Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1513227
DECEMBER 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 at's where PCB007 Magazine comes in. We recently spoke with some of the biggest names in PCB manufacturing, and they shared their economic outlooks for the upcoming year. I would sum up their overall outlook as "cautiously optimistic." ey were all bullish on our industry, but there was some apprehen- sion. No one wants to get burned by another supply chain debacle. So, in this issue, our expert contributors share their thoughts on the economic outlook for 2024 and beyond. IPC Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac starts by providing his indus- try forecast for 2024. Consultant Joe O'Neil discusses some of his concerns as we move into the new year, but his overall outlook is very positive. IPC's John Mitchell describes his strategy for handling tough economic times as "blocking and tackling." Amitron's Aidan Salvi shares his global outlook for fabricators; he's recently visited fabricators in Asia and Europe, as well as in the U.S. Accurate Circuit Engineering GM James Hofer explains why he's optimistic about the future of his company—and the overall indus- try. As James says, defense and aerospace are good segments to be working in today. Col- umnist Steve Williams has a few tips and tech- niques that can keep your business strong in a downturn. Philippe Leonard and Francisco Fourcade of IPC Europe discuss their plans to educate policymakers on the needs of our industry, and PCBAA's David Schild explains how government agencies—federal, state, and local—became willing to (finally) invest in American fabricators. It's been a great 2023, and 2024 is looking pretty good too. Fair winds and following seas to you and yours. PCB007 Andy Shaughnessy is manag- ing editor of Design007 Mag- azine and co-managing editor for PCB007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 20 years. He can be reached by clicking here. Fond Memories of Lino Sousa From Pluritec: "It is with broken hearts, that we announce Lino Sousa passed away late last week. Whoever had the luck to meet Lino knows the unique per- son he was. Hard worker, trusted business part- ner, great father and grandfather. His contagious optimism and joy of life was inspiring to many. You will be greatly missed my friend. RIP." From IEC: "Lino, proud husband, father, grandfather, Christian, a consummate sales professional, as well as being a true and tremendous friend, will be missed by all of us whose lives he touched at IEC. We are so privileged that we were able to get to know him and be a part of his life. We will think of him often with great memories and with great affection." From I-Connect007 "Lino was one of the first people I met in the industry, way back in 1990. His warmth, friend- liness and mile-a-minute banter endeared him to me from the start. He was a salesman to his core—in the best way—but also generous, com- passionate, whip smart and kind. I think of his family, church community, and our industry— what a huge hole he left, but what a legacy." — Barb Hockaday "A unique character in our industry. I've never known anyone as passionate and enthusias- tic about what he was selling. I would end up as excited as Lino just by listening to him for a few minutes! And I was just an interviewer, never a sales prospect! So sorry to lose you, Lino." — Pete Starkey