Top News in Electronics…

• Europe’s electronics industry is moving from policy debate to practical action, and a panel at Electronics Day EMS Europe in Paris on September 17 will examine what supply chain resilience actually requires on the ground.

• Mexico’s electronics sector is expanding well beyond nearshoring, with manufacturers building deeper capabilities in engineering, automation, and advanced manufacturing as customers seek long-term technical partners.

• AI spending is projected to grow 47% in 2026 to roughly $2.6 trillion, but only 8% of PCB manufacturers have actually scaled it.

• Calumet Electronics has opened what is described as the nation’s first dedicated panel-level organic substrate facility in Michigan, backed by a $39.9 million Defense Production Act Investment grant.

• The August edition of Manufacturing Market Insider is now on Substack, featuring earnings analysis, an economic update from Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac, and the latest PCB and EMS book-to-bill data.

• Standards don’t write themselves. A new article by Chris Jorgensen explains how real manufacturing challenges become the globally used standards that keep electronics supply chains reliable.

Europe’s Electronics Sector Confronts Resilience Challenge

Europe’s electronics industry is moving from policy debate to action. At Electronics Day EMS Europe in Paris on September 17, industry leaders will examine what supply chain resilience actually requires in practice, from targeted investment to regulation that reflects manufacturing realities.

Alison James, the Association’s senior director of European government relations, will frame the conversation alongside panelists from Kitron, All Circuits, CSI-Cimulec, and Insyte. The session focuses on the gap between political ambition and shop-floor realities, and what mid-sized EMS companies need to invest in to compete and grow.

Mexico’s Electronics Manufacturing Story Moves Beyond Nearshoring

A new SMT007 Magazine feature, developed with input from six organizations across Mexico’s manufacturing value chain, argues that the country’s electronics sector has outgrown the nearshoring narrative.

Manufacturers are building deeper capabilities in engineering, automation, and advanced manufacturing, and customer expectations are shifting to match. Companies no longer want transactional vendors. They want long-term technical partners.

Growth opportunities identified by contributors span automation, Industry 4.0, aerospace, electric mobility, and medical devices. Sustained competitiveness will depend on talent development, stronger supplier networks, and higher-value engineering capabilities.

AI Moves from Hype to Hardware, and from Pilots to Scale

AI’s next phase is being built across the electronics value chain. In a new blog, Sydney Xiao, president, East Asia at Global Electronics Association, reflects on three recent reads that point to the same conclusion: AI is no longer just a software story.

Gartner projects worldwide AI spending will grow 47% in 2026 to roughly $2.6 trillion, with major investment flowing into servers, semiconductors, networking and infrastructure. McKinsey’s analysis of AI inference costs highlights another pressure point: as AI use expands, efficiency across memory, advanced packaging, power and cooling will become increasingly important.

Closer to the factory floor, Global Electronics Association research found that 68% of PCB manufacturers are using AI, but only 8% have scaled it. Xiao argues that AI’s long-term value will depend on infrastructure, data quality, operating discipline, and the human judgment to apply it well.

Calumet Opens Advanced Substrate Facility in Michigan

Calumet Electronics has opened its new Center for Advanced Substrate Technology in Calumet, Mich., marking a significant step toward strengthening U.S. electronics manufacturing capacity. The facility is described as the nation’s first dedicated panel-level organic substrate facility and was supported by a $39.9 million Defense Production Act Investment grant.

The Association’s President and CEO John W. Mitchell joined the opening this week, highlighting the center’s role in addressing a critical gap in domestic substrate production. Advanced substrates and UHDI printed circuit boards are essential for next-generation AI chips, high-performance computing, medical devices, avionics, military drones, and other industrial applications.

The opening underscores both the progress being made by U.S. manufacturers and the need for deeper public-private partnership to reduce vulnerabilities across the electronics supply chain. Congratulations to Calumet Electronics on this important milestone.

The August Edition of Manufacturing Market Insider Is Out Now

The August edition of Manufacturing Market Insider is now on Substack and free to access. This issue covers Q2 and Q3 earnings for the six largest U.S.-traded EMS providers, an economic update from Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac on how AI is reshaping global electronics demand, the latest North American PCB and EMS book-to-bill data, and recent M&A and expansion activity across the industry.

Built on more than 30 years of New Venture Research data and expertise, Manufacturing Market Insider is one of the most comprehensive intelligence resources available for the EMS market. The relaunch reflects the Association’s continued investment in industry intelligence for manufacturers, suppliers, policymakers, and market watchers.

How Technical Challenges Become Global Electronics Standards

In a recent article for EP&T magazine, Chris Jorgensen, the Association’s senior director of standards, explains how emerging technical challenges become globally used standards.

The piece centers on the role of engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and technical specialists who bring real-world experience to the process, identify common problems, build consensus, and develop guidance that keeps pace with changes across PCB fabrication, assembly, design, and advanced manufacturing.

The article points to IPC Builds, taking place September 19 through 24 in Paris, as one example of where this work happens. The larger message is straightforward: industry builds standards for industry.

IPC Builds Standards Development Event Heads to Paris

IPC Builds is three weeks away, and there is still room to join.

September 19 through 24 in Paris, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and standards leaders will gather to work through the hard technical questions that don’t get resolved over email. The agenda covers digital traceability, Connected Factory Exchange, CO₂e reporting, high-speed materials, printed electronics, and advanced reliability, among others.

No registration fee. Just the work.

• Three Essential Reads on Memory, Materials, and Skilled Labor: Why AI-driven memory demand, critical materials constraints, and the skilled-labor gap are structural, multi-year pressures and not short-term blips, and what the Association is already doing to help members navigate all three, by VP Joe Schneider.

• Celebrating One Year of ADEPT: How the Advanced Electronic Packaging Technology Council turned urgency into alignment in its first year, from IEEE HIR roadmap contributions and global workshops to signed MOUs and guideline development now underway, by Chief Strategist Devan Iyer.

• The Electronics Talent Gap Starts with an Awareness Gap: Why fewer than half of undergraduate engineering students have considered a career in electronics manufacturing, what drives their interest when it does develop, and what the industry can do about it.

LinkedIn Highlights

• Submissions are open for AEPC 2027, taking place April 5 through 8 in Anaheim as part of APEX EXPO 2027. Technical presentations, posters, and professional development courses are all welcome. If your work is ready for a wider audience, this is a strong venue.

• The skill demands in electronics manufacturing aren’t slowing down. Global Electronics Association members get access to training, certifications, and a Knowledge Hub built around real production challenges. The team member you already have is worth investing in.

• The Call for Papers for ECWC17 is now open, hosted by the Thailand Printed Circuit Association. If you have work worth sharing, this is the venue. The Global Electronics Association hosted ECWC16 at APEX EXPO and knows firsthand what this gathering means for the field.

Events and Workshops

• September 16 -18: electronica India (Booth H4.F125)

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• October 8: California EMS Leadership Roundtable

• October 19-22: TPCA Show & IMPACT Exhibition

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• November 10-13: Electronica 2026 (Booth A1.463)

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• New survey data from the Global Electronics Association suggests the electronics talent shortage starts with awareness, not ability. 60% of companies are hiring, but fewer than half of undergraduate students have even considered a career in the field.

• Memory chip production is lagging AI-driven demand, pushing DRAM prices higher and stretching lead times, with no significant supply relief expected until 2027.

• North American PCB bookings surged 62% year over year in July, with shipments up 14.5% and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.46. Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac calls it a sustained period of growth.

• Advanced packaging is replacing transistor scaling as the primary driver of semiconductor performance, with system-level integration, chiplets, and hybrid bonding now doing the work that shrinking transistors used to do.

• AI-driven memory shortages, critical materials constraints, and the skilled-labor gap are the three pressures dominating conversations with electronics manufacturers right now, and VP Joe Schneider’s latest blog makes clear none of them are going away soon.

• Thailand has attracted more than $30.5 billion in electronics investment since 2023 and is moving beyond assembly into chip design, power electronics, and advanced packaging as it positions itself as a higher-value hub.

Student Survey Finds Electronics Talent Gap Starts with Awareness

New Global Electronics Association survey data reveals that the electronics talent shortage may start with awareness.

Although electronics manufacturing represents roughly one in five dollars of global trade and 60% of companies are hiring, fewer than half of undergraduate students have considered a career in the field, and only 38% say they have a strong understanding of available career paths.

Students cited hands-on projects, labs, and school programs as the biggest drivers of interest. The opportunity is clear: earlier, more practical exposure to industry careers could go a long way toward closing the gap.

Memory Shortages Raise New Concerns for Electronics Supply Chains

An S&P Global Market Intelligence article warns that electronics supply chains are struggling to keep pace with AI-driven demand for data center equipment and memory systems. Memory chip production is lagging demand, pushing DRAM prices higher, and South Korean memory-chip export values rose sharply in December as input prices for computing and communications equipment hit their fastest pace since July 2022.

Consumer electronics demand remains weak, but industrial electronics orders are improving, likely supported by manufacturing investment, defense spending, and fiscal stimulus. Significant supply relief from new memory capacity additions is not expected until 2027, meaning the pressure on pricing and lead times is unlikely to ease anytime soon.

North American PCB Demand Strengthens as July Bookings Surge 62%

North American PCB activity accelerated in July, according to new data from the Association’s North American PCB Statistical Program. Shipments rose 14.5% year over year and bookings surged 62.0%, with the book-to-bill ratio holding at 1.46. Year-to-date shipments are up 13.0% and bookings up 33.3% compared with the same period last year.

“PCB activity accelerated meaningfully in July, with strong gains in both shipments and new orders,” said Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac. “July extends what has become a sustained period of growth for the North American PCB industry.”

Advanced Packaging Emerges as Key Driver After Moore’s Law

As traditional transistor scaling reaches its physical and economic limits, advanced packaging is becoming the central driver of semiconductor performance gains, according to an article in All About Industries. Performance improvements are increasingly coming from system-level integration rather than smaller transistors, with processors, memory, and specialized chiplets working more closely together to improve bandwidth, energy efficiency, and overall capability.

Technologies like through-silicon vias, fine-pitch interconnects, and hybrid bonding are enabling higher integration density, while raising new demands for thermal management, reliability, and precision manufacturing. For AI processors, high-performance computing, and chiplet architectures, advanced packaging is no longer a support function. It is where the innovation is happening.

Memory, Materials and Skilled Labor Top the List of Electronics Industry Pressures

Three pressures are dominating conversations with electronics manufacturers right now, according to Joe Schneider, the Association’s vice president for U.S. and Canada: AI-driven memory shortages, critical materials constraints, and the skilled-labor gap.

In a new blog, Schneider points to three essential reports from Deloitte, the IEA, and McKinsey that make clear these aren’t short-term disruptions. AI demand is tightening memory supply, critical minerals remain exposed to geopolitical risk, and the industry needs significantly more trained engineers, technicians, and production workers.

Schneider also outlines how the Association can help through market intelligence, policy advocacy, and workforce programs including Electronics U.

Thailand Electronics Investment Tops $30.5 Billion Since 2023

Thailand has attracted more than $30.5 billion in electronics investment since 2023, with $10.1 billion committed across 224 projects involving printed circuit boards and electronic components, according to TNGlobal. The investment reflects rising demand for AI hardware, advanced packaging, and more diversified regional supply chains.

Thailand is also working to move beyond its established electronics base into higher-value areas including chip design, power electronics, and manufacturing equipment. The announcement came as Thailand Electronics Circuit Asia 2026 opened in Bangkok, drawing more than 300 companies and 7,000 delegates.

Circularity in Electronics Must Be Designed for Scale

In a new edie op-ed, Diana Radovan, the Association’s director of sustainability policy, argues that the EU’s upcoming Circular Economy Act could advance circularity in electronics, but only if it is designed for scale.

Electronics supply chains are complex and global, with materials embedded across components and subassemblies in ways that make reuse, repair, and material recovery difficult to solve through end-of-life policy alone.

Radovan’s case is that circularity must be treated as a full value-chain challenge, requiring design, data, infrastructure, investment, and coordination across OEMs, suppliers, manufacturers, and end-of-life companies.

IPC Builds Standards Development Event Heads to Paris

Paris is three weeks away, and IPC Builds still has room for you.

September 19–24, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and standards leaders will gather to do what doesn’t happen over email: work through the hard technical questions, update foundational IPC standards, and tackle emerging priorities like digital traceability, Connected Factory Exchange, CO₂e reporting, high-speed materials, printed electronics, and advanced reliability.

No registration fee. Just the work that matters.

• AI in Manufacturing: How use cases across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and automotive show what's possible when AI tools are properly resourced and supported, and why the outcomes, from regulatory confidence to worker safety, are worth paying attention to, by Chief Global Officer Sanjay Huprikar.

• Changing Perceptions, Creating Opportunity: How a short film debuted at JFF Horizons is making the case that awareness, not ability, is the biggest barrier keeping talented people out of electronics manufacturing, and why the most powerful workforce tool might be a story that helps someone say “I could see myself doing this,” by VP of Education David Hernandez.

• India’s Moment Is Different This Time: Why output nearing $142 billion, a climb from 22nd to 7th globally in IPC certifications, and a new component manufacturing scheme signal that India’s electronics momentum is finally catching up to years of promise, by Gaurab Majumdar and Philip Stoten.

LinkedIn Highlights

• The Call for Papers for ECWC17 is now open, hosted by the Thailand Printed Circuit Association. If you have work worth sharing, this is the venue. The Global Electronics Association hosted ECWC16 at APEX EXPO and knows firsthand what this gathering means for the field.

• 67% of Gen Z say social media shaped their professional interests. Association President and CEO John Mitchell argues that electronics manufacturing has a visibility problem as much as a pipeline problem, and social media may be one of the most underutilized tools for solving both.

• The supply chain is tightening again. 64% of electronics manufacturers are dealing with limited availability or extended lead times, and those reporting worsening conditions in Q2 outnumber those seeing improvement by more than four to one. See the full regional breakdown.

Events and Workshops

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 16 -18: electronica India (Booth H4.F125)

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• October 8: California EMS Leadership Roundtable

• October 19-22: TPCA Show & IMPACT Exhibition

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• November 10-13: Electronica 2026 (Booth A1.463)

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• Nearly two-thirds of manufacturers say components and materials are available only with limited supply or extended lead times, and the trend is moving in the wrong direction. Memory, laminates, microprocessors, and passives are all cited as sources of disruption.

• U.S. manufacturing hit a record $2.91 trillion in value added in 2024, but the workforce to sustain the momentum isn’t keeping pace. Manufacturers will need 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, with 1.9 million jobs at risk of going unfilled.

• High-end copper-clad laminate supply is tightening as AI server demand pushes advanced PCB materials into wider use. Capacity expansions are running behind schedule, and lead times have stretched to four to six months with no near-term relief in sight.

• Trần Thanh Vinh of CEI International Investments will represent Vietnam at the Hand Soldering World Championship in Munich after winning the Vietnam 2026 competition, which drew 91 contestants from 28 companies. Vietnam’s electronics talent is making its mark on the global stage.

Electronics Supply Chain Shows Renewed Signs of Strain

The electronics supply chain is tightening again, according to the Association’s August 2026 Global Sentiment Survey. Nearly two-thirds of manufacturers said components and materials are available only with limited supply or extended lead times, and no respondents described conditions as readily available.

The trend is moving in the wrong direction. Forty-four percent said availability worsened in Q2 compared with Q1, while only 10% reported improvement. Memory, laminates and resins, microprocessors and GPUs, and passive components are all cited as sources of disruption.

U.S. Manufacturing Growth Faces a Workforce Test

U.S. manufacturing reached a record $2.91 trillion in value added in 2024, with the ISM Manufacturing PMI hitting 54 in May 2026, its strongest reading since 2022, and factory construction spending more than doubling between 2021 and 2024, according to MISUMI Americas’ report cited in Quality magazine.

The constraint is workforce. The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte project 3.8 million additional workers will be needed by 2033, with 1.9 million jobs at risk of going unfilled, a gap that falls hardest on high-tech manufacturing sectors including semiconductors, electronics, and EVs.

EU Proposal Could Strengthen Electronics Manufacturing Partnerships

A new compromise text under the EU’s Industrial Accelerator Act introduces a “partner origin” category for products from trusted non-EU countries.

The Act is designed to support strategic sectors including electronics and automotive manufacturing, and the new category could influence how companies qualify for public support and how Europe structures supply chains with trusted partners to strengthen manufacturing resilience.

For the electronics industry, that’s a meaningful development. The proposal could shape where future investment and public funding flow, and how Europe works with allied nations to build a more resilient electronics base. The Association has welcomed the Act’s direction, and EU technical discussions are expected September 9–10.

High-End PCB Material Shortages Expected to Continue

High-end copper-clad laminate supply is tightening as AI server demand pushes advanced PCB materials into wider use, according to DIGITIMES.

Suppliers across Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and China are expanding capacity, but equipment installation delays of up to six months at Elite Material Co., Doosan, and Taiwan Union Technology Corp. mean some added capacity won’t contribute until after mid-2027.

Lead times for high-end CCL have already stretched to four to six months, and with AI server, switch, satellite, and memory-module demand remaining strong, shortages are unlikely to ease anytime soon.

How Is Extreme Heat Affecting Electronics Manufacturing?

Extreme heat is becoming a growing operational concern for manufacturers, and the Association’s latest Global Sentiment Survey includes special questions on where electronics companies are seeing or expecting heat-related disruptions, from missed shifts and equipment downtime to power reliability constraints, transportation delays, and quality issues.

Your input will help the industry better understand how climate-related disruptions are affecting real manufacturing decisions and supply chain resilience. Participants receive a complimentary copy of the results when published. Take the survey.

Vietnam Hand Soldering Champion to Compete at World Championship

The Association has announced the winners of the Hand Soldering Competition Vietnam 2026, held alongside VIMF 2026 and NEPCON ASIA Vietnam 2026. The competition drew 91 contestants from 28 companies and five educational organizations, with participants evaluated on soldering quality against IPC-A-610J and IPC-J-STD-001J Class 3 criteria.

