Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1456062
64 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 Like many of you, I've spent the last few years grappling with the challenges posed by a global pandemic. Whether it's staffing a production line or obtaining key materials, PCB manufacturers and their suppliers have had to adapt quickly to a radically changed environment. We're more than 700 days into this new world, but as an industry, we cannot allow our day-to-day focus on operations distract us from what is happening in Washington and what it means to the microelectronics ecosystem. Independent of the COVID-19 crisis, our industry is experiencing a decades-long shi that needs to be addressed by a strong public/ private partnership. Even as more and more technology in our daily lives is dependent on microelectronics, the U.S. has seen its share of the global PCB market shrink from 26% in 2000 to only 4% today. As policymakers What Happens in Washington Happens to Us All American Made Advocacy Feature Column by Travis Kelly, PCBAA