 11-12 in Washington, D.C.
The IPC reports on North American PCB fabrication and EMS industry released this week, and the news is good, but with a veil of caution. Not so much cautionary news from Nano Dimension, however, as evidenced in their announcement this week.
Finally, next Monday, September 6, is the U.S. Labor Day Holiday. We’ll still bring you Monday’s newsletter and track the news of the industry even while the U.S.-based staff pauses to observe the holiday.
A Deeper Look at the CHIPS Act Investment
Published August 29
Where and how will the $52 billion in the CHIPS Act be spent? Who will decide how the funds are allocated? Who will benefit the most from this boost into the microelectronics industry? In this interview with Chris Peters at U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), we seek a better understanding regarding the implications of funding the CHIPS Act.
Print, Recycle, Repeat: Scientists Demonstrate a Biodegradable Printed Circuit
Published August 31
According to the United Nations, less than a quarter of all U.S. electronic waste gets recycled. In 2021 alone, global e-waste surged at 57.4 million tons, and only 17.4% of that was recycled. Some experts predict that our e-waste problem will only get worse over time. This news item details current research at Berkeley Lab to develop a fully recyclable and biodegradable circuit board.
North American EMS Industry Up 22.7% in July
Published August 26
The performance metrics in the August Industry report align with the experiences and analysis in the September issue of SMT007 Magazine, which has just published. The upshot is that many of the simultaneous economic pressures are beginning to ease, and this easing shows in the numbers.
North American PCB Industry Sales Up 4.5% in July
Published August 26
The PCB fabrication metrics for August suggest that demand is easing for PCB fabrication. Meanwhile, shipments continue strong as backlog is cleared. Going into September and October, it will be interesting to see if this softening in PCB fab demand might also appear further downstream in the EMS metrics. Stay tuned and check back with I-Connect007 to find out.
Nano Dimension Reports 1,268% Revenue Increase in 2Q22
Published September 1
“The efforts of our newly assembled Go-To-Market organization are indeed showing results, manifested by an impressive growth in revenue,” according to Nano’s news this week. “It includes Nano Dimension’s network of marketing, sales, pre and post sales application engineers and customer care engineers across Europe and the U.S. Their efforts are indeed substantial and effective, especially with the occurrences of unforeseen events, especially the slowdown in Europe resulting from the industrial players’ reaction to the evolving war in Ukraine as well as the crisis in electronic components’ supply chain.”
This report discusses the financials behind that 1,268% revenue increase, and to explain how Nano Dimension achieved that growth. If AM and AME components are on your technology roadmap, this makes for good reading.
Suggested Items
Big Win for Defense Production Act Budget Allocation in FY24 Budget
04/23/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamOne year ago, President Biden issued a determination that chips and packaging are critical for national security. Since that time, much work has been done to continue the conversation in Washington, elevating the importance of the entire chips value chain, and including printed circuit boards and substrates, without which chips cannot operate.
Zentech’s Board of Directors Announces the Return of Matt Turpin as President and CEO
04/22/2024 | Zentech ManufacturingTurpin draws upon over 35 years of experience in the electronics industry and has an 18-year history with Zentech. He previously served as President and CEO from 2006 to 2019 after which time he has remained active in the EMS industry as an advisor to Zentech and other industry organizations.
Aaron Woolf, Dylan Peterson Join SIA Team
04/22/2024 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced Aaron Woolf and Dylan Peterson have joined the SIA team. Woolf will serve as director of global policy for economic security and Peterson will be a communications associate. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.
It’s Only Common Sense: OCCAM—the Time Is Now
04/22/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseOne of my favorite books is a little tome called Who Moved My Cheese? Even those of you who don’t spend a lot of time reading books have at least heard of it and know that it refers to people, especially in business, who are so stuck in their ways that they get upset when something changes. In our business, we know this kind of thinking is especially true. In fact, it always makes me laugh when one of my innovative friends finds a new way to do something and is afraid that someone will steal his idea. I always tell him that no one in our business, especially a PCB engineer, has ever thought about someone else’s innovative idea enough to steal it.
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.