Trần Thanh Vinh of CEI International Investments (VN) Limited was named Vietnam Champion after winning the Southern Regional Round with 249 points. He will represent Vietnam at the Hand Soldering World Championship in Munich in November 2026.

IPC Builds Standards Development Event Heads to Paris

IPC Builds is three weeks away, and there’s still time to join us in Paris.

September 19–24, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and standards leaders from across the global electronics community will spend a week doing the actual work: updating foundational IPC standards and tackling emerging priorities like digital traceability, Connected Factory Exchange, CO₂e reporting, high-speed materials, printed electronics, and advanced reliability.

Registration is open, and there’s no cost to attend.

• The Heat Is On: How record-breaking temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere are disrupting factory schedules, straining power grids, and cascading through the electrical infrastructure that electronics manufacturing depends on to function, by Kelly Scanlon, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy.

• India’s Moment Is Different This Time: Why output nearing $142 billion, a climb from 22nd to 7th globally in IPC certifications, and a new component manufacturing scheme signal that India’s electronics momentum is finally catching up to years of promise, by Gaurab Majumdar and Philip Stoten.

• Inside Europe’s Push for Electronics Resilience: Five questions with Alison James, Senior Director for European Government Relations, on how geopolitics, defence demand, data centre growth, and EU policy are reshaping Europe’s electronics industry, and why Chips Act 2.0 implementation at the member state level is the next critical test.

LinkedIn Highlights

• Electronics engineers and textile manufacturers don’t share a common language, and that gap has real consequences for e-textile reliability. Vladan Koncar of ENSAIT-GEMTEX breaks down what the new guideline actually teaches and why, without a shared framework, the test methods simply aren’t interpretable across disciplines.

• The Federal Reserve has always counted on falling technology prices to keep inflation in check. That relationship is breaking down. Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac told MarketWatch that AI infrastructure investment is pushing up prices in truly unprecedented ways, with the pressure expected to persist for years.

• The Evolve program and North American Government Relations teams visited MOLG in Northern Virginia this week to see circular manufacturing through robotics and traceability in action. Engaging with companies like MOLG is central to Evolve’s work on practical, industry-wide progress on sustainable electronics.

Events and Workshops

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 17-18: IPC CEMAC 2026

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• November 10-13: Electronica 2026

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• North American PCB demand remained strong in June, with backlogs running 47% higher than in January and EMS shipments up 6.6% from May. Demand is not the issue; capacity, labor, and materials are.

• Advanced electronic packaging is moving from a support role to the primary driver of semiconductor innovation, and Dr. Devan Iyer explains why chip-package co-design is becoming essential for AI infrastructure, EVs, and high-performance computing.

• The Trump administration has announced more than $2 billion in critical minerals investments, including financing for batteries, magnets, graphite, and boron. For electronics manufacturers, material availability and supply chain transparency are becoming strategic priorities.

• The global PCB shortage is intensifying, with some Chinese manufacturers quoting 2028 delivery dates. Copper-clad laminate prices are up as much as 300% year over year, and the squeeze is expected to persist into 2027.

Strong Demand, Tight Capacity Define June Electronics Manufacturing Data

North American electronics demand remained strong in June, particularly in printed circuit boards. PCB companies reported full production schedules, longer lead times, and difficult capacity choices, with backlogs running 47% higher than in January. Demand is not the issue; keeping up with it is.

Electronics assembly also showed improvement, with EMS shipments up 6.6% from May and new orders up roughly 29% year over year. The EMS book-to-bill ratio eased slightly to 1.33 but remained strong, pointing to real demand with supply constraints still shaping delivery timelines.

EU and Non-EU Sustainability Reporting Deadlines Take Shape

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive continues to evolve, and EFRAG has released a draft reporting template for non-EU companies covered by the directive. Following the 2025 omnibus simplification, those companies would face single-materiality requirements, reporting on their impact on the environment rather than on climate and environmental risks to the business.

Feedback on the draft is open through October 31. Association members interested in providing input should contact Sustainability Policy Director Diana Radovan by September 15.

Advanced Electronic Packaging Shifts from Support Role to Innovation Engine

As traditional silicon scaling becomes more costly, advanced electronic packaging is emerging as a major driver of electronics innovation. In a recent I-Connect007 article, Dr. Devan Iyer, chief strategist for advanced electronic packaging, explains why future semiconductor systems will depend increasingly on packaging innovation rather than device scaling alone, particularly for AI infrastructure, power electronics, EVs, and high-performance computing.

Iyer also emphasized the growing importance of chip-package co-design, where device, package, PCB, materials, thermal, and reliability experts collaborate earlier in development to manage heat, power delivery, signal integrity, and reliability across increasingly complex systems.

Standards Emerge as Strategic Industrial Priority in Japan

Japan is accelerating implementation of its New International Standards Strategy, treating standards as a tool for industrial competitiveness and economic security. Recent government initiatives emphasize public-private collaboration and closer integration of standardization into national innovation policy, reflecting a broader recognition that standards are strategic assets, not just technical specifications.

The Association’s Japan team is engaging with government and industry stakeholders to promote electronics industry participation in international standards development. Contact Japan Representative Hisashi Kitajima for more information.

U.S. Announces New Critical Minerals Investments

The Trump administration has announced plans to invest more than $2 billion in mining projects and $180 million in mining schools to strengthen U.S. critical minerals capacity, according to Semafor. The projects include financing for batteries, scandium, magnets, graphite, and boron, materials with direct relevance to electronics manufacturing, energy storage, and defense.

For the electronics industry, the announcement reinforces a familiar message: material availability, responsible sourcing, and supply chain transparency are becoming strategic priorities, not just procurement considerations.

PCB Shortage Pressures Global Electronics Supply Chains

The global PCB shortage is intensifying, with some Chinese manufacturers reportedly quoting 2028 delivery dates, according to Electronics Weekly. AI data center demand is absorbing large volumes of advanced PCBs, material constraints are adding pressure, and a Saudi petrochemical complex supplying much of the world’s high-purity PPE resin has been offline since March, stretching laminate lead times further.

Copper-clad laminate prices are rising sharply, with year-over-year increases ranging from 70% to more than 300%. Standard FR-4 lead times have stretched to six to eight weeks, while advanced low-loss laminates are reaching 14 to 18 weeks. The squeeze is expected to persist into 2027.

IPC Builds Standards Development Event Heads to Paris

The standards shaping tomorrow’s electronics manufacturing are being written right now, and IPC Builds is where that work happens. On September 19–24 in Paris, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and standards leaders will spend a week advancing both foundational IPC standards and emerging priorities, including digital traceability, Connected Factory Exchange, CO₂e reporting, high-speed materials, printed electronics, and advanced reliability.

As expectations around sustainability, transparency, and connected production continue to rise, IPC Builds gives industry professionals a direct role in shaping the frameworks the industry will rely on next.

Registration is open, and there is no cost to attend.

• Inside Europe’s Push for Electronics Resilience: Five questions with Alison James, Senior Director for European Government Relations, on how geopolitics, defence demand, data centre growth, and EU policy are reshaping Europe’s electronics industry, and why Chips Act 2.0 implementation at the member state level is the next critical test.

• What Trellis Impact 26 Signals for AI x Sustainability: How AI saturated every conversation at the conference, from fire risk modeling and supplier data capture to a benchmarked sustainability report that arrived unsolicited before the bags were even unpacked, by Kelly Scanlon, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy.

• Beyond Semiconductors: What 80 policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts concluded at the Global Electronics Association’s Brussels summit about why Europe’s competitiveness requires a coordinated, whole-ecosystem approach across the full electronics value chain, not just chips.

LinkedIn Highlights

• The challenge with e-textiles isn’t the technology. Paula Veske-Lepp of TTK University of Applied Sciences walks through how a new guideline consolidates material selection, integration methods, design recommendations, sustainability, and cybersecurity into a single reference for the entire supply chain.

• Electronic design is being redefined from silicon and packaging to boards, systems, software, and sustainability. Peter Tranitz breaks down why next-generation design demands cross-domain thinking from the very first sketch.

• This summer’s heat waves aren’t just breaking records. They’re disrupting factory schedules, straining power grids, and cascading through the electrical infrastructure electronics manufacturing depends on. Kelly Scanlon takes a scientist’s look at what’s actually happening and what it means for the industry.

Events and Workshops

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 17-18: IPC CEMAC 2026

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• Record-breaking heat is affecting electronics manufacturing, from factory productivity to the power grids the industry depends on. Heat resilience is becoming a core supply chain concern.

• Electronics shipments hit their highest level since January 2022, with nearly half of manufacturers reporting increases. Cost pressures remain elevated, with more than three-fourths reporting rising material costs.

• From The Economist this week, AI demand is keeping memory chip prices high and standard RAM supplies tight through at least 2028. The Association’s Memory Squeeze report flagged this structural shift: traditional procurement strategies are becoming less effective.

• The Association has relaunched Manufacturing Market Insider on Substack, covering EMS market financials, manufacturing trends, and global electronics production. Complimentary access is available for the next two months.

Extreme Heat Is Becoming an Electronics Supply Chain Issue

Record-breaking heat is no longer just a weather story. In the latest Top Three Reads, Kelly Scanlon, senior director of sustainability strategy, examines how extreme temperatures are affecting the electronics industry, from factory productivity and worker safety to power grid reliability.

As heat waves intensify, companies are rethinking schedules, cooling measures, and operational resilience. The impacts extend beyond worksites: extreme heat is straining the electrical grids and data centers electronics manufacturing depends on, making heat resilience a core supply chain and sustainability concern.

CMMC Readiness Remains Essential for Electronics Manufacturers Serving Defense Markets

Uncertainty about timing is not the same as uncertainty about direction. In the August 2026 issue of SMT007 Magazine, Nolan Johnson and I-Connect007 make clear that CMMC is still coming for electronics manufacturers serving defense markets, and companies that treat the current pause as breathing room may find themselves scrambling later.

For manufacturers in or adjacent to the defense industrial base, cybersecurity readiness is quickly becoming a customer qualification requirement, not just a compliance checkbox. The Association encourages manufacturers to monitor developments, assess current practices, and get ahead of what’s coming.

Digital Product Passport Compliance Moves Closer for Electronics

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are moving from policy concept to compliance reality for electronics companies operating in the EU.

Last week, the EU launched the DPP Registry and published six CEN/CENELEC technical standards in the EU Official Journal, covering data exchange, unique identifiers, data carriers, storage and archiving, APIs, and interoperability. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, DPPs will become mandatory for electronics companies in the EU.

Ahead of the expected European Product Act in September 2026, the Association joined peer trade groups in urging the European Commission to keep DPP requirements focused and practical, rather than turning them into broad repositories of compliance documents. Further joint advocacy is planned for late August.

Electronics Demand Strengthens as Cost Pressures Remain High

The Global Electronics Association’s July Global Sentiment Report shows continued strength in electronics demand, even as manufacturers face elevated costs. Shipments reached their highest level since the survey began in January 2022, with nearly half of manufacturers reporting increases and backlogs expanding for the sixth straight month.

Cost pressures remain a significant challenge. More than three-fourths of manufacturers reported rising material costs, though the increase eased from June’s multi-year high, and labor costs moderated slightly.

The bottom line: customer demand is resilient, but supply chain and cost pressures continue to shape business conditions across the industry.

AI Demand Drives “RAMaggedon” Memory Crunch

The Economic Times reports that surging AI demand is keeping memory chip prices high in what’s being dubbed “RAMaggedon.” As chipmakers shift capacity toward high-bandwidth memory, standard RAM supplies are tightening, pushing up costs for PCs, smartphones, and potentially vehicles, with the crunch expected to continue through 2028.

The trend aligns with the Association’s Memory Squeeze report, which found that traditional procurement strategies are losing effectiveness as AI-driven buyers absorb more global supply.

The structural shift is clear: manufacturers need stronger sourcing strategies, diversified supplier relationships, and greater design flexibility.

Strengthening Advanced Packaging Leadership in Taiwan

The Association has appointed Jeffrey ChangBing Lee as Technology Solutions Lead Expert for Advanced Electronic Packaging in Taiwan, strengthening engagement with one of the world's most important advanced packaging ecosystems.

Lee brings more than 30 years of experience across semiconductor packaging, PCB assembly, materials engineering, and technology development, and will support technical engagement, standards development, and technology roadmapping across industry, academia, and research organizations in the region.

Manufacturing Market Insider Now Available Through the Association

Manufacturing Market Insider is back. The long-running EMS market newsletter has relaunched on Substack as part of the Association’s Industry Intelligence team, covering EMS financials, manufacturing trends, capacity updates, and supply chain analysis. All content is complimentary for the next two months.

Subscribe on Substack and start reading. Questions? Reach out to Industry Intelligence Director Thiago Guimaraes.

IPC Builds Standards Development Event Heads to Paris

The Association will host IPC Builds, Sept. 19–24, 2026, in Paris, bringing together engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, technical experts, and standards leaders to advance the standards used across global electronics manufacturing.

Committee meetings will focus on both foundational IPC standards and emerging priorities, including digital traceability, Connected Factory Exchange, supplier declaration data flows, CO₂e reporting, high-speed/high-frequency materials, printed electronics, additive manufacturing, and advanced reliability.

The event comes as manufacturers face growing expectations around sustainability, transparency, data exchange, quality, and connected production environments. IPC Builds gives industry professionals a direct role in updating existing standards and developing new frameworks to address evolving technologies and regulatory needs.

Registration is open, and there is no cost to attend.

• Mexico’s Electronics Future Is Built on Relationships: Five questions with Lorena Villanueva, Mexico Operations Director, on why collaboration, talent development, and trust are the real drivers behind Mexico’s electronics growth, and what “relationship precedes results” means in practice.

• From Prototype to Product: Why E-Textile Standards Matter: How IPC standards for wearable reliability, conductive yarns, and textile-based manufacturing are building the shared expectations the e-textiles industry needs to move from promising innovation to trusted, scalable products, by Chris Jorgensen, Senior Director, Next Generation Standards.

• AI in Manufacturing: How use cases across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and automotive show what’s possible when AI tools are properly resourced and supported, and why the outcomes, from regulatory confidence to worker safety, are worth paying attention to, by Chief Global Officer Sanjay Huprikar.

LinkedIn Highlights

• Materials, memory, and manufacturing capacity. Carrie Sessine’s latest Top Three Reads connects three developments worth watching closely, with a clear thread running through all of them: where you see constraint today is where you’ll see advantage tomorrow.

• The skills gap in electronics manufacturing doesn’t close on its own. Global Electronics Association membership includes seven core training courses, plus certifications, expert-led webinars, and a knowledge hub built for teams that need real answers.

• “Faster product demand into the market is everybody’s need. But the supply chain needs to be given enough guidelines and standards so that repeatability in the processes can be accomplished.” Devan Iyer, Chief Strategist for Advanced Electronic Packaging, on why standards and guidelines matter as the technology moves faster.

Events and Workshops

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 17-18: IPC CEMAC 2026

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• In the latest Five Questions With, Alison James explains why Europe’s push for technological sovereignty extends well beyond chips to PCBs, EMS, IC substrates, and advanced packaging, and why Chips Act 2.0 implementation will be the real test.

• North American PCB shipments were up 12% year over year in June, bookings up 31.5%, and the book-to-bill ratio hit 1.49, marking eight consecutive months at or above parity.

• Planned 2026 capital spending by Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft could reach $700 to $725 billion, redirecting capacity toward AI applications and stretching lead times for advanced PCBs, laminates, and specialty materials through at least 2028.

• China tightened rare earth export controls twice this summer, and the IEA warns full enforcement could put $6.5 trillion in downstream production at risk across semiconductors, RF chips, magnets, and AI hardware.

Inside Europe’s Push for Electronics Resilience

In the latest Five Questions With, Alison James, senior director for European government relations, examines how geopolitics, defence demand, data centre growth, and EU policy are reshaping Europe’s electronics industry.

James makes the case that technological sovereignty extends well beyond chips to PCBs, EMS, IC substrates, and advanced packaging, and that the implementation of Chips Act 2.0 will be the real test of whether Europe’s ambitions translate into action.

Strong Demand Keeps PCB Industry on Solid Footing

North American PCB demand continued to show strength in June, with shipments up 12% year over year, bookings up 31.5%, and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.49, marking the eighth consecutive month at or above parity.

“PCB demand remains firm and rigid board strength continues,” said Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac. Year-to-date results reinforce the trend, with shipments up 12.7% and bookings up 29% compared to the same period last year.

AI Infrastructure Boom Puts New Pressure on Electronics Supply Chains

A new analysis from in4ma and EMSNOW warns that the AI infrastructure buildout is reshaping electronics supply chains well beyond semiconductors. Planned 2026 capital spending by Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft could reach $700 to $725 billion, larger than annual global EMS industry revenue.

That scale is redirecting capacity toward AI applications and driving up prices and lead times for advanced PCBs, laminates, ABF substrates, and specialty materials. in4ma expects constraints to persist until around 2028, with market normalization unlikely before 2030.

New Regional Policy Leader to Support the Association’s India and Southeast Asia Engagement

The Association has appointed Sukanya Natarajan as Director of Government Relations for India and Southeast Asia. Natarajan brings more than 20 years of government affairs experience across four countries, including recent leadership roles at TransUnion CIBIL and Accenture in New Delhi, as well as senior policy positions at FICCI and CII. She will support the Association's regional work on workforce development, industrial policy, and trade partnerships.

Rare Earth Controls Add New Pressure to the Electronics Supply Chain

An analysis from Tech Insider spotlights a fast-moving risk: China tightened rare earth and critical mineral export controls twice this summer, targeting U.S. and EU companies, with the IEA warning that full enforcement could put $6.5 trillion in downstream production at risk.

Materials like gallium, germanium, and neodymium sit far upstream from finished products but affect semiconductors, RF chips, magnets, servers, and AI hardware. Retail price impacts may not be visible yet, but procurement teams are watching closely.

Where the Electronics Industry’s Next Constraints Are Being Decided

In her latest Top 3 Reads, Chief Communications Officer Carrie Sessine connects three developments worth watching: CuspAI’s $450 million raise for AI-driven materials discovery, SK Hynix’s record Nasdaq debut amid high-bandwidth memory demand, and India’s Semicon 2.0 program building a full semiconductor ecosystem.

