Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1511625
70 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 equity, leading two companies before return- ing to Sanmina in my current role. A big part of my return to Sanmina was and is the strong conviction that PCBs are an exciting prod- uct critical to the company and strategically important to the country. What are the unique challenges facing the industry? Where are things headed? On the economic business side, this indus- try has been decimated over the past 20 years. e U.S. shrunk from about 25% of the world's supply to 4% today. e U.S. suffered because of offshoring and lost the infrastructure and innovation that other countries invested heav- ily in. We need to get that back. is is why the PCB Act is so important. On the technol- ogy side the U.S. is dealing with finer lines and spaces that traditional techniques struggle to keep up with. e U.S. needs to invest more in R&D to innovate the future. is is easier for large companies like Sanmina. Our PCB busi- ness is part of a multi-billion-dollar company. We have the benefit of being able to draw on an astonishing array of engineering and scientific resources. e reality is that it is much harder for small companies that don't have the finan- cial resources and breadth that Sanmina has. But with the potential benefits of the PCB Act on the horizon, it could give small to medium companies the resources they need to invest in the future and keep pace with the march of technology. How can the PCB Act bring manufacturing back to this country? I am optimistic that the legislation could result in two or three new PCB fabs in the industry. We will need this capacity to handle all the reshoring that is going on. It has been great working with PCBAA and member compa- nies to get the attention of legislators and pol- icymakers in Washington. What we are asking for in the bill is much less than the CHIPS Act. In reality, our bill protects the investment that the government and private companies are making via the CHIPS Act. Without concur- rent increases in PCB manufacturing, we will remain dependent on other countries for most of the PCBs needed to support the semicon- ductor fabs being built over the next few years. PCBAA is making a difference by addressing the entire ecosystem. We need both a vibrant manufacturing and supplier base to rebuild an industry that has been in a downward spiral for so many years. at ecosystem includes mate- rial suppliers and equipment manufacturers and I look forward to reversing the trends of the last decades and rebuilding the PCB eco- system. You have spent time on Capitol Hill. What was your message when you met with members of Congress and their staff? My message was that this is a larger issue than just PCBs. It is about ensuring the vibrancy of the entire technology ecosystem. I reminded them that electronics govern all aspects of modern life. PCBs are pervasive in every facet of modern life, especially in mission criti- cal applications like those found in national defense systems and critical infrastructure like telecommunications, aviation, medicine, and computing. We need reliable and secure sources of electronics in this country. Con- Hari Pillai