Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1499197
68 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2023 ere is no substitute to for in-person advo- cacy, and here's why we're taking our fight to the halls of Congress: • e environment is ripe for reshoring. Challenges to supply chains that began during the COVID-19 pandemic have lin- gered and, coupled with a tight labor mar- ket, created a challenging environment for high-tech manufacturing. Businesses are securing their sourcing and building new arrangements closer to home. New facto- ries are under construction from Arizona to New York, and busi- nesses are recogniz- ing that dependence on any one region is not sustainable. Governments all over the world are competing for a share of this rebal- anced portfolio. • e competition for lawmakers' attention is fierce. Every day in Wash- ington our elected offi- cials are inundated with requests for support and appeals to action. Our system empowers individuals and organizations alike to engage in the polit- ical process, and from corn growers to clothing importers, tens of thousands avail themselves of this option during every legislative session. With so many diverse interests competing, it's important to con- nect the faces of your stakeholders to the arguments you're making. Some might argue that in our new "vir- tual" work environment, the need to show up is out of fashion, but I strongly disagree. Sit- ting across the table, shaking hands, telling the story; there is no replacing that kind of con- nection and the results it can bring. If anyone still doubts the value of direct engagement with lawmakers, you need only look to the CHIPS Act. Far from a safe bet when it was first proposed, the CHIPS (Cre- ating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semicon- ductors) Act took nearly three years to go from an idea to signature by the President. During those three years our colleagues in the semi- conductor industry worked tirelessly in Wash- ington to make it happen. at understanding led to nearly $52 billion in government investment and more than $400 billion in private funds that followed the gov- ernment's strong signal. Now it is time to finish the job. It took almost three decade s to shr ink our P CB manu- f a c t u r i n g b a s e . We're not going to reverse that trend overnight, but we must act. Now is the time to sit with our elected o f f i c ia l s a n d e x p la i n that "chip s don't f loat ." A truly secure, robust, and resilient supply chain includes semiconductors, sub- strates, and printed circuit boards manufac- tured in America. We owe it to our shareholders, employees, and customers to make this vision a reality. at's why I am going to Washington, D.C., next month. If you care about American man- ufacturing, I hope you will join us. PCB007 Travis Kelly is CEO is Isola- Group and current chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. To read past columns, click here. Some might argue that in our new "virtual" work environment, the need to show up is out of fashion, but I strongly disagree.