The common thread: capital and policy are moving quickly to secure the physical building blocks of electronics, and the emerging pressure points will shape where the industry’s next advantages and bottlenecks appear.

Advanced Packaging Needs More Than Speed

As demand for faster product development accelerates, standards and guidelines are becoming increasingly critical to reliably bringing advanced electronic packaging technologies to market.

In a recent video, Devan Iyer, the Association’s chief strategist for advanced electronic packaging, emphasized that speed cannot come at the expense of repeatability across the supply chain.

“Faster product demand into the market is everybody’s need,” Iyer said. “But the supply chain needs to be given enough guidelines and standards so that repeatability in the processes can be accomplished.”

Iyer noted that design, process, and manufacturing guidelines all play an essential role in helping companies scale emerging technologies with greater consistency and confidence.

New Standard Brings Clarity to Complex Electronic Box Assemblies

As electronics products become more integrated and mission-critical, manufacturers need consistent criteria for evaluating the complete system, not just individual boards, cables, or enclosures. The Association has released IPC-A-630A, Requirements and Acceptance for Electronic Box Assemblies, an updated standard for box build, electromechanical, and final system assemblies.

IPC-A-630A provides class-coded acceptance criteria covering the full assembly lifecycle, from enclosure fabrication and cable integration to marking, labeling, and final testing. It helps teams distinguish between acceptable conditions, process indicators, and defects that may affect form, fit, function, or reliability.

We’d Louvre To See You In the City of Light!

Behind every IPC standard is a room full of people who know the industry well enough to write the rules. IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-6012: none of it happened by committee memo. It happened because working engineers showed up and did the work.

IPC Builds heads to Paris this September 19–24, where the global electronics community will spend a week updating standards, tackling emerging technical challenges, and laying the groundwork for what the industry will rely on next.

This year, that work happens in Paris. Come help shape it.

• Changing Perceptions, Creating Opportunity: How a short film debuted at JFF Horizons is making the case that awareness, not ability, is the biggest barrier keeping talented people out of electronics manufacturing, and why the most powerful workforce tool might be a story that helps someone say “I could see myself doing this,” by VP of Education David Hernandez.

• AI, Silicon Photonics, and Space Manufacturing: Three signals of what’s ahead for electronics, from agentic AI accelerating PCB design to silicon photonics scaling for AI data centers to an experimental semiconductor manufacturing test bed aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9, by CTO Matt Kelly.

• AI in Manufacturing: How use cases across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and automotive show what’s possible when AI tools are properly resourced and supported, and why the outcomes, from regulatory confidence to worker safety, are worth paying attention to, by Chief Global Officer Sanjay Huprikar.

LinkedIn Highlights

• The skills gap in electronics manufacturing doesn’t close on its own. Global Electronics Association membership includes seven core training courses, plus certifications, expert-led webinars, and a knowledge hub built for teams that need real answers.

• E-textiles must perform while being stretched, flexed, washed, and worn repeatedly. Chris Jorgensen explains how IPC standards developed by experts from more than 20 countries are building the framework this industry needs to scale.

• “The India of today is not the India of 2000.” Gaurab Majumdar and Philip Stoten make the case on the Association blog: output nearing $142 billion, a national target of $300 billion by 2030, and a rise from 22nd to 7th globally in IPC certifications since 2018.

Events and Workshops

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 17-18: IPC CEMAC 2026

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• November 3: Korea Festival of Electronics Standards and Technology

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Global Electronics Association has released a statement supporting the Administration’s Section 301 forced labor action, welcoming the preserved exemptions for foundational components while making clear that predictable trade relationships are what allow companies to invest in U.S. manufacturing capacity over the long term.

• India’s electronics output is nearing $142 billion, and a new blog from Gaurab Majumdar and Philip Stoten explains why the momentum is real this time, with India rising from 22nd to 7th globally in IPC certifications since 2018.

• Just 12% of U.S. adults think four-year colleges are doing a good job providing affordable education. For electronics manufacturers, that sharpens the case for certifications, apprenticeships, and industry training as essential workforce pathways.

• The Global Electronics Association submitted its revised position on Europe’s Circular Economy Act on July 21, supporting its ambitions while urging policies that reflect the real complexity of electronics manufacturing and global supply chains.

• AI demand is driving up memory chip prices, and display manufacturers are warning that chipflation is spreading well beyond semiconductors into components, raw materials, and finished products.

Statement of the Global Electronics Association on USTR’s Section 301 Forced Labor Action

The Global Electronics Association supports the Administration’s objective. Forced labor has no place in the electronics supply chain, and our industry has spent years building the tools to find and remove it through standards like IPC-1401 and participation in the Responsible Business Alliance Validated Assessment Program.

We appreciate that USTR preserved the exemptions it proposed in June and added more, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Access to foundational components remains the central question. American electronics manufacturers import printed circuits, passive components, connectors, and power conversion parts because domestic capacity does not yet exist at scale, and qualification cycles for automotive, aerospace, medical, and defense-grade electronics run 18 to 36 months.

Our members are prepared to invest in U.S. capacity, but predictable, durable trade relationships are what give companies the basis to commit capital over the decade it takes to stand up new production. We look forward to working with USTR to advance both goals: ending forced labor abroad and strengthening electronics manufacturing at home.

India’s Electronics Moment Looks Different This Time

For years, India has been described as the next major electronics manufacturing destination. Now the evidence is catching up to the promise. In a new Global Electronics Association blog, Gaurab Majumdar and Philip Stoten explain why.

Output is nearing $142 billion, with a national target of $300 billion by 2030. India is moving beyond assembly into components, standards, certifications, and deeper supply chain capability. And since 2018, it has risen from 22nd to 7th globally in IPC certifications. For companies seeking sourcing options and supply chain resilience, India deserves a closer look now.

Rethinking the Talent Pipeline for Electronics Manufacturing

A new Gallup/Lumina Foundation survey finds just 12% of U.S. adults think four-year colleges are doing a good job providing affordable education. For electronics manufacturers, that should sharpen the focus on workforce strategy.

The industry needs engineers, technicians, operators, inspectors, designers, and skilled production talent, and not all of those pathways require a four-year degree. Two-year colleges, certifications, apprenticeships, and industry-recognized training programs must be part of the solution.

As electronics manufacturing grows more advanced, the question isn’t whether education matters. It’s whether the pathways into our industry are accessible, affordable, and aligned with real workforce needs. Building the next-generation electronics workforce will require multiple doors in, not just one.

Getting Circularity Right for Electronics Manufacturing

On July 21, the Global Electronics Association submitted its revised position on Europe’s Circular Economy Act, expected September 30, 2026. The Association supports the Act’s ambitions while urging policies that reflect the real complexity of electronics manufacturing and global supply chains.

Recommendations focus on expanding the use of secondary raw materials, supporting investment in recycling infrastructure, promoting harmonized implementation across the EU Single Market, and ensuring circularity requirements remain technically feasible for complex electronics.

A Brussels meeting with the European Commission and selected EU electronics companies will follow this fall. To share input, contact DianaRadovan@electronics.org.

ESG Moves from Reporting to Supply Chain Management in Electronics

In a recent Impakter op-ed, Global Electronics Association sustainability experts Kelly Scanlon and Peter Zhou argue that ESG in electronics is entering a new phase. No longer simply a reporting exercise, it is becoming a supply chain management issue, customer expectation, and capital markets concern all at once.

For electronics manufacturers, ESG risks and opportunities now span procurement, supplier relationships, manufacturing, logistics, product design, and governance. The op-ed highlights IPC-1401B as a practical framework to help companies move from ESG commitments to actual implementation.

AI-Driven “Chipflation” Adds Cost Pressure Across Electronics

Leading global display manufacturers are warning that rising memory-chip prices, driven in part by AI demand, are increasing costs for display makers and finished-device producers.

According to reporting from AV Magazine, industry executives have said higher semiconductor prices are creating a more difficult market environment, even as manufacturers continue investing in advanced OLED capacity, premium displays, and low-power, high-definition panels.

For electronics manufacturers, the story points to a broader supply chain challenge: AI growth is not only creating demand for advanced chips, displays, and optical components, it is also intensifying cost pressure across components, raw materials, and finished products.

Must Read: Three Signals of What’s Ahead for Electronics

In a new blog, CTO Matt Kelly spotlights three signals of where electronics is headed: agentic AI accelerating PCB and advanced packaging design, silicon photonics scaling to meet AI data center bandwidth demands, and an experimental semiconductor manufacturing test bed launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9.

Together, they point to a future where AI becomes an engineering partner, photonics reshapes system architecture, and manufacturing innovation may extend beyond Earth.

We’d Louvre To See You In the City of Light!

Behind every IPC standard is a room full of people who know the industry well enough to write the rules. IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-6012: none of it happened by committee memo. It happened because working engineers showed up and did the work.

IPC Builds heads to Paris this September 19–24, where the global electronics community will spend a week updating standards, tackling emerging technical challenges, and laying the groundwork for what the industry will rely on next.

This year, that work happens in Paris. Come help shape it.

• What Trellis Impact 26 Signals for AI x Sustainability: How AI saturated every conversation at the conference, from fire risk modeling and supplier data capture to a benchmarked sustainability report that arrived unsolicited before the bags were even unpacked, by Kelly Scanlon, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy.

• From Prototype to Product: Why E-Textile Standards Matter: How IPC standards for wearable reliability, conductive yarns, and textile-based manufacturing are building the shared expectations the e-textiles industry needs to move from promising innovation to trusted, scalable products, by Chris Jorgensen, Senior Director, Next Generation Standards.

• Changing Perceptions, Creating Opportunity: How a short film debuted at JFF Horizons is reframing what electronics manufacturing looks like and why awareness, not ability, is the biggest barrier keeping talented people out of the industry, by VP of Education David Hernandez.

LinkedIn Highlights

• The Global Electronics Association has named Dominik Grau vice president of Europe, bringing more than 20 years of leadership in standards, technology, AI, and digital transformation. Most recently Managing Director at DIN e.V., Grau will lead European strategy and deepen engagement with members across the region.

• IPC-A-630A is out, with updated acceptance criteria for box build and electromechanical assembly covering PCBA integration, wire harnesses, mechanical components, and cosmetic acceptance for electronic enclosures. Find out what’s new.

• A neonatal monitoring wrap looks like soft fabric. Inside, it’s conductive pathways, sensors, and electronics that must perform flawlessly in a critical moment. Chris Jorgensen explains how e-textile standards are creating the common language this industry needs to move from prototype to product.

Events and Workshops

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

• February 3 - 6, 2027: WHMA’s Annual Global Leadership Summit 2027

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Association has named Dominik Grau vice president of Europe, bringing more than 20 years of leadership in standards, AI, and digital innovation to lead European strategy and member engagement.

• Big Tech’s environmental reporting is under sharper scrutiny as AI growth drives rising emissions and water use, with no common standard currently governing many AI-related environmental metrics.

• TSMC’s planned U.S. investment now stands at $265 billion, and for electronics manufacturers, the real question is whether the broader ecosystem can scale alongside the fabs.

• The Association has opened a new office in Seoul, led by Korea Representative Tina Choi, to expand local support for IPC standards and industry collaboration across East Asia.

Global Electronics Association Strengthens European Leadership with Dominik Grau Appointment

The Association has named Dominik Grau vice president of Europe, bringing more than 20 years of leadership in standards, technology, AI, and digital innovation to the role. Most recently, Managing Director at DIN e.V., Germany's national standards organization, Grau will lead European strategy and operations, deepen member engagement, and ensure the region's priorities are reflected across the Association's global initiatives, advocacy, and services.

Growth Raises New Questions About Data Center Transparency

As AI infrastructure expands, Big Tech's environmental reporting is facing sharper scrutiny. New reports from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft show rising emissions and water use tied to AI growth, while revealing major differences in what each company discloses.

No common standard currently governs many AI-related environmental metrics, and according to Axios, that gap is becoming harder to ignore. What begins with data centers may soon shape expectations for companies across the electronics ecosystem that design, build, power, and supply AI technologies.

Global Electronics Association Brings Electronics Workforce Priorities to JFF Horizons

At JFF Horizons, VP of Education David Hernandez joined leaders from Google, Aon, and United Airlines to examine how employers are redesigning apprenticeships for an AI-enabled economy, with a focus on integrating AI skills while keeping human development and long-term career pathways at the center.

The Association also debuted a new short film spotlighting careers in electronics manufacturing and the industry’s role in powering medical devices, AI, space exploration, and national security. The message: electronics manufacturing must be visible, accessible, and ready for the future of work.

TSMC Investment Highlights Broader Electronics Supply Chain Stakes

TSMC will invest an additional $100 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, bringing its total planned U.S. investment to $265 billion across 12 leading-edge facilities.

For electronics manufacturers, the significance extends well beyond fabs: investment in advanced semiconductors drives demand across materials, substrates, assembly, test, and workforce development.

For Association members, the announcement reinforces a critical point: semiconductor policy succeeds only when the full value chain can scale with it, and that is the next test.

From Prototype to Product: Why E-Textile Standards Matter

E-textiles are moving from prototypes to real-world products across medical, defense, automotive, and consumer applications, but scaling requires more than innovation. It requires shared expectations for reliability, safety, and performance.

The Association is building that foundation through IPC standards developed with experts from more than 20 countries, giving companies common ways to test, specify, and qualify products that must stretch, bend, wash, and flex in critical environments. Companies and experts are invited to get involved in e-textiles standards development.

Global Electronics Association Opens Korea Office in Seoul

The Association has officially opened its new Korea office in Seoul’s Gangnam district, led by Korea Representative Tina Choi. The office will strengthen engagement with Korean customers, partners, and industry institutions while expanding support for IPC standards across one of the world’s most important electronics manufacturing markets.

“Korea is a strategic hub with an innovative market environment, exceptional talent, and a vibrant industry ecosystem,” Choi said.

We’d Louvre To See You In the City of Light!

The standards your company relies on didn’t write themselves. IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-6012: each one exists because working engineers and industry professionals showed up, engaged, and made their expertise count.

IPC Builds is where that work continues. September 19–24 in Paris, the global electronics community will spend a week updating standards, resolving technical challenges, and building the frameworks that will define quality and reliability for years to come.

This year, that work happens in Paris. Come help shape it.

• Mexico’s Electronics Future Is Built on Relationships: Five questions with Lorena Villanueva, Mexico Operations Director, on why collaboration, talent development, and trust are the real drivers behind Mexico’s electronics growth, and what “relationship precedes results” means in practice.

• When Science Gets Weird: David Bergman, VP of International Relations, shares three genuinely strange reads on cockroaches with scuba gear, memory-eating flatworms, and synthetic cells that mimic life, and why the best engineering breakthroughs often start with the strangest questions.

• Scaling Electronics’ Circularity in Europe Remains a Challenge: What four parallel conferences at Messe Frankfurt revealed about the gap between Europe’s ambitious circularity agenda and the infrastructure, funding, and cross-value-chain collaboration needed to make it real, by Dr. Diana Radovan, Director of Sustainability Policy.

LinkedIn Highlights

• Alison James made the case for a silicon-to-systems approach at a European Commission workshop on supply chain resilience, with EU member state representatives, the Commission, and Europe’s main industrial players in the room. The message on PCBs, EMS, IC substrates, and advanced packaging was well received.

• Southeast Asia’s electronics manufacturing story has a new chapter. IEMI 2027 brings the electronics and semiconductor supply chain ecosystem to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, with sessions, an exhibition, B2B meetings, and factory visits across two of the region’s most important technology hubs.

• The best ideas in electronics manufacturing are sitting in labs and on factory floors right now. AEPC 2027 is where they get shared, with submissions open for technical presentations, posters, and professional development courses. Deadlines are September 18 for presentations and PDCs, December 4 for posters.

Events and Workshops

• July 21: Characterization of IC Chip Package IBIS Model and Signal Integrity

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Association’s June Global Sentiment Report shows 86% of manufacturers reporting rising input costs, the highest material cost pressure since 2022, though demand remains steady across orders, shipments, and production capacity.

• Apple’s reported multiyear deal with Broadcom, worth roughly $30 billion and expected to produce more than 15 billion U.S.-made chips through 2031, signals that major electronics companies are moving to lock in semiconductor supply before constraints worsen.

• Mexico’s electronics industry is growing fast, but Lorena Villanueva, the Association’s Mexico operations director, says long-term success depends less on technology than on the ecosystem around it: collaboration, talent development, mentorship, and trust.

• Prices for laptops, tablets, and gaming consoles are rising again as demand for AI infrastructure strains memory and storage supply. Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac told WIRED this cycle looks different from past pricing blips, and the Association’s reporting on the memory squeeze backs that up.

Material Costs Surge, but Electronics Demand Remains Resilient

The Association’s June Global Sentiment Report shows electronics manufacturers are facing the highest material cost pressures since 2022, with 86% reporting rising input costs.

Labor costs also increased, adding to pressure across the supply chain. Despite these challenges, demand remains steady, with companies reporting continued strength in orders, shipments, backlogs, and production capacity. The report also looked at manufacturers’ use of robotics, autonomous systems, and industrial automation.

While most companies have some connection to these technologies, far fewer use them directly in their own operations. Manufacturers emphasized the need for clear, practical policy guidance that recognizes the differences between industrial automation, connected systems, final assembly, and broader supply chain dependencies.

Apple-Broadcom Deal Signals Continued Pressure on U.S. Chip Supply

Apple’s reported multiyear agreement with Broadcom underscores how major electronics companies are moving to secure long-term semiconductor supply amid persistent component constraints.

According to Manufacturing Dive, the roughly $30 billion deal is expected to produce more than 15 billion U.S.-made chips through 2031, with Broadcom investing $1.5 billion to expand and modernize its Fort Collins, Colorado, facilities. The agreement includes wireless connectivity technologies and custom silicon for future Apple products.

The move aligns with findings from the Association’s 2026 memory market report, The Memory Squeeze: How AI-driven Capacity Reallocation is Reshaping Memory Supply for Electronics Manufacturers, which notes that AI infrastructure demand continues to strain global chip supply and shift production toward high-bandwidth memory, tightening availability in other categories.

