Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
52 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2024 China, in particular—other strategies are in line ahead of American manufacturing. One of those strategies is commonly called "China Plus One." It means having other sources in addition to China. We accept that there will always be some commoditized microelectronics sourced from China but we need to secure the supply chain for national defense and critical infrastructure. erefore, China Plus One is not a cure-all. It is only one of the risk reduction measures being imple- mented by companies around the world. "Friendshoring" is another approach being pushed. is means you reduce risk by sourcing key products from friendly nations less likely to be subject to the whims of autocratic regimes. e catch is that many of these friendly coun- tries are still at the end of long and dangerous supply chains that have been interrupted by piracy, regional wars, shipping channel block- ages, and extreme weather. "Nearshoring" is easy to understand as it combines geographic proximity with ongo- ing government-to-government trade arrange- ments; think Mexico and Canada. is is sim- ilar to friendshoring without the troublesome distances between them and our borders. What is missing from currently enacted leg- islation and U.S. government policy is support for American-made PCBs and substrates. With no government action, even with the afore- mentioned supply chain options, we will never reclaim even a small percentage of the abil- ity to manufacture PCBs and IC substrates in America and retain the risks presented by cur- rent solutions. is situation is puzzling given the amount of support there has been for semiconduc- tor manufacturing. As anyone in the industry knows, chips don't float. We can make more semiconductors here, but without government support to help create the demand signal that will draw private investment, the majority of those newly American-made semiconductors will travel to Asia to be packaged with Asian- made PCBs and IC substrates. PCBAA continues to press for legislation and policy that includes the entire technology stack. For our nation to continue its current path, we will remain dependent on Asia in per- petuity. If we do nothing, nothing changes. For the sake of the hard-working men and women in American microelectronics manufacturing, we will press the government to adopt a mix of supply chain options that prioritize domestic manufacturing and supplement it with near- shoring and friendshoring. If you are a manufacturer, assembler, or materials provider, please join us and help reinvigorate the domestic PCB industry by educating, advocating, and supporting legisla- tion that puts us on a level playing field in the ranks of global microelectronics manufactur- ers. Please visit pcbaa.org for information on how to join our organization and our efforts to strengthen the U.S. PCB market. PCB007 Shane Whiteside is president and CEO of Summit Interconnect and current chair of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. To read past columns, click here. " So far, policymakers in Washington are looking beyond our borders to support microelectronics manufacturing. "