Mexico’s Electronics Growth Depends on Collaboration, Talent, and Trust

In the latest 5 Questions With…, Lorena Villanueva, Mexico operations director, discusses the forces shaping Mexico’s rapidly growing electronics industry. While AI, automation, and nearshoring are creating major opportunities, Villanueva says Mexico’s long-term success depends on building a stronger ecosystem, one that connects companies, universities, government, suppliers, and industry organizations.

She identifies talent development as the industry’s most urgent challenge, emphasizing the need for collaboration, training, mentorship, and a stronger sense of belonging to retain skilled workers. For companies seeking to thrive in Mexico, her advice is clear: Invest in relationships, continuous learning, and community. As Villanueva puts it, “Technology connects devices, but people connect industries.”

AI-Driven Memory Demand Pushes Gadget Prices Higher

A new WIRED article reports that prices for everyday electronics, including laptops, tablets, and gaming consoles, are rising again as AI infrastructure demand strains memory and storage chip supply.

The article cites Shawn DuBravac, the Association’s chief economist, and notes the Association’s reporting on the memory shortage and its impact across industries. 

DuBravac told WIRED that while consumers may have waited out past pricing “blips,” this cycle appears different: “I don’t think that’s the case here.” The coverage underscores a broader trend identified by the Association: AI infrastructure is consuming semiconductor resources, especially memory, at a pace that is driving price pressure across the electronics supply chain.

AI Sustainability Must Include the Infrastructure Behind It

AI can help manufacturers optimize resources, reduce waste, and strengthen industrial resilience, but the infrastructure that powers AI must also be part of the sustainability conversation.

In a recent TIME opinion piece, Dr. Sasha Luccioni of the Sustainable AI Group outlines three priorities for making AI data centers more sustainable: energy use, construction impacts, and more efficient AI model design. For the electronics industry, the discussion is especially relevant: electronics make AI possible, and AI has the potential to make electronics design, manufacturing, use, and end-of-life management more circular.

But that virtuous loop only works if AI’s own computing footprint is transparent, energy-efficient, and powered by cleaner energy.

David Bergman’s Weird Science Picks: Scuba Roaches, Memory-Eating Worms and Synthetic Cells

In his latest blog piece, When Science Gets Weird, David Bergman, the Association’s vice president of international relations, shares three delightfully strange reads with the industry.

First up: researchers created a tiny 3D-printed scuba system that lets cockroaches operate underwater, because apparently, evolution handled the hardware, and engineers added the diving gear.

Next, scientists revisited a 1960s flatworm experiment, suggesting memories could be transferred by eating trained worms. The worms did not cooperate, proving that failed replications can be fascinating, too. Finally, synthetic “SpudCells” show how nonliving components can mimic life-cycle functions. Weird? Absolutely. Thought-provoking? Definitely.

Standards Are Moving Fast. Help Shape What Comes Next

The standards world had a busy quarter, with new and revised IPC standards advancing across several important areas of electronics manufacturing. Recent updates include an ESG management system standard and acceptance criteria for organic integrated circuit substrates, reflecting the expanding scope of standards work across sustainability, materials, reliability, and manufacturing quality.

I-Connect007 offers a closer look at what changed and why it matters. But standards do not happen without industry expertise. Committees rely on engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, OEMs, and technical specialists to bring real-world insight to the process. If your work is shaped by standards, this is your opportunity to help shape them. Join a standards development committee today.

We’d Louvre To See You In the City of Light!

Every standard your company works to was written by someone who showed up. IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-6012: none of it would have happened without the engineers and industry professionals who raised their hands and made their expertise count.

IPC Builds is where the next generation of standards gets written. Paris, France, September 19–24. The global electronics community will spend a week updating standards, resolving technical challenges, and building the frameworks that define quality and reliability across the industry for years to come.

This year, that work happens in Paris. Come help shape it.

• AI in Manufacturing: How use cases across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and automotive show what’s possible when AI tools are properly resourced and supported, and why the outcomes, from regulatory confidence to worker safety, are worth paying attention to, by Chief Global Officer Sanjay Huprikar.

• Beyond Semiconductors: What 80 policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts concluded at the Global Electronics Association’s Brussels summit about why Europe’s competitiveness requires a coordinated, whole-ecosystem approach across the full electronics value chain, not just chips.

• Scaling Electronics’ Circularity in Europe Remains a Challenge: What four parallel conferences at Messe Frankfurt revealed about the gap between Europe’s ambitious circularity agenda and the infrastructure, funding, and cross-value-chain collaboration needed to make it real, by Dr. Diana Radovan, Director of Sustainability Policy.

LinkedIn Highlights

• “This is not electronics manufacturing of the 1950s.” VP of North American Government Relations Kevin O’Hanlon joined Axios Live to make the case that chip fabrication has the investment, but substrate attach, PCB manufacturing, testing, and packaging still largely happen overseas. The full chain needs attention.

• There is no universal cleanliness number that guarantees electronic reliability. A recent webinar on ionic contamination in ECU manufacturing made that case clearly, with experts from Ford, Bosch, and Foresite.

• Stretch it, wash it, sweat in it, and it still needs to work. A new Global Electronics Association guideline gives e-textile developers a practical framework for getting there. Madison Maxey of LOOMIA breaks it down.

Events and Workshops

• July 21: Characterization of IC Chip Package IBIS Model and Signal Integrity

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• Kevin O’Hanlon joined Axios Live to make the case that chip fabrication has received investment, but substrate attach, PCB manufacturing, testing, and packaging still largely occur overseas, and closing that gap is the next real opportunity for American manufacturing.

• Europe’s circular economy ambitions are accelerating, but Diana Radovan’s report from four parallel conferences in Frankfurt makes clear that scaling from policy to practice is where the hard work still lives.

• Taiwan’s PCB output hit a Q1 record, up 19.6% year over year, with growth concentrated in higher-end products and a tight supply of key inputs already pushing prices up.

• North American PCB bookings surged 102.8% year over year in May, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.60, and Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac says AI-related buildout is the primary driver with a positive outlook ahead.

Beyond Chips: Global Electronics Association Calls for Investment in PCBs, Packaging, and Workforce

At an Axios Live event on July 1, Kevin O’Hanlon, vice president of North American Government Relations, made a point the industry has been making for a while: you can’t rebuild U.S. electronics capacity by funding chip fabrication alone. Substrate attachment, PCB manufacturing, testing, and advanced packaging still largely occur overseas, and with finished-goods costs heading up in the near term, the pressure to close that gap is only growing.

A 25% tax credit for American-made PCBs would build domestic demand without handing out subsidies, just making the market more competitive.

In the workforce, the Association already trains 220,000 people a year, and the CHIPS Act is on track to create 90,000 new jobs, but there’s still a gap of 500,000 to 600,000 workers across the electronics manufacturing sector. Making credentials portable across state lines, something that doesn’t happen automatically right now, would help close it faster.

Scaling Electronics’ Circularity in Europe Remains a Challenge

Europe’s circular economy ambitions for electronics are moving fast, but the hard work lies in translating policy into practice.

Diana Radovan, the Association’s Director of Sustainability Policy, attended four parallel conferences at Messe Frankfurt covering e-waste, critical raw materials, battery recycling, and ITAD, and the barriers were consistent: limited metal recovery, infrastructure gaps, and investment shortfalls that weaken the business case.

Industry leaders stressed the need to bring designers and recyclers into decisions earlier, and to pair ambitious EU initiatives with practical, coherent policy and dedicated funding. The Association is revising its position on the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act and has asked for member input.

Taiwan PCB Output Hits Q1 record as AI Server Demand Accelerates

Taiwan’s PCB manufacturing output hit a Q1 record of NT$245.6 billion, up 19.6% year over year, driven by AI server and data center demand. Growth is concentrated in higher-end products, with a tight supply of copper foil and fiberglass cloth already pushing prices up. TPCA projects full-year output of NT$1,053.2 billion, up 15.1%, while flagging memory-price impacts and geopolitical uncertainty as risks to watch.

PCB Orders Surge as EMS Shipments Rise in May North American Data

The Global Electronics Association released its May 2026 North American EMS and PCB statistical results, with both sectors showing continued demand strength.

EMS shipments rose 5.2% year over year with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.36, while PCB momentum was even stronger: bookings surged 102.8% YoY, shipments climbed 11.9%, and the book-to-bill ratio hit 1.60.

Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac pointed to AI-related buildout as the primary driver and noted that sustained book-to-bill levels above parity support a positive 3 to 12-month outlook.

AI in Manufacturing: The Promise is Real if Adoption is Done Right

In a recent blog post, Sanjay Huprikar, the Association’s chief global officer, shared his top three reads on how AI is being deployed in manufacturing to tackle real operational challenges across sectors, from consumer goods to pharmaceuticals to automotive. The articles explore both practical use cases and the barriers that still slow adoption on the shop floor, including readiness, resourcing, and the need for clear best practices.

Huprikar’s takeaway: When AI tools are implemented thoughtfully and supported with the right processes and oversight, manufacturers can see meaningful gains in regulatory confidence, cost engineering, and worker safety and communication, including improved multilingual communication through AI translation.

He welcomes member feedback and additional reading recommendations at SanjayHuprikar@electronics.org.

What Trellis Impact 26 Signals for AI x Sustainability

At Trellis Impact 26, Kelly Scanlon, Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy, observed how completely AI has moved into the mainstream of sustainability discussions.

Beyond the dedicated sessions, attendees were comparing notes on which models they’re using, how they’re prompting them, and how they’re validating their outputs, while startups demonstrated practical applications already underway across fire risk assessment, supplier data capture, and climate data processing.

The message was clear: AI is accelerating fast, and scrutiny around accuracy and trust is accelerating with it.

Membership Milestones

The Global Electronics Association welcomes new members joining in June, and congratulates member companies marking anniversaries this month. We appreciate your engagement and support across the electronics value chain.

• New members

• June anniversaries

Not a member and interested in joining? Learn more about membership.

• The Numbers Don’t Lie: Reading the global EMS data for 2025, where global growth masks a harder European story of insolvencies, job losses, and a widening East-West divide, but also unexpected margin resilience, by Phil Stoten.

• Wiring a Sustainable Future: What a standing-room-only session at EWPTE 2026 revealed about how Southwire, Lapp Tannehill, and Wesco are turning sustainability from an environmental obligation into an operational and competitive advantage, by sustainability program manager Seth Jacobsen.

• Everything Must Be Designed at Once: Five questions with Peter Tranitz, Senior Director of Technology Solutions Europe, on co-design, AI integration, digital twins, and why sustainability needs to be in the requirements list before development ever begins.

LinkedIn Highlights

• President and CEO John Mitchell’s latest Top Three Reads asks three questions worth sitting with: Europe’s shrinking PCB base, China’s humanoid robotics buildout, and whether AI’s next leap runs on light.

• There is no universal cleanliness number that guarantees electronic reliability. A recent webinar on ionic contamination in ECU manufacturing made that case clearly, with experts from Ford, Bosch, and Foresite.

• Stretch it, wash it, sweat in it, and it still needs to work. A new Global Electronics Association guideline gives e-textile developers a practical framework for getting there. Madison Maxey of LOOMIA breaks it down.

Events and Workshops

• July 21: Characterization of IC Chip Package IBIS Model and Signal Integrity

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 17: 2026 Electronics Day EMS Europe

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Global Electronics Association has released a new 63-page guideline on e-textile system development, covering materials, integration, reliability, cybersecurity, and sustainability. The goal is to help the industry move past prototyping and into scalable, production-ready systems.

• CNBC is reporting on U.S. dependence on Chinese-made PCBs in AI systems, a supply chain concern the electronics industry has been raising for some time. The story is a reminder that AI competitiveness depends on the full electronics ecosystem, not just chip design.

• President and CEO John Mitchell’s latest Top Three Reads covers Europe’s shrinking PCB manufacturing base, China’s humanoid robotics push, and advances in photonic computing. Three developments, he says, industry and policymakers should be watching more closely.

• AEPC 2027 is now accepting technical presentations, posters, and professional development courses. If your work is pushing the boundaries of advanced packaging and system-level integration, abstracts are due September 18.

From Prototype to Production: New Guideline Supports the Next Phase of E-Textiles

The Global Electronics Association has released Fundamentals and Best Practices for E-Textile System Development, a new 63-page guideline designed to help the industry move e-textiles from prototype to production. Developed by a global group of experts, it offers a structured framework for designing, testing, and scaling reliable e-textile systems, covering materials, integration, interconnection, reliability, cybersecurity, and sustainability.

As wearables and smart textiles move into real-world applications, the guideline aims to address cross-disciplinary challenges and reduce reliability risks, rework, and delays. It also complements the Association’s broader portfolio of IPC e-textiles standards and test methods. The guideline is now available through electronics.org.

Global Electronics Association President and CEO John Mitchell is spotlighting three developments he says deserve close attention from industry and policymakers alike: Europe’s shrinking PCB manufacturing base, China’s rapid push into humanoid robotics, and advances in photonic computing that could reshape future AI hardware.

PCB Blind Spots, Robot Hype, and Computing with Light

Global Electronics Association President and CEO John Mitchell is spotlighting three developments he says deserve close attention from industry and policymakers alike: Europe’s shrinking PCB manufacturing base, China’s rapid push into humanoid robotics, and advances in photonic computing that could reshape future AI hardware.

In his latest Top Three Reads, Mitchell warns that Europe’s semiconductor ambitions could be undermined by continued erosion in PCB capacity, argues that China’s robotics buildout may be racing ahead of real customer demand, and points to light-based computing as an emerging technology with major long-term implications for electronics innovation and competitiveness.

Together, these reads offer a timely look at the supply chain, industrial policy, and technology shifts shaping the future of the global electronics industry.

CNBC Highlights U.S. Concern Over PCB Dependence in the AI Supply Chain

A recent CNBC news report underscores a growing supply chain concern directly relevant to the electronics industry: U.S. dependence on Chinese-made printed circuit boards used in systems built around advanced AI chips.

The report highlights how PCBs, though often overlooked compared with semiconductors themselves, are essential to turning chips into functional electronic systems. It also points to broader questions about manufacturing capacity, sourcing concentration, and supply chain resilience as demand for AI infrastructure accelerates.

For electronics manufacturers and policymakers alike, the story is a reminder that competitiveness in AI depends not only on chip design and fabrication, but also on the strength of the broader electronics ecosystem that supports deployment at scale.

If Your Work Is Shaping Next-Generation Electronics, AEPC 2027 Is the Place to Present It

The Global Electronics Association has opened the call for participation in the Advanced Electronic Packaging Conference (AEPC) 2027, to be held during APEX EXPO 2027 in Anaheim.

For experts working at the forefront of advanced packaging, materials, assembly, test, reliability, manufacturing, and system integration, AEPC is a premier venue to present high-caliber technical work to a global audience of peers and industry leaders. The conference is designed for rigorous, peer-reviewed exchange and offers contributors the opportunity to elevate their research, validate practical innovations, and help define the next generation of electronics integration.

AEPC 2026 drew more than 170 participants from 20 countries and featured 78 peer-reviewed papers from over 100 companies, universities, and research organizations. The 2027 call is now open for technical presentations, posters, and professional development courses.

If your work is pushing the boundaries of electronics packaging and system-level integration, AEPC 2027 is where it belongs. Technical presentation abstracts and course proposals are due Sept. 18, 2026. Learn more and submit at  APEXEXPO.org.

How Clean Is Clean Enough in Electronics Manufacturing?

A recent industry discussion on ionic contamination in electronic control unit manufacturing delivered a clear message: there is no universal cleanliness threshold that guarantees electronic reliability.

Experts said methods such as ROSE, critical cleanliness control (C3), and ion chromatography are most effective as process-monitoring and diagnostic tools, not standalone pass/fail criteria. Instead, reliability depends on correlating contamination data with qualification testing, temperature-humidity-bias testing, and demonstrated field performance.

For manufacturers facing rising reliability demands in automotive and other high-performance applications, the takeaway is significant: reducing failures, improving processes, and controlling costs depends less on chasing a single cleanliness number and more on understanding how materials, processes, measurement methods, and real-world operating conditions interact.

New ESG Standard Gives Manufacturers a Framework for Compliance and Competitiveness

The Global Electronics Association has released IPC-1401B, an updated ESG management system standard designed to help manufacturers demonstrate credible environmental, social, and governance performance to customers, investors, and regulators.

As requirements such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive raise the compliance bar, IPC-1401B provides a practical, scalable framework for embedding ESG across operations and supply chains.

Developed through more than a decade of global collaboration, the standard is compatible with existing systems, including ISO 14001, ISO 45001, IFRS S1, and GRI. The update reflects growing pressure on manufacturers to strengthen transparency, manage risk, and align sustainability performance with evolving market and regulatory expectations.

Association Engages Brussels as Circular Economy Act Advances

The Global Electronics Association was represented this week at two key Brussels events as the EU’s Circular Economy Act moves toward a September proposal. Discussions at a June 23 European Parliament ENVI Committee hearing and a June 24 industry conference highlighted priorities including stronger markets for secondary raw materials, greater industrial resilience, regulatory coherence, and the need to close the cost gap between primary and recycled materials.

The conversations also reinforced concerns about balancing recycled content requirements with flexibility for smaller businesses. The Association is now revising its position ahead of its July engagement with policymakers and is seeking member input. Companies interested in contributing their perspective should contact Diana Radovan by July 2.

• Circularity for Electronics and Metal Recovery in Practice: What a Firsthand Visit to Atlantic Copper’s CirCular Project Near Sevilla Reveals About the Gap Between Policy Ambition and Industrial-Scale E-Waste Recovery, and Why 62 Million Tons of Annual WEEE Can’t Wait for a Theoretical Solution, by Dr. Diana Radovan, Director of Sustainability Policy

• Three Signals Shaping the Next Era of the Electronics Industry: Why Asia’s Rise as a Supply Chain Hub, the Data Infrastructure Behind Enterprise AI, and the Advanced Packaging Bottleneck All Point to the Same Competitive Imperative, by Sydney Xiao, President, East Asia

• Malaysia Is Moving Up the Value Chain: Five Questions With Dr. Ranee Ramya, Country Manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, on AI-Driven Demand, the 60,000-Engineer Talent Gap, and Why the Next Phase of Growth Will Be Defined by Ecosystem Collaboration, Not Just Capacity

LinkedIn Highlights

• One year in, the Global Electronics Association was heads down, working as usual. Here is what year one looked like across standards, advocacy, and workforce development. Year two, here we come.

• If a buyer opened ChatGPT right now and asked for supplier recommendations in your space, would your company show up? CMO Brian Knier put together three reads on what’s changing in B2B buyer discovery and what it takes to stay visible as AI does the searching.

• The global EMS market is benefiting from AI-driven demand, but Europe had a difficult 2025. Philip Stoten and Christoph Solka dig into what the numbers actually reveal about resilience, regional splits, and what comes next.

Events and Workshops

• July 21: Characterization of IC Chip Package IBIS Model and Signal Integrity

• August 18-20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31-September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 18-24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• What happens when buyers use AI to find suppliers, and your company either doesn’t appear or shows up incorrectly? CMO Brian Knier’s latest Top Three Reads tackles exactly that, with picks on third-party credibility, zero-click visibility, and what it takes to stay findable in an AI-shaped buying environment.

• Global EMS hit $658 billion in 2024, up 3.2%. Europe moved in the other direction, with revenues down 2.9%, 11 insolvencies in France, and potential job losses approaching 11,000. Germany, Austria, and France saw the steepest drops. The Baltics, Nordics, and Poland grew. The divide is widening.

• 90% of senior executives across 18 countries expect their operations to be largely electrified by 2035. 88% say it will make them more competitive. For electronics manufacturers supplying the components, systems, and power infrastructure behind that shift, the opportunity is significant, and the barriers are familiar.

• Congress has begun consideration of the FY2027 NDAA, and the Association is tracking provisions that matter for electronics, including amendments on Chinese-manufactured equipment on military property, defense industrial base modernization reporting, and a potential delay on phasing out Chinese components in U.S. defense technologies.

If AI Can’t Find You, Buyers May Not Either

In his latest Top Three Reads, the Global Electronics Association’s Chief Marketing Officer Brian Knier examines a growing challenge for B2B companies: what happens when buyers ask ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend suppliers and your company either doesn’t appear or shows up inaccurately.

For the electronics industry, where reputation has long been built through relationships, referrals, and institutional credibility, AI-driven discovery is changing how visibility works and how trust gets surfaced.

Knier’s three picks: I-Connect007, Forrester’s work on standing out in a zero-click world, and Bain’s Your Next Customer Will Find You Using AI. Now What? -- explore how companies can strengthen third-party credibility, improve digital accuracy, and keep content fresh in an AI-shaped buying environment.

Global EMS Expands, but Europe’s Divide Is Deepening

In a new interview with Scoop Communication’s Phil Stoten, Christoph Solka, Global Electronics Association Director of Industry Intelligence, outlines a widening split in the EMS market. Global EMS reached $658 billion in 2024, up 3.2%, with even stronger growth expected in 2025, driven largely by demand for AI infrastructure.

Europe, however, moved in the opposite direction: EMS revenues fell 2.9% in 2025, with 11 French insolvencies and potential job losses across the full industry nearing 11,000.

Regional results were highly uneven, with Germany (-7.0%), Austria (-15.2%), and France (-13.5%) declining, while the Baltics (+12.0%), Nordics (+9.1%), Balkans (+7.2%), and Poland (+3.1%) grew. Even so, 42% of surveyed companies improved pre-tax margins, highlighting both resilience and ongoing pressure in the sector.

Electrification Is Becoming a Business Imperative

Reuters reports that companies across global markets are accelerating electrification for reasons that are increasingly economic and strategic rather than ideological.

In a survey of nearly 2,000 senior executives across 18 countries, 90% said they expect operations to be largely electrified by 2035, 88% said electrification will make their business more competitive, and 79% said geopolitical instability has made the shift more urgent. 

For the electronics industry, the trend is especially relevant: electrification depends on the components, systems, power infrastructure, connectivity, and manufacturing technologies that electronics companies design and supply. Reuters also notes that businesses are running into familiar barriers, including grid constraints, inadequate incentives, and policy lag, issues that will directly shape investment conditions across electronics manufacturing and the broader industrial base.

What is the biggest barrier to electrification for your company right now: grid capacity, upfront costs, policy uncertainty, or customer demand?

Devan Iyer Named to ASMPT Advanced Packaging Technology Advisory Council

Global Electronics Association’s Dr. Devan Iyer, chief strategist for advanced electronic packaging, has been appointed to ASMPT Ltd.’s newly formed Advanced Packaging Technology Advisory Council, an independent body created to advise company leadership on key priorities in advanced packaging. The council will provide strategic guidance on its R&D roadmap as advanced packaging becomes increasingly critical to next-generation computing and AI systems. 

The council brings together experts in packaging technology development, assembly and test, manufacturing operations, quality, and academic research. Dr. Iyer joins a high-profile group of industry leaders, including former senior executives from Intel, AWS, Altera, Xilinx, and AMD, as well as from academia. 

ASMPT said its advanced packaging focus includes HBM, CoWoS, EMIB-T, photonics, and 2.5D/3D heterogeneous integration. His appointment reflects both his technical leadership and the growing strategic importance of advanced packaging across the semiconductor industry.

In Case You Missed It: New Scope 3 Guidance for the Electronics Supply Chain

The Global Electronics Association and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) have released practical guidance to help electronics companies improve Scope 3.1 greenhouse gas emissions accounting, one of the most challenging areas of climate disclosure.

Designed for how the electronics industry actually works, the resource helps companies move from spend-based estimates and “best guesses” to more reliable, supplier-specific data. It addresses common pain points, including inconsistent customer requests, uneven supplier readiness, material complexity, and the shift toward primary data collection.

Built around a maturity-based roadmap, the guide is intended for companies of all sizes across the electronics value chain and aims to improve transparency, supplier engagement, and readiness for regulatory, investor, and customer demands. Download the guidance and see how your team can put it to work.

Lorena Villanueva: ‘The Future of Electronics Will Be Defined by Women’

In a new video message from the Global Electronics Association, Lorena Villanueva, director of operations for Global Electronics Association México, makes a clear case for why women must play a larger role in shaping the future of electronics. She says the industry needs community, common ground, and a shared language, and argues that stronger participation through the Association can help create exactly that.

Villanueva’s message to girls and women considering a career in electronics is direct and encouraging: Don’t be intimidated; go for it, the industry is waiting for you, and it needs you. She also reflects on what makes this moment in electronics especially compelling, highlighting the importance of adaptability and resilience in a fast-changing industry. Her most memorable advice: “Never keep your voice low.”

FY2027 NDAA Moves Forward With Key Electronics and Defense Supply Chain Implications

In Washington, DC, this week, Congress has begun legislative consideration of the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Association is actively tracking provisions with direct implications for the electronics industry.

We’re watching an amendment proposed by Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) that would prohibit equipment manufactured by China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea from being placed in service on military property, and an amendment proposed by Rep.

Ro Khanna (D-CA), which would require the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy to report to Congress on the state of the defense and organic industrial base modernization. A third amendment may be offered that would delay deadlines for phasing out the use of Chinese components in U.S. defense technologies.

For more information, contact Kevin O’Hanlon, Association vice president of North American government relations.

• First in the Nation: How E-Tron Systems Employee Elcira DeLeon Made History as the First-Ever Winner of a Wire Harness Assembly Competition in the United States, and What It Means for a Company Built Around Inclusion, Craftsmanship, and Opportunity, by the Global Electronics Association

• Malaysia Is Moving Up the Value Chain: Five Questions With Dr. Ranee Ramya, Country Manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, on AI-Driven Demand, the 60,000-Engineer Talent Gap, and Why the Next Phase of Growth Will Be Defined by Ecosystem Collaboration, Not Just Capacity

• Wiring a Sustainable Future: What a Standing-Room-Only Session at EWPTE 2026 Revealed About How Southwire, Lapp Tannehill, and Wesco Are Turning Sustainability From an Environmental Obligation Into an Operational and Competitive Advantage, by Sustainability Program Manager Seth Jacobsen

LinkedIn Highlights

• Chips Act 2.0 is out, and for the first time, the proposal explicitly extends support to PCBs, PCBAs, IC substrates, and advanced packaging. The Global Electronics Association welcomed the progress and will remain engaged with EU institutions to ensure implementation matches the ambition.

• Standards development is heading to Paris this September, and registration for IPC Builds 2026 is open. Whether you’re a longtime committee participant or new to the process, the industry documents built that week will be relied upon worldwide.

• E-textiles require alignment across textiles, electronics, materials, manufacturing, and design. A new Global Electronics Association guideline provides the structured framework the industry has needed to navigate that complexity, from materials and integration to testing, reliability, and manufacturing.

Events and Workshops

• June 23: Europe’s Electronics Industrial Strategy: Leadership or Dependence?

• July 21: Characterization of IC Chip Package IBIS Model and Signal Integrity

• August 18 - 20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

• August 31 - September 2: Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly Workshop

• September 18 - 24: IPC Builds-Standards Development Committee Meetings

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Global Electronics Association has added the in4ma European EMS and PCB statistical programs, as well as the New Venture Research global EMS intelligence program, to its portfolio. The goal isn’t just more data. It’s a more connected picture of company performance, end-market trends, and the broader electronics landscape, all within one institutional home.

• The best software jobs might not be at software companies. VP of Education David Hernandez made that case in a new Built In piece, pointing to 5.2 million U.S. electronics manufacturing jobs, $853 billion in economic contribution, and an average tech salary of $156,000. The industry needs software talent badly. Most computer science graduates don’t know it yet.

• China has opened what WIRED calls the world’s first wind-powered underwater data center off Shanghai, running on more than 95% green electricity with cooling energy demand below 10%. It signals how seriously the country is taking the development of AI infrastructure with energy security in mind.

• Malaysia is gaining ground fast. In the latest Five Questions With installment, Country Manager Dr. Ranee Ramya points to AI-driven semiconductor demand and supply chain diversification as the two forces opening new doors in advanced packaging, IC design, and smart manufacturing. Talent will determine who leads the next phase.

A New Chapter for Electronics Industry Intelligence

For years, the electronics industry has had no shortage of market data, only a shortage of connections between them. That is starting to change. In early 2026, Global Electronics Association added the in4ma European EMS and PCB statistical programs and the New Venture Research global EMS intelligence program to its portfolio, alongside Manufacturing Market Insider.

The significance is not just the addition of respected legacy products, but the creation of a stronger institutional home for some of the industry’s most trusted intelligence.

Over time, the move could begin to close a longstanding gap between European and global market views, giving members a more connected picture of company performance, end-market trends, and the broader electronics landscape.

Software Skills Are Increasingly Critical in Electronics Manufacturing

A new Built In article by IPC Vice President of Education David Hernandez makes the case that electronics manufacturing may be one of the most overlooked destinations for computer science talent.

In What If the Best Software Jobs Aren’t at Software Companies?, published June 3, Hernandez argues that while many recent computer science graduates are facing a crowded software job market, the electronics industry urgently needs software talent to modernize legacy systems, support automation, and help implement AI across manufacturing operations.

The piece highlights the scale of the opportunity: U.S. electronics manufacturing supports 5.2 million jobs, contributes $853 billion to the economy, and offers an average salary of $156,000 for tech talent.

For the electronics industry, the message is timely. As manufacturers continue to digitize operations, the need for professionals who can bridge software and hardware grows.

E-Tron Employee Makes U.S. History at EWPTE Wire Harness Competition

A first-of-its-kind competition at this year’s Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo in Milwaukee delivered a milestone moment for the U.S. wire harness industry: Elcira DeLeon of Virginia-based E-Tron Systems became the first-ever winner of a wire harness assembly competition held in the United States. 

Backed by E-Tron Director George Jacob and colleague Mayra Ocon, DeLeon rose to the challenge of a timed, one-hour assembly test and earned a place at electronica in Munich this November, where she will represent the United States on an international stage.

The win is more than a personal achievement, it is a proud moment for a company built on inclusion, craftsmanship, and opportunity, and a reminder of the talent powering the electronics manufacturing industry.

What You Should Know: China Takes Data Centers Underwater

China has opened what WIRED describes as the world’s first wind-powered underwater data center, a milestone for both digital infrastructure and energy strategy. Located off Shanghai in the Lin-gang Special Zone, the 24-megawatt facility is submerged 10 meters below the surface and uses seawater as a natural cooling system, reducing cooling energy demand to less than 10% and targeting a highly efficient PUE of 1.15.

The project was developed by HiCloud Technology and China Communications Construction with a reported investment of 1.6 billion yuan. Chinese officials say the site is designed to run on more than 95% green electricity while cutting energy use by 22.8% compared with conventional onshore centers.

The development highlights China’s push to support AI growth with lower-carbon, energy-secure infrastructure. 

Sustainability Draws a Crowd at EWPTE 2026

Sustainability was one of the most talked-about topics at the 2026 Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo, where the session “Wiring a Sustainable Future: Harnessing Industry Solutions in Practice” drew a packed room of attendees from across the wire harness and cable manufacturing ecosystem.

The strong turnout reflected a broader industry shift: sustainability is no longer being treated as a standalone environmental initiative. Leaders from Southwire, Lapp Tannehill, and Wesco described how it is increasingly connected to operational efficiency, customer expectations, regulatory readiness, talent attraction, and long-term competitiveness.

A consistent message from the panel was that companies do not need to start big. Progress often begins with baseline measurements, clear goals, and cross-functional accountability. Rather than building separate programs, panelists emphasized embedding sustainability into existing business processes and metrics.

The discussion also highlighted the value of collaboration across the supply chain, from supplier engagement and reporting practices to waste reduction and renewable energy strategies. For the wire and cable industry, sustainability is becoming less of a side conversation and more of an operational priority.

U.S. Defense Department Seeks Industry Input on 10 High-Priority TSCA Chemicals

The U.S. Department of Defense is requesting industry input on the use of 10 high-priority chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), with responses due on June 19.

This request is part of a broader effort by the Defense Department to better understand where these chemicals are used, which applications depend on them, and how important they are to both industrial and defense supply chains.

Among the chemicals covered are formaldehyde, used in PCB through-hole metallization, and TBBPA, a flame retardant with uses as a reactive additive. Both are relevant to electronics manufacturing, making the request especially important for companies involved in materials, components, and production processes tied to defense-related applications.

The information will support the work of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Energy, Installations, and Environment’s Chemical and Material Risk Management Program, which is assessing the role these substances play in critical supply chains.

Should there be sufficient interest among members, the Association will consolidate and submit comments on the industry's behalf.

The request for information, including the full list of the 10 chemicals, is available. For more information on this RFI, contact Diana Radovan, sustainability policy director at the Global Electronics Association.

Why Malaysia Is Gaining Ground in Electronics

Malaysia is becoming an increasingly important player in the global electronics supply chain and not just as a manufacturing base.

In the latest installment of the Association’s Five Questions With… series, Dr. Ranee Ramya, Country Manager for Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, points to two forces reshaping the industry: AI-driven semiconductor demand and a global push for more diversified supply chains. Together, they are creating new opportunities for Malaysia in advanced packaging, IC design, automation, smart manufacturing, and AI-enabled production.

Ramya also highlights a critical challenge: talent. As the industry expands, the ability to build a skilled workforce will help determine which markets lead the next phase of growth.

Her broader point is that Malaysia’s opportunity goes beyond capacity. The country is increasingly positioned to grow as a higher-value, innovation-driven hub in the electronics ecosystem.

Read the full Five Questions With…Ranee Ramya.

• Closer to Employers, Tougher to Scale: What the 2026 Apprenticeships for America Summit Revealed About the Cross-State Coordination Gap Holding Back Apprenticeship Growth, and Why Electronics Manufacturing Can’t Afford to Wait for a Perfect System, by VP of Education Dave Hernandez

• Everything Must Be Designed at Once: Five Questions with Peter Tranitz, Senior Director of Technology Solutions Europe, on Co-Design, AI Integration, Digital Twins, and Why Sustainability Needs to Be in the Requirements List Before Development Ever Begins

• Electronics in the Eye of the Storm: How Five Converging Forces, Geopolitical Conflict, Energy Disruption, Semiconductor Concentration, Trade Realignment, and the AI Productivity Imperative, Are Reshaping the Industry’s Operating Environment, by Philip Stoten and Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac

LinkedIn Highlights

• “Never keep your voice low.” Lorena Villanueva, director of operations at Global Electronics Association México, didn’t enter electronics because of a passion for circuits. She entered because there weren’t enough women in the room. That hasn’t changed, and she’s not done talking about it.

• The electronics in a single World Cup broadcast might be designed in one country, fabricated in another, assembled in a third, and displayed on a screen made in a fourth. Global collaboration is kind of our thing.

• Standards development is heading to Paris this September, and there’s still time to register for IPC Builds 2026. Whether you’re a longtime committee participant or new to the process, the industry documents built that week will be relied upon worldwide.

Events and Workshops

• June 15: Powering U.S. Electronics Talent with Apprenticeship

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• June 23: Europe’s Electronics Industrial Strategy: Leadership or Dependence?

• August 18 - 20: 2026 Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The European Commission has released Chips Act 2.0 as part of its Technological Sovereignty Package. The Global Electronics Association applauds the progress and is already at the table to make sure implementation matches the ambition.

• 68% of PCB manufacturers are using AI. Only 8% have achieved real scale. A new Global Electronics Association report identifies what’s actually blocking progress, and it isn’t the technology.

• The critical minerals needed to decarbonize energy systems are already sitting in electronic waste. A new World Economic Forum piece makes the case that recovering them isn’t just an environmental argument. It’s one of the biggest industrial opportunities of the next decade.

• IPC-1401B is out. The updated ESG management system standard, developed by more than 400 committee members from 300 companies and 20 industry associations, now covers marketing, procurement, manufacturing, R&D, logistics, HR, and finance.

European Commission Strengthens Technological Sovereignty by Proposing the Chips Act 2.0

The Global Electronics Association applauds the European Commission for releasing the Chips Act 2.0 as a critical part of the Technological Sovereignty Package, a set of measures to strengthen Europe’s capacity in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, cloud, and open source.

This is welcome news to the Association, as we have advocated for a modern EU Chips Act for some time, and are committed to continuing our work with European Union institutions, member states, and members of Parliament, to ensure that the policy framework established in the Chips Act 2.0 is implemented across the region.

The language included in the Chips Act 2.0 proposal represents significant progress for the industry, but it is still very much a work in progress.

John W. Mitchell, president and CEO, stated, “Our members are looking for a regulatory environment that empowers electronics companies. This proposal enables an environment where they and their customers can thrive.” 

East Asia Study Examines the State of AI in PCB Manufacturing

“If manufacturing does not adopt AI, it will be difficult to maintain competitiveness.”

That line opens a new Global Electronics Association report, “AI in PCB Manufacturing: From Pilots to Scale,” and the data backs it up. 68% of manufacturers are using AI, but only 8% have achieved real scale. Most are stuck in pilots or siloed applications. The bottleneck isn’t the technology. It’s data quality, talent, ownership, and integration.

Investment is coming: 81% of manufacturers plan to increase AI spending over the next two to three years, focusing on process optimization, production planning, and quality. But scaling will require more than a budget. It will require shared standards, data formats, and industry collaboration.

Download the full report for the complete global benchmark and regional breakdown.

Review a recent webinar on moving AI from pilot projects to large-scale implementation hosted by the Global Electronics Association East Asia, with English captions available.

EV Reliability: Materials Matter

When discussing electric vehicle (EV) reliability, we often focus on the vehicle as a whole or on its sophisticated systems. However, many of the most persistent issues originate at the materials level.

Each of the critical components: semiconductor devices, ceramic substrates, die attach materials, wire bonds, and thermal interface materials, plays a vital role in defining the electrical, thermal, and mechanical limits of the hardware.

Understanding and addressing these materials challenges is essential for the future of EV reliability, as Stan Rak explains in the latest entry in his Road to Reliability series in SMT007 Magazine.

Why we need a circular economy for EV batteries and critical minerals 

The electronics technologies required to decarbonize energy systems depend on substantial quantities of critical minerals. Manufacturers need to establish sustainable supply chains for these minerals by reclaiming resources from electronic waste and existing electronics.

A recent article in the World Economic Forum emphasizes the global opportunity to create a resilient system that benefits everyone, unlocking numerous climate and economic advantages. This approach enables businesses to lower costs, foster long-term growth, and gain a competitive edge.

Redesigning the flow and circulation of critical minerals in the global economy is not merely a reaction to resource scarcity and fragility; it represents one of the most significant industrial and economic opportunities of the coming decades.

IPC-1401B Released, Revision Expands Scope of Original Standard

Are you an ESG, compliance, or operations leader in the electronics space?

IPC-1401B, “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Management System,” was developed for you. It defines requirements and best practices for an effective ESG management system, enabling enterprises to integrate ESG into products and value chains, manage risks and opportunities with partners, and strengthen competitive advantage. 

Developed through global industry cooperation with more than 400 committee members, 300 companies, and 20 industry associations, IPC-1401B has an expanded scope across marketing, procurement, manufacturing, R&D, logistics, HR, and Finance.

You can find the revision in the online store.

Five Questions With… Peter Tranitz

According to Peter Tranitz, senior director, technology solutions Europe, the biggest shift in the electronics industry is that “everything must be designed at once.”

In our “Five Questions With…” series, Peter shares his perspective on some of the most pressing questions facing the electronics industry today, including why co-design is no longer optional, how AI and digital twins are transforming the design process, and why sustainability must move to the front of the conversation.

If you’re involved in electronics design, manufacturing, or engineering, or simply curious about the future of the industry, this is a must-read.

• When Policy Meets Reality: Kevin O’Hanlon’s Top Three Reads on Oil Volatility, America’s AI Export Ambitions, and the FCC Router Ban Highlight a Growing Gap Between Policy Intent and the Manufacturing Infrastructure Needed to Back It Up, by VP of North American Government Relations Kevin O’Hanlon

• Three Signals Shaping the Next Era of the Electronics Industry: Why Asia’s Rise as a Supply Chain Hub, the Data Infrastructure Behind Enterprise AI, and the Advanced Packaging Bottleneck All Point to the Same Competitive Imperative, by Sydney Xiao, President, East Asia

• Circularity for Electronics and Metal Recovery in Practice: What a Firsthand Visit to Atlantic Copper’s CirCular Project Near Sevilla Reveals About the Gap Between Policy Ambition and Industrial-Scale E-Waste Recovery, by Dr. Diana Radovan, Director of Sustainability Policy

LinkedIn Highlights

• Tariffs, export controls, domestic investment mandates, procurement preferences. Global governments are reshaping the electronics industry faster than most companies can keep up with. The Global Electronics Policy Council exists to change that equation.

• IPC standards development is heading to Paris. Registration is open for IPC Builds 2026, September 19–24, where participants from across the global electronics ecosystem will collaborate on the industry documents relied upon worldwide.

• At APEX EXPO 2026, Didem Cebecioğlu Üstün of FNSS Savunma Sistemleri made the case for circular, modular design as a practical path forward. The core idea: waste isn’t just a cost. It’s a resource.

Events and Workshops

• June 10: Powering U.S. Electronics Talent with Apprenticeship

• June 10-11: Electronics Day Design France

• June 15: Powering U.S. Electronics Talent with Apprenticeship

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• June 23: Europe’s Electronics Industrial Strategy: Leadership or Dependence?

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• India’s domestic electrical equipment production stands at roughly $50 billion today. McKinsey thinks it could reach $235 billion by 2035. Here’s the catch: import dependence has already climbed from 22% to 33% since 2020 and could exceed 70% under a business-as-usual scenario. For electronics manufacturers watching India’s next industrial phase, this is less a growth story and more a warning about competitiveness.

• North America is becoming a strategically important manufacturing region again, and the pressure is already showing. VP of U.S. and Canada Joe Schneider told SMT007 that surging data center demand, AI standards work, and aerospace and defense expansion are creating real strain on capacity and workforce. Growth is here. The capability to sustain it is still being built.

• After 30-plus years of watching semiconductor sourcing stay manual, fragmented, and slow, former Google and Amazon veteran Aftab Farooqi built ChipHub, an AI-native procurement platform designed to simplify supplier discovery and sourcing decisions for hardware OEMs. His take on AI is worth noting: it’s a tool, not a replacement for human expertise. Read the full member spotlight.

• Electronics manufacturing training is now available in six languages across the Global Electronics Association’s member catalog, with new multilingual offerings covering chemical safety, ergonomics, component identification, and safety data sheets. For manufacturers operating across multiple countries, consistent training in the languages people actually speak isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s how quality holds across borders.

Workforce Resilience Starts with a Shared Language of Manufacturing

The Global Electronics Association is expanding its member training program across six core languages: English, French, German, Chinese, Spanish, and Malay, making essential electronics manufacturing education more accessible across global operations.

New multilingual offerings include foundational courses in chemical safety, component identification, ergonomics, and safety data sheets, as well as targeted Malay-language modules to support workforce development in Southeast Asia.

This expansion is about more than translation. It reflects a practical strategy for helping manufacturers close skills gaps, reduce safety risks, and improve consistency across sites. As electronics supply chains grow more distributed and complex, standardized training delivered in local languages becomes a critical lever for quality, resilience, and operational alignment.

A stronger global industry depends on a more capable, connected workforce, and that starts with access to the right training, in the right language.

Member Spotlight: Seeing a Problem, Building a Solution: The ChipHub Story

After more than 30 years in the hardware industry, ChipHub founder Aftab Farooqi had seen enough: semiconductor sourcing was still too manual, fragmented, and slow.

Drawing on experience at companies including Google and Amazon, Farooqi built ChipHub, an AI-native procurement platform designed to help hardware OEMs simplify supplier discovery, component evaluation, and sourcing decisions.

But his view of AI is refreshingly grounded. “AI is just another tool in the toolbox,” he says; not a replacement for human expertise, but a way to help teams work faster and make smarter decisions.

Built by a globally distributed team across the U.S., U.K., and Pakistan, ChipHub reflects the collaborative nature of today’s electronics ecosystem.

For Farooqi, joining the Global Electronics Association was a natural fit: a credible community where ideas are shared, assumptions are challenged, and the industry moves forward together.

Sydney Xiao’s Top Three Reads: Where AI is Taking Electronics Next

AI is reshaping the electronics industry far beyond software. In this timely roundup, Sydney Xiao, President of East Asia at Global Electronics Association, highlights three essential reads on the forces redefining competitiveness: Asia’s rise as a supply chain hub, the trusted data infrastructure behind enterprise AI, and the advanced packaging bottleneck facing next-generation semiconductors.

Taken together, they point to one clear takeaway: the future belongs to companies that can connect supply chains, data, and manufacturing strength.

Read Sydney’s picks:

• Roland Berger — Go East! Asia’s Rise as the World’s Supply Chain Hub

• Forbes — AI Factories Are the Future of Enterprise AI—But Data Is the Real Assembly Line

• EE Times — Addressing the Biggest Bottleneck in the AI Semiconductor Ecosystem

North American Electronics Faces Rapid Growth and Rising Pressure

In a recent SMT007 Magazine interview, Editor Nolan Johnson spoke with Joe Schneider, vice president of U.S. and Canada for the Global Electronics Association, about the forces reshaping the region: surging U.S. data center demand, rising focus on AI standards, and expanding opportunity in aerospace and defense.

Schneider says that growth is creating real strain on manufacturers, from capacity constraints to the urgent need for workforce ramp-up. In response, the Association is sharpening its focus on training, apprenticeships, and specialized education, especially for fast-growing segments such as data centers.

The interview also underscores a broader shift: North America is becoming a more strategically important manufacturing region again, driven by infrastructure investment and geopolitical realities.

For companies across the electronics ecosystem, the message is clear: Growth is here, but so is the need to build capability, talent, and resilience.

Why India’s Electrical-Equipment Outlook Matters to Electronics

A new McKinsey report, Wired for Growth: India’s Electrical-Equipment Opportunity, argues that India’s domestic electrical-equipment production could grow from about $50 billion in 2025 to $195–235 billion by 2035, with exports potentially exceeding $60 billion.

For the electronics industry, this is highly relevant. Growth in power electronics, grid infrastructure, renewable energy equipment, batteries, and high-end cables will increasingly shape the broader manufacturing ecosystem on which electronics depends, from energy availability and industrial capacity to localization strategies and supply chain resilience.

The report also carries a warning: India’s import dependence on electrical equipment has risen from 22% in 2020 to 33% in 2025, and under a business-as-usual path could exceed 70% by 2035. That makes this more than a growth story. It is a competitiveness story.

For Global Electronics Association membership, the takeaway is clear: India’s next phase of industrial growth will matter not only to the power sector but also to the future of electronics manufacturing and supply chain strategy.

Advancing the Future of Apprenticeship Through Collaboration

At the 2026 Apprenticeships for America Summit in Washington, D.C., David Hernandez, vice president of education at Global Electronics Association, joined leaders from industry, education, workforce development, and government to examine how apprenticeships can better address talent shortages and fast-changing skills needs.

A key theme emerged: employers need apprenticeship models that are locally responsive yet easier to scale across states. Hernandez’s panel on the cross-state apprenticeship challenge highlighted the need for stronger coordination, employer-centered design, shared standards, and more adaptable systems.

For the electronics industry, apprenticeship is gaining ground as a scalable workforce solution. As manufacturers face persistent talent shortages and rising demand for skilled workers, these programs are playing a larger role in recruitment, upskilling, and long-term workforce planning.

• EV Performance Is a Full-Stack Problem Now: What APEX EXPO 2026 Made Clear About Why Better Semiconductors Are No Longer Enough, and Why Materials, Packaging, Thermal Management, and Manufacturing Precision Are the New Competitive Differentiators, by Stan Rak

• Where Value Is Built on the Production Floor: How EMSCO's People-First Manufacturing Philosophy, Industry Association Engagement, and a Congressional Visit to the Shop Floor Illustrate What Strong U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Actually Looks Like, by the Global Electronics Association

• U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Demand Is Outpacing Talent Supply: What Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, Industry Strategy, and One Florida Manufacturer’s Hiring Playbook Reveal About a Workforce Gap That Is Structural, Urgent, and Already Being Solved, by VP of U.S. and Canada Joe Schneider

LinkedIn Highlights

• Global electronics trade hit $4.5 trillion in 2023, and the policy decisions being made right now will determine who competes in the next phase. The Global Electronics Association has launched the Global Electronics Policy Council, with inaugural members including AT&S, Flex, Jabil, Plexus, TSMC, and TTM Technologies. Real representation starts before regulations are written.

• The talent gap in U.S. electronics manufacturing is wide enough to qualify as a supply chain constraint. On June 10, hear from the U.S. Department of Labor, Mack Technologies, and the Global Electronics Association on how apprenticeship is changing that. Free. Two hours. Worth your time.

• The global EMS market has returned to growth, and the Global Electronics Association’s Global EMS Industry Report 2025 has the full picture: market size, company standings, regional production trends, and the competitive pressures shaping what comes next.

Events and Workshops

• June 2, 2026: Panel Discussion: Ionic Contamination Assessment in ECU Manufacturing

• June 10: Powering U.S. Electronics Talent with Apprenticeship

• June 10-11: Electronics Day Design France

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• June 23: Europe’s Electronics Industrial Strategy: Leadership or Dependence?

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The Global Electronics Association has launched the Global Electronics Policy Council, a new body with formal structure, real bylaws, and inaugural members including AT&T, Flex, Jabil, Plexus, TSMC, and TTM Technologies. In an industry navigating tariff volatility, export controls, and competing domestic investment mandates, coordinated advocacy is no longer optional. This is what it looks like when the industry decides to stop going it alone.

• Europe’s Tech Sovereignty package, including a possible Chips Act 2.0, is now expected on June 3. The delay is minor. The stakes aren’t. The Global Electronics Association’s position is clear: a next-generation chips strategy that stops at semiconductor fabrication and ignores PCBs, assembly, and the broader value chain isn’t a resilience strategy. It’s a half-measure.

• Sydney Xiao, president of the Global Electronics Association’s East Asia Region, doesn’t mince words in the first installment of the new Five Questions With series. AI infrastructure is rewriting the supply chain from semiconductors to power systems, and talent may be the biggest long-term constraint of all. Her advice for staying competitive is worth reading in full.

• Legacy data formats are quietly becoming a liability across electronics supply chains, and more companies are taking notice. In the May issue of I-Connect007, Tracy Riggan makes the case for IPC-2581 as the open, vendor-neutral standard built for a faster, more connected industry. The transition is already underway. The question is how quickly the rest of the industry follows.

Why the Electronics Industry Needs a Stronger Global Policy Voice

The electronics industry just got a more unified global policy voice. The Global Electronics Association has launched the Global Electronics Policy Council (GEPC), a new body that brings together leading companies from across the electronics value chain to coordinate advocacy on trade, investment, workforce, standards, innovation, and supply chain resilience.

Why it matters: electronics is a $6 trillion industry supported by some of the world’s most globally interconnected supply chains. As tariff volatility, export controls, and competing domestic investment mandates intensify, no single company or country can navigate the policy landscape alone.

The GEPC is built for action, not just dialogue. With formal bylaws, defined leadership, regional execution arms, and an annual advocacy plan, the Council is designed to translate industry consensus into coordinated government engagement. Inaugural members include AT&S, Flex, Jabil, Plexus, TSMC, and TTM Technologies, a cross-section of companies spanning the full electronics manufacturing ecosystem. It’s a significant step toward stronger, more strategic global advocacy for the industry.

Five Questions with Sydney Xiao: Why AI, Talent, and Resilience Are Redefining Electronics

What’s the biggest shift in electronics right now? According to Sydney Xiao, president of the Global Electronics Association’s East Asia Region, it’s the rapid move from consumer electronics to AI infrastructure and high-performance computing.

In the first installment of our new “Five Questions With…” series, Sydney explains why that transition is reshaping the entire supply chain, from semiconductors and advanced packaging to PCBs, power systems, and servers, and why talent may be the industry’s biggest long-term constraint.

She also points to three forces every company must navigate now: AI-driven demand, supply chain regionalization, and geopolitics. Her advice for staying competitive? Invest in technology innovation, stronger supply chain collaboration, and the standards and quality systems needed to support a more complex, high-stakes electronics ecosystem.

Read the full Q&A for more from Sydney.

Rethinking Data Exchange Across the Electronics Supply Chain

A quiet but important shift is underway in electronics manufacturing: companies are reexamining how design and production data flow across the supply chain and whether long-standing legacy formats remain fit for today’s more connected, fast-moving industry.

In the May issue of I-Connect007 Magazine, Global Electronics Association’s Tracy Riggan explores why more industry leaders are looking to IPC-2581, an open, vendor-neutral standard developed to simplify data exchange across design, fabrication, assembly, and test.

The piece looks at what’s driving the transition, why some major companies are pushing adoption forward, and what it will take for the broader industry to follow.

If you’re interested in the future of smarter, more connected electronics manufacturing, this is well worth the read.

Bangkok Marks a Milestone for Standards Engagement in Thailand

The Global Electronics Association reached an important milestone on March 30 with its first-ever Standards Committee meeting in Bangkok, drawing 25 industry participants for a productive discussion on strengthening standards engagement in Thailand.

The meeting centered on forming committees in key sectors, including PCB manufacturing, EMS, and wire harness, an encouraging sign of growing industry interest in deeper collaboration and stronger ties to the global standards community.

Momentum is already strong. Standards and certification programs such as IPC-600, IPC-610, and IPC-620 continue to gain traction in Thailand, and this new committee structure will help create a more formal platform for participation, knowledge-sharing, and alignment with globally recognized practices.

It’s a meaningful step forward for regional engagement and for connecting Thailand’s electronics industry more closely with the global ecosystem.

Chips Act 2.0 is Coming — Will Europe Think Beyond Semiconductors?

The European Commission’s latest agenda indicates that release of its Tech Sovereignty package, including a possible Chips Act 2.0, has shifted from May 27 to June 3. While the delay is relatively minor, the package is expected to draw close attention across the electronics industry for clues about Europe’s next phase of industrial and competitiveness policy.

For the Global Electronics Association, the key issue is not just timing, but scope. The Association has argued that any next-generation chips strategy should go beyond semiconductor fabrication alone and include support for the broader electronics manufacturing ecosystem that turns chip investment into real industrial capacity.

That means recognizing the importance of the full value chain, from materials and components to printed circuit boards, assembly, and related advanced manufacturing capabilities, if Europe wants to build a more resilient and globally competitive electronics sector.

For more information, contact Chris Mitchell or Alison James.

How Teledyne Built a More Consistent Quality System Across Global Sites

What does it take to turn quality from a training goal into a measurable, repeatable system? In a new member-contributed piece, Teledyne’s Machine Vision Camera Group shares how it tackled consistency in workmanship across sites in Europe and North America by making IPC Standards the common language for quality decisions.

The company combined in-house IPC-A-610 certification, internal trainer development, and lab-based validation to improve alignment across teams, accelerate onboarding, and strengthen confidence in high-reliability manufacturing environments. The result was not only more consistent decision-making on the production floor but also recognition outside the organization during a major aerospace and defense customer audit.

It’s a practical, real-world example of how manufacturers are using standards, training, and measurable validation together to build quality at scale.

• Where Value Is Built on the Production Floor: How EMSCO's People-First Manufacturing Philosophy, Industry Association Engagement, and a Congressional Visit to the Shop Floor Illustrate What Strong U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Actually Looks Like, by the Global Electronics Association

• U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Demand Is Outpacing Talent Supply: What Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, Industry Strategy, and One Florida Manufacturer’s Hiring Playbook Reveal About a Workforce Gap That Is Structural, Urgent, and Already Being Solved, by VP of U.S. and Canada Joe Schneider

• EV Performance Is a Full-Stack Problem Now: What APEX EXPO 2026 Made Clear About Why Better Semiconductors Are No Longer Enough, and Why Materials, Packaging, Thermal Management, and Manufacturing Precision Are the New Competitive Differentiators, by Stan Rak

LinkedIn Highlights

• The FCC has extended its software update deadline for foreign-made routers to January 1, 2029. VP of North American Government Relations Kevin O’Hanlon welcomed the move but was direct about what comes next: the industry needs specificity on which components must be manufactured in the U.S. before companies can make meaningful investments toward compliance.

• Seven Global Electronics Association training courses are now available in Chinese, French, German, and Spanish, with four more newly available in Malay. For organizations running workforce development across borders, standardized training in the language people actually work in makes a measurable difference.

• European EMS revenue declined 2.9% in 2025, with automotive-focused markets absorbing the steepest losses while Northern and Eastern Europe held up better. The Global Electronics Association’s 2026 Annual Survey of the European EMS Industry is out now.

Events and Workshops

• May 25-29, 2026: Introduction to PCB Design I European Time

• June 10: Powering U.S. Electronics Talent with Apprenticeship

• June 10-11: Electronics Day Design France

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• July 2, 2026: Panel Discussion: Ionic Contamination Assessment in ECU Manufacturing

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• Copper hit a record $6.44 per pound this month, driven by mine outages, geopolitical disruption, and stockpiling across global markets. For electronics manufacturers, this is no longer just a pricing issue. Disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are threatening the supply of sulfuric acid used in copper refining, turning what was once a commodity risk into a full supply chain resilience problem.

• The FCC has confirmed that existing foreign-made routers deployed in the U.S. can continue to receive software and security updates through at least January 1, 2029. The decision addresses a real cybersecurity concern: millions of devices going unpatched. It also reflects several of the issues the Global Electronics Association raised in its April report on router restrictions and supply chain resilience.

• Testifying before the USTR’s Section 301 panel, VP of Global Government Relations Chris Mitchell urged policymakers to draw a sharper distinction between state-directed overcapacity and the commercially necessary manufacturing capacity the global electronics industry actually depends on. The warning: treating all concentrated capacity as distortive risks, misunderstanding how the industry operates, and tariffs alone won’t fix the underlying structural gaps.

• AI’s next constraint may not be innovation. In a new Tech Talks Daily episode, CTO Matt Kelly argues that power availability, thermal management, materials, and supply chain resilience are becoming the defining limits on AI growth. The old playbook of lowest-cost sourcing is giving way to what Kelly calls confidence-based sourcing, and a single missing component can now delay delivery of an entire high-value AI system.

Not All Capacity is the Same: The Global Electronics Association’s Message to USTR

Last Friday, Chris Mitchell, the Global Electronics Associations’ vice president of global government, testified before the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Section 301 panel on structural excess capacity, urging policymakers to take a more precise view of how capacity functions in the electronics sector.

In his remarks, Mitchell argued that there is an important distinction between market-distorting, state-directed overcapacity and the commercially necessary manufacturing capacity that underpins the global electronics industry.

He emphasized that electronics production is shaped by large upfront capital investments, cyclical demand, geographic specialization, and deeply interconnected supply chains that span trusted allies and partners as well as domestic producers. Treating all concentrated capacity as inherently distortive, he warned, risks misunderstanding how the industry actually operates.

Mitchell also stressed the need for a rigorous evidentiary standard when evaluating trade concerns and cautioned that tariffs alone will not address the deeper structural barriers that limit U.S. electronics manufacturing capacity.

Record Copper Prices Signal Growing Supply Chain Pressure for Electronics

Copper prices hit a record $6.44 per pound this month as mine outages, geopolitical disruption, and stockpiling combined to tighten global supply, according to a May 11 Forbes analysis by Tim Treadgold. The piece points to reduced output at major mines, including Grasberg, Cobre Panamá, and Kamoa-Kakula, alongside rising demand from electronics, transport, and electrification.

It also highlights a less obvious pressure point for manufacturers: disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz that could constrain the supply of sulfuric acid, an important input in some copper-refining processes.

For electronics companies, the takeaway is clear: copper risk is no longer just a pricing issue but a broader issue for supply chain resilience. Procurement teams, manufacturers, and policymakers should be watching not only metal markets, but also refining inputs, geopolitical chokepoints, and inventory behavior that can amplify volatility.

EMSCO: Where Membership, Craftsmanship, and Community Converge

EMSCO, a wire harness and PCB assembly manufacturer based in Ashland, Va., offers a strong example of how Association membership can translate into real operational value. Through its long-standing engagement with WHMA and the Global Electronics Association, EMSCO has gained peer insight, leadership perspective, and practical ideas that have helped shape everything from shop-floor design to workforce development and long-term growth strategy.

For EMSCO President Parker Garrett, membership has been less about affiliation and more about access to a trusted network of manufacturers facing similar challenges and sharing real-world solutions.

That spirit of connection was also on display when Congressman Rob Wittman visited EMSCO’s headquarters to tour its operations and discuss domestic manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and workforce needs. The visit underscored the value of bringing policymakers closer to the production floor and highlighted the role industry associations play in helping members strengthen operations, build relationships, and elevate the voice of manufacturing.

Association Report on Router Risks Gains New Relevance After FCC Update Decision

TechSpot’s Skye Jacobs reported this week that the FCC will allow existing foreign-made routers and networking devices already in use in the U.S. to continue receiving software and security updates through at least January 1, 2029, easing concerns that millions of deployed devices could lose access to critical patches even as restrictions on new foreign-made routers remain in place. 

The FCC has said the change is meant to help avoid harm to consumers by ensuring devices are not left with unpatched vulnerabilities, a significant issue for home and enterprise network security.

The decision reflects growing recognition that continued access to firmware and software support is essential to cybersecurity, patch management, and long-term device reliability. Those are issues the Global Electronics Association highlighted in its April report examining how restrictions on installed networking equipment could affect cybersecurity and supply chain resilience. Read the report.

Why Electronics is at the Center of the New Industrial Strategy Debate

Some of the sharpest thinking on industrial strategy and technology competition is no longer confined to think tanks or trade journals, it’s showing up right here on Substack.

This week, Chris Mitchell, the Global Electronics Association’s vice president of global government relations, is spotlighting three standout pieces.

• First: The Electric Slide by Packy McCormick and Sam D’Amico, a deep dive into the collapsing cost of the electric stack and what China’s dominance means for the future of industrial competition.

• Second: Everything is Computer by Ryan McEntush at a16z, which argues that nearly every modern physical product is now built like a smartphone, and that the real advantage lies in the “modular middle.”

• Third: The Chip the World Forgot from Normandie Research, which makes the case that mature-node chips are strategic terrain hiding in plain sight.

Three reads, one big message: industrial strategy is getting smarter and more urgent.

Global Electronics Association CTO: AI’s Next Constraint May Be Infrastructure, Not Innovation

As companies race to scale AI, the real challenge may be less about models and more about the physical systems underneath them. In a new episode of Tech Talks Daily, Matt Kelly, CTO and vice president of technology and standards at the Global Electronics Association, argues that power availability, thermal management, materials, and supply chain resilience are becoming defining constraints on AI growth.

Kelly says the old playbook of lowest-cost sourcing is giving way to “confidence-based sourcing,” as companies prioritize reliability, geographic diversity, and business continuity. He also warns that a single missing component can delay delivery of high-value AI systems, turning dual sourcing from a procurement tactic into an operational necessity.

The broader message: AI infrastructure is a system problem, spanning silicon, packaging, energy, cooling, and supply chains.

• EV Performance Is a Full-Stack Problem Now: What APEX EXPO 2026 Made Clear About Why Better Semiconductors Are No Longer Enough, and Why Materials, Packaging, Thermal Management, and Manufacturing Precision Are the New Competitive Differentiators, by Stan Rak

• U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Demand Is Outpacing Talent Supply: What Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, Industry Strategy, and One Florida Manufacturer’s Hiring Playbook Reveal About a Workforce Gap That Is Structural, Urgent, and Already Being Solved, by VP of U.S. and Canada Joe Schneider

• Two Years In: Building the Talent Pipeline Through Apprenticeship: How the Global Electronics Association's Nationally Recognized Program Is Moving From Concept to Scale, Delivering Measurable ROI, and Making the Case That Workforce Development Is No Longer Optional, by VP of Education Dave Hernandez

LinkedIn Highlights

• VP of Global Government Relations Chris Mitchell testified before the USTR last week on Section 301 Structural Excess Capacity, representing more than 3,200 member companies. The point he pressed: not all manufacturing capacity is the same, and policy needs to draw a clear line between state-directed overcapacity and the commercially necessary capacity the global electronics industry depends on.

• The Cable & Wire Harness Competition at EWPTE 2026 has its winners. First place went to Elcira DeLeon of E-Tron Systems, followed by Dennis Delaney of Custom Wire Industries and Christopher Rios of Senra Systems. Skill, precision, and craftsmanship on full display.

• ESE Co. and Hanwha Semitech have added new equipment to the IPC-CFX-2591 Qualified Products List, covering stencil printers and SMT mounters that have passed third-party audits demonstrating compliance with the Connected Factory Exchange standard. The QPL keeps growing.

Events and Workshops

• May 12-15, 2026: Hand Soldering Competition 2026, Regional Qualification Japan

• May 20, 2026: Quality AI Is Only As Good As Your Data

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• July 2, 2026: Panel Discussion: Ionic Contamination Assessment in ECU Manufacturing

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• Multiple forces are hitting the electronics industry at the same time. This conversation between Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac and industry journalist Phil Stoten connects them: AI demand, geopolitical tensions, energy volatility, and supply chain concentration. The companies coming out ahead are the ones moving beyond cost optimization toward resilience. This one is worth reading in full.

• “RAMageddon” isn’t just a headline. A Guardian piece this week puts numbers to what the memory squeeze actually means for consumer electronics: rising device prices, lower-cost models being phased out, and major manufacturers, including Samsung, Dell, and Microsoft, already adjusting. The trend echoes findings from a recent Global Electronics Association report warning that AI-driven demand is tightening global memory supply and increasing costs across the electronics industry.

• Aluminum is a growing supply chain issue. The Middle East conflict is straining supply, and energy prices are compounding the pressure. President and CEO John Mitchell told S&P Global that recovery, even if conditions stabilize, could take up to a year. Recycled aluminum is emerging as one of the more practical near-term responses.

• The electronics talent gap isn’t a hiring problem. It’s a structural one. VP of U.S. and Canada Joe Schneider’s latest Top Three Reads puts the Bureau of Labor Statistics data in plain view: 7% growth projected through 2034, roughly 17,500 annual openings, most of them driven by retirements. The pipeline solutions exist. The question is whether the industry is moving fast enough to build them.

Electronics in the Eye of the Storm

In a recent Global Electronics Association blog, Shawn DuBravac, the Association’s chief economist, and Philip Stoten, a journalist specializing in the global electronics manufacturing industry, outline how multiple forces, including AI demand, geopolitical tension, energy volatility, and supply chain concentration, are reshaping the industry in real time. AI infrastructure is accelerating semiconductor demand, particularly for memory, driving sustained pricing pressure and reinforcing structural dependencies in the global supply chain.

At the same time, energy and logistics costs are proving more persistent than expected, requiring manufacturers to operate with new cost assumptions. Growth remains strong overall, led by AI and defense spending, though consumer-driven segments are softening.

The strategic shift is clear: companies are moving beyond cost optimization toward resilience, building flexible, multi-region supply chains and investing in better data to respond faster. This is not a slowdown, but a transformation defining the industry’s next phase.

EV Performance is Shifting Beyond the Chip and Accelerating

Recent industry insights highlighted by electronics industry thought leader Stan Rak of SF Rack Company show a clear inflection point: improving EV performance now depends as much on packaging, materials, thermal management, and manufacturing precision as on the semiconductors themselves.

Work from Lars Böttcher showed how embedding power devices and replacing wire bonds with solid copper can boost efficiency and reliability. Michael Jörger emphasized that advanced materials are now central to handling higher voltages and temperatures, while Emin Skiljan demonstrated how improved thermal interface materials are addressing heat as a key performance constraint.

As systems scale to 400–800V and beyond, cleanliness and system-level integration are also emerging as critical factors.

The takeaway: EV innovation is becoming a full-stack challenge, and companies that integrate design, materials, and manufacturing will lead the next wave.

Top Three Reads: Talent Demand in U.S. Electronics Is Structural and Actionable

As part of the Global Electronics Association’s Top Three Reads series, Vice President, U.S. and Canada, Joe Schneider highlights a growing reality: demand for electronics talent is outpacing supply, and it’s not temporary.

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics outlook projects 7% growth through 2034, with ~17,500 annual openings driven largely by retirements. That signals a structural workforce gap.

• A second read of Building a Talent Pipeline for Electronics Manufacturing outlines scalable solutions, education partnerships, apprenticeships, and certifications that go beyond short-term hiring fixes.

• Finally, Florida Manufacturers Need Workers. Here’s How to Make It Happen brings it to ground level, showing how companies are already adapting hiring, training, and retention strategies.

The takeaway: solving the talent gap requires coordinated, long-term investment, and companies are already putting those strategies into practice.

War-driven Aluminum Shortage Adds New Pressure to Electronics Supply Chains

A new S&P Global article highlights a growing risk for the electronics industry: Aluminum shortages are affecting the supply chain.

In the interview, Global Electronics Association President and CEO John Mitchell warns that disruptions are already driving up costs across critical components, from circuit boards to data center infrastructure. Aluminum is essential not only for structural elements but also for thermal management in high-performance systems, including AI hardware.

Rising energy prices are compounding the issue, with some electronics components seeing sharp cost increases. Even if conditions stabilize, recovery could take up to a year due to damaged production capacity.

One emerging bright spot: recycled aluminum. Companies are increasingly turning to recycling as a cost-effective way to ease supply pressure while improving resilience.

Call for Abstracts Open: Shape the Future of Electronics Design in Europe

The Global Electronics Association and FED are now accepting abstracts for the 2027 Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC), and we’re calling on industry experts to contribute.

Under the theme “Advancing Electronics: From Silicon to Systems,” submissions are open through June 30, with the event set for January 27–28, 2027, in Amsterdam.

Topics span AI-driven design, EV power electronics, advanced packaging, sustainability, and more.

The goal: practical, real-world insights that push electronics design forward.

For engineers, designers, and innovators, this is an opportunity to share expertise, gain visibility, and help define what’s next.

Smart Manufacturing Gets a Real-world Upgrade Powered by IPC Standards

A production line at Phoenix Contact in Nanjing, China has been officially recognized as an IPC HERMES Demo Line, signaling a major step forward in standardized, connected electronics manufacturing.

The line fully implements IPC-HERMES-9852, an open standard enabling machine-to-machine communication across assembly equipment, unlocking smarter, more flexible operations. The results are tangible: changeover times cut by more than 60%, integration cycles reduced by 50%, and overall equipment effectiveness improved by over 10%.

Leaders, including Sydney Xiao, emphasized the broader impact: breaking down data silos and enabling true interoperability across the factory floor.

Why it matters: as manufacturers push toward digital transformation, standardized connectivity is proving essential—not just for efficiency, but for building scalable, resilient production ecosystems.

“RAMageddon” Signals a Structural Shift in Electronics Pricing

A recent article from The Guardian highlights a growing inflection point for the electronics industry: the era of low-cost devices may be coming to an end.

Driven by surging demand for AI infrastructure, memory chips are being diverted to data centers, tightening supply and pushing prices higher for laptops, smartphones, and gaming systems. Analysts estimate device prices could rise sharply, with some entry-level products becoming economically unviable.

Major manufacturers, including Samsung, Dell, and Microsoft, are already raising prices or phasing out lower-cost models.

The trend aligns with findings from the Global Electronics Association’s April 2026 report, The Memory Squeeze: How AI-Driven Capacity Reallocation Is Reshaping Memory Supply for Electronics Manufacturers, which warned that accelerating AI demand is redirecting global memory supply, extending lead times, and increasing costs across the electronics manufacturing ecosystem.

The takeaway for industry: AI isn’t just driving growth, it’s reallocating semiconductor capacity, reshaping product strategies, and redefining the economics of consumer electronics.

• EV Performance Is a Full-Stack Problem Now: What APEX EXPO 2026 Made Clear About Why Better Semiconductors Are No Longer Enough, and Why Materials, Packaging, Thermal Management, and Manufacturing Precision Are the New Competitive Differentiators, by Stan Rak

• Two Years In: Building the Talent Pipeline Through Apprenticeship: How the Global Electronics Association's Nationally Recognized Program Is Moving From Concept to Scale, Delivering Measurable ROI, and Making the Case That Workforce Development Is No Longer Optional, by VP of Education Dave Hernandez

• The Memory Squeeze Is Here: How AI-Driven Capacity Reallocation Is Redirecting Global Memory Supply, Raising Costs, and Forcing Electronics Manufacturers to Rethink Procurement From the Ground Up, by Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac

LinkedIn Highlights

• €122M in EU defence electronics funding is on the table, and the Call for Proposals opens in June. One week until the EDIP webinar, where DG DEFIS Team Leader Renauld Hock walks through the programme, the Key Electronic Components Call, and how to position your company to compete for it.

• Mack Technologies registered 20 apprentices in 2024 with support from the Global Electronics Association. The first cohort went well enough that they came back for a second with 50 apprentices and substantial funding in place. That's what getting the funding strategy right looks like in practice.

• The Force runs on electronics. May the 4th be with you and the engineers, innovators, and manufacturers who bring power, intelligence, and reliability to life every day.

Events and Workshops

• May 12-15, 2026: Hand Soldering Competition 2026, Regional Qualification Japan

• May 13-14, 2026: Hand Soldering Competition, Regional Qualification Italy

• May 20, 2026: Quality AI Is Only As Good As Your Data

• June 16-June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• July 2, 2026: Panel Discussion: Ionic Contamination Assessment in ECU Manufacturing

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Top News in Electronics…

• The talent shortage isn’t cyclical. It’s structural. A new blog from VP of Education David Hernandez makes the case that apprenticeship is no longer a workforce initiative, it’s core infrastructure. The question now is how fast the industry scales it.

• A strike on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex disrupted production of high-purity PPE resin, a critical PCB laminate input, at a facility controlling roughly 70% of global supply. Production hasn’t resumed. Single-point failures have a way of becoming everyone’s problem fast.

• Scope 3.1 emissions are the most material and least mature part of most companies’ climate strategies. New guidance from the Association reframes the approach: progress over precision. Waiting for perfect data is the risk.

• China’s Sichuan Modern Vocational College certified 132 students in IPC-A-610 in a single cohort. Embedding standards before students hit the production floor is gaining traction. Employers should be paying attention.

Building the Talent Pipeline Through Apprenticeship

David Hernandez, the Global Electronics Association’s vice president of education, makes a blunt case the electronics industry can’t ignore: the talent shortage isn’t cyclical; it’s structural, and apprenticeship is the only scalable fix. Read on here.

With ~680,000 active apprentices nationwide and strong retention outcomes, the model is proven. Yet electronics manufacturing still lags adoption even as demand for skilled labor accelerates. Hernandez argues the industry has spent too long competing for talent instead of building it.

Two years after launching nationally recognized apprenticeship standards, the Global Electronics Association is seeing measurable ROI: higher productivity, lower error rates, stronger retention, and rapid employer expansion. More than $1M in funding has helped move programs from theory to execution.

The takeaway is pointed: Apprenticeship is no longer a workforce “initiative.” It’s core infrastructure. The only real question is how fast the industry chooses to scale it and who gets left behind if it doesn’t.

U.S. Robotics Policy Debate Highlights Supply Chain Reality

The complication, as Lucas Laursen laid out in a recent IEEE Spectrum piece published April 22, is that many American robotics firms still rely on Chinese components to build their finished systems, which means the line between domestic and foreign technology is harder to draw than the legislation implies.

Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac weighed in on the tension in Laursen’s piece, and his perspective is worth noting. The real vulnerabilities, he argues, aren’t necessarily where the regulatory focus is landing. Outdated software, uninstalled patches, and unchanged default passwords are where actual risk tends to live. Supply chain origin is one piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the whole picture.

What’s becoming unavoidable is the question of visibility. DuBravac is clear that companies will need to understand not just their direct suppliers but their suppliers’ suppliers. The compliance pressure is already building, and the firms investing in that kind of supply chain transparency now will be better positioned as the regulatory environment continues to evolve. Read the full article here.

Scope 3.1 Is Where Climate Commitments Get Real

A new blog from Seth Jacobsen, the Association’s sustainability program manager, highlights a tension the electronics industry can’t avoid: Scope 3.1 emissions are both the most material and the least mature part of most companies’ climate strategies.

Despite growing regulatory and customer pressure, fewer than half of electronics firms disclose these upstream emissions. The challenge isn’t awareness; it’s execution across fragmented, supplier-dependent value chains.

New industry guidance, developed with partners, reframes the problem. Instead of chasing perfect data, it promotes a maturity-based approach that blends secondary estimates with targeted supplier data and prioritizes progress over precision.

The implication is subtle but important: Scope 3.1 accounting is not a reporting exercise. It’s an operational one, rooted in supplier engagement and industry alignment.

For companies waiting on perfect data, the message is clear: waiting is the risk.

Geopolitical Disruption Hits Critical PCB Material Supply Chain, Raising Risk of Production Disruptions

A recent Tom’s Hardware report by Etiido Uko highlights how geopolitical instability is now directly affecting electronics supply chains. Reuters reports that damage to the Jubail petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia has disrupted production of high-purity PPE resin, an essential input for PCB laminate, after Iran-linked strikes.

The facility operator, SABIC, accounts for roughly 70% of the global supply of this material, and production has yet to resume. The result is immediate pressure on PCB availability, a foundational component across virtually all electronic devices.

The disruption adds to existing shortages of semiconductors and specialty chemicals that are already straining manufacturers worldwide. As the Tom’s Hardware report notes, the effects cascade quickly through downstream production, increasing the risk of delays and higher costs for consumer electronics.

For global electronics manufacturers, the incident underscores a persistent reality: critical supply chain nodes remain highly concentrated, and increasingly vulnerable to external shocks.

Standards-Based Education Moves Upstream in Electronics Talent Pipeline

A new milestone out of China signals where electronics workforce development is heading: earlier, faster, and far more standardized.

Sichuan Modern Vocational College has certified 132 students in IPC-A-610 in a single cohort, one of the greatest efforts of its kind among vocational institutions.

The move reflects a broader shift in electronics workforce development: embedding industry standards directly into education rather than waiting until after hire. By integrating certification, hands-on training, and coursework, the college is aligning students with real production requirements before they enter the workforce.

For employers, that translates to faster onboarding and more consistent quality. For the industry, it signals a more scalable way to close persistent skills gaps.

As demand for talent capable of meeting rising quality and reliability expectations grows, this model is gaining traction. The takeaway is clear: Embedding standards early is strengthening both workforce readiness and industry performance.

New Partnership Brings Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility to Electronics Manufacturers

The Global Electronics Association and CalcuQuote, an Elisa Industriq business, have launched a partnership to deliver real-time supply chain intelligence for the electronics industry.

The initiative combines aggregated sourcing and supply chain data with the Association’s global industry perspective to provide manufacturers with clearer visibility into market shifts, emerging constraints, and sourcing risk. Insights will be anonymized and designed to support faster, more confident decision-making across the electronics ecosystem.

Rather than static reporting, the collaboration aims to translate live market signals into actionable intelligence, helping companies anticipate disruptions rather than react to them.

Leaders from both organizations emphasized the value of combining perspectives in a fragmented supply chain, where no single player has full visibility. The partnership will roll out with market reports and trend analysis aimed at improving how the industry monitors risk and responds to change.

Europe’s €122M Push Into Defense Electronics Signals a New Industrial Phase

The Global Electronics Association is hosting a webinar with DG DEFIS on the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) and a new funding call that could significantly reshape Europe’s defense electronics landscape.

The call will direct €122.25 million to Industrial Reinforcement Actions spanning PCBs, IC substrates, semiconductors, avionics, RF and laser modules, and related defense electronics. With EU co-financing of 35–50% of eligible project costs and a €20 million cap per project, the initiative could unlock more than €350 million in total investment before closing in February 2027.

For electronics manufacturers, the signal is clear: Europe is moving from planning to capacity-building in defense-critical technologies, with electronics firmly in scope.

The Association webinar with DG DEFIS will take place on May 12 at 14:00 CET and will provide details on eligibility, priorities, and participation pathways. Register here.

• The Memory Squeeze Is Here: How AI-Driven Capacity Reallocation Is Redirecting Global Memory Supply, Raising Costs, and Forcing Electronics Manufacturers to Rethink Procurement From the Ground Up, by Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac

• AI is pulling memory supply away from the broader electronics industry, and the numbers tell the story fast: 62% of manufacturers report constraints, 82% see rising prices, and only 14% expect relief. Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac breaks down what’s happening and what comes next.

• Trade, Compliance, and a Startup With Its Eyes on Orbit: Three Reads That Connect the Dots from our Chief Communications Officer, Carrie Sessine, on Where Global Electronics Manufacturing Is Headed Next

LinkedIn Highlights

• Congressman Rob Wittman visited EMSCO in Ashland, Virginia, last week for a firsthand look at what wire harness manufacturing means to U.S. defense and the broader electronics supply chain. Policymakers who show up and listen make a difference. This one did.

• Apprenticeship works. The Global Electronics Association connects employers with structured pathways from Electronics Assemblers to PCB Fabricators, and works with funding partners to make those programs accessible. National Apprenticeship Week is a good moment to take stock of where your talent pipeline stands.

• Three new free courses just landed in the Global Electronics Association member training library: Safety Data Sheets, Chemical Safety, and Ergonomics. AI and data analysis courses are coming, translations into four languages are in the works, and the whole library runs $400 per employee in value that members aren’t paying extra for.

Events and Workshops

• May 5 - 7, 2026: Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo

• May 12 - 15, 2026: Hand Soldering Competition 2026, Regional Qualification Japan

• May 13 - 14, 2026: Hand Soldering Competition, Regional Qualification Italy

• May 20, 2026: Quality AI Is Only As Good As Your Data

• June 16 - June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

• July 2, 2026: Panel Discussion: Ionic Contamination Assessment in ECU Manufacturing

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

This is meant to be a conversation. If there’s a topic you want us to cover or a challenge you’re working through, reach out anytime at communications@electronics.org.

Stay connected between issues by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for real-time updates and industry news.

Want to become a member? Click here.

Oh, and Europe’s electronics supply chain is getting hit from three directions at once, and nobody seems to be talking about it. Here’s what we’re watching:

Top News in Electronics…

• AI gets the headlines for what it can do. What it’s doing to the rest of the hardware ecosystem is a different story. Association Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac’s latest blog shows how AI infrastructure is vacuuming up memory capacity, leaving automotive, industrial, and medical manufacturers competing for what’s left. 62% report constrained supply. 82% see prices climbing. And only 14% expect that to change anytime soon.

• Copper used to be the thing nobody worried about. That time is over. Mine disruptions in Indonesia and Chile are slamming into surging demand from AI buildouts, EVs, and electrification all at once, and when the material that shows up in everything from PCBs to power systems to data centers gets tight, the ripple effects don’t stay upstream for long.

• The wearable tech market is on track to triple by 2031, hitting $183 billion. That sounds like a growth story until you think about what it asks of manufacturing: miniaturized sensors, flexible PCBs, advanced chipsets, precision at volume. The demand curve is moving faster than most of the supply chain behind it.

Europe’s electronics manufacturers are catching it from three sides: energy volatility, chips policy still being written without PCBs and EMS in the room, and defense demand that’s finally backed by real money. Alison James of the Global Electronics Association laid it all out in a conversation with EMS@C-Level that’s worth your time.

What Are We Actually Doing With What We Already Have?

Did you know the electronics industry generates around 62 million tons of e-waste every year? Much of it is packed with the copper and critical minerals we’re actively scrambling to source. We are discarding what we need. The solutions exist. What’s missing is the will to scale them. Circularity isn’t just an environmental goal. It’s a supply chain strategy.

So here’s what we want to know:

AI Is Reshaping the Memory Market and Its Effects Are Spreading Across Industries

Artificial Intelligence is usually framed as a software story. That framing misses the real disruption: hardware.

In a recent blog, Global Electronics Association Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac points to a structural shift underway in the global memory market. AI infrastructure, especially hyperscale data centers, demands massive volumes of high-performance memory such as HBM, thereby pulling capacity away from traditional DRAM and NAND. The result isn’t cyclical pressure; it’s a sustained squeeze.

The data is blunt:

• 62% of manufacturers report constrained supply,

• 82% see rising prices,

• Only 14% expect relief soon.

This isn’t just a procurement issue. It’s a competitive one. Memory, once a commodity, is becoming a gatekeeper. Automotive, industrial, medical, and even non-AI data centers are already feeling the strain.

The implication is uncomfortable: companies are no longer just competing on innovation. Instead, they’re now competing on access.

The Copper Squeeze: What Mine Disruptions and AI Demand Mean for Electronics Supply Chains

A recent news article from Supply Chain Digital highlights a growing risk for electronics manufacturers: copper is no longer a background commodity, it’s becoming a constraint.

In "Copper Supply Squeeze: Mines Falter as Demand Surges," George Cooper details how mine disruptions in Indonesia and Chile are colliding with rising demand for AI infrastructure, EVs, and electrification. The result is a structural imbalance: constrained mined supply versus expanding smelting capacity, particularly in China.

For the electronics sector, the implications are immediate. Copper underpins everything from PCBs and semiconductors to power systems and data centers. As upstream shortages persist and prices climb, manufacturers face tighter sourcing conditions, higher input costs, and increased volatility in supply planning.

The broader signal is clear: like memory, foundational materials are becoming strategic choke points in the AI era.

Electronics Manufacturing Needs Your Voice: Global Sentiment Survey Now Live

The latest monthly Global Sentiment Survey from the Global Electronics Association is now open. At a time when demand uncertainty, policy shifts, energy costs, and supply chain recalibration are pulling the industry in multiple directions, the survey captures something macroeconomic data often misses: how manufacturers are actually experiencing conditions on the ground.

That signal matters. Capacity planning, sourcing strategies, and automation investments all depend on short-cycle intelligence, and the survey aggregates those inputs across EMS providers, OEMs, component suppliers, and materials stakeholders into a consistent monthly pulse.

Higher participation sharpens the picture. Lower participation weakens it at a moment when precision matters most.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete, and participants receive a complimentary copy of the results. Take the survey and contribute your perspective.

Wearable Tech Market Set to Triple by 2031, Driving Demand for Advanced Electronics Manufacturing

The wearable technology market is heading toward $183 billion by 2031, which sounds like a straightforward growth story until you look at what’s actually being asked of the manufacturing ecosystem behind it.

Devices are getting smaller, smarter, and more demanding at the same time. AI-enabled health monitoring, smart rings, hearables, and next-generation biosensors don’t just require better electronics. They require miniaturized, low-power, precision electronics, manufactured at volume, to healthcare-grade reliability standards, across a globally distributed supply chain that must also stay compliant with regional regulatory requirements that don’t always align. It’s a lot to ask.

The companies that figure out how to balance scale, compliance, and rapid innovation across that landscape won’t just be supplying the wearables market. They’ll define what advanced electronics manufacturing will look like over the next decade. Asia-Pacific and North America are leading growth, but the technical requirements set in Europe’s regulatory environment are shaping what gets built elsewhere.

Europe’s Electronics Supply Chain Under Pressure: Energy, Chips Policy, and Defense Demand Collide

Europe’s electronics manufacturing landscape is being reshaped by three things at once: energy volatility, geopolitical friction, and industrial policy still being written in real time. In a recent interview on EMS@C-Level, Phil Stoten sat down with Alison James, Global Electronics Association senior director of European government relations, to talk through what that actually means for the region’s supply chain resilience. The short answer is: more than most people realize.

James has a talent for making the abstract concrete. Energy price spikes, contested shipping routes, and upstream material constraints aren’t distant macro risks. They show up on the manufacturing floor. So do the dependencies most people aren’t tracking: petrochemicals woven through electronics production, helium quietly critical to semiconductor fabrication. The “normal” operating assumptions that many companies built their planning around are looking less normal by the day.

The bigger policy conversation is where it gets interesting. Europe’s Chips Act review and the broader tech-sovereignty agenda are moving forward, but James argues that semiconductors alone don’t add up to resilience. PCBs, EMS providers, IC substrates, and advanced packaging need to be part of the policy framework too, not afterthoughts.

Add rising defense demand, EV competition, and emerging “Made in Europe” procurement rules, and electronics no longer look like a downstream beneficiary of industrial strategy but rather the foundation it actually is.

• Measurement Is No Longer a Bottleneck: How Automated Micro-Sectioning Is Turning PCB Quality Inspection Into a Real-Time Source of Manufacturing Intelligence

• One Question, Six Perspectives, One Clear Theme: What Leading Electronics Manufacturers Say Will Define the Next Decade, and Why AI, Advanced Packaging, and Talent Have to Move Together

• Trade, Compliance, and a Startup With Its Eyes on Orbit: Three Reads That Connect the Dots from our Chief Communications Officer, Carrie Sessine, on Where Global Electronics Manufacturing Is Headed Next

LinkedIn Highlights

• National Apprenticeship Week starts next week. The Global Electronics Association is spending it on something the industry actually needs: how to build, fund, and scale talent pipelines on the production floor.

• Four barriers stand between the industry and next-generation power electronics. Sreekant Narumanchi of the National Laboratory of the Rockies broke them all down at APEX EXPO 2026.

• New members, new expertise, new perspectives. The Global Electronics Association is growing. Glad to have them in the room.

• More than 100 million routers are in use across the U.S. Virtually none are made here. Now the FCC wants to change that. PCMag’s Michael Kan drew on new Global Electronics Association data to find out what happens next. It’s worth a read.

Events and Workshops

• April 24, 2026: Advancing Sustainable and Circular Electronics

• May 5 - 7, 2026: Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo

• June 16 - June 18, 2026: IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry

Want More from the Global Electronics Association?

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