Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1531014
16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2025 Feature Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 Dennis Reed is a senior research analyst who specializes in electronics manufactur- ing at Edgewater Research, a leading research and market intelligence firm covering a mix of compute—CPU, GPU, memory, both flash and DRAM, and hard drive—and insights on components which includes broad line semi- conductor, IP&E distribution, and channels. In this conversation with Dennis and IPC Executive EMS Advisor Mark Wolfe, we dis- cuss emerging trends in 2025: AI, China Plus One, inflation, tariffs, and market shis, par- ticularly in automotive and milaero. Nolan Johnson: Dennis, we're here to talk about what's on the minds of EMS providers in 2025, but let's start with a quick rundown of who your company serves. Dennis Reed: Our client base is split between two markets. e first and largest is the financial com- munity: hedge funds, mutual funds, pensions, etc. We also sell to the industry. For those, we deploy a bottom-up research approach. For example, from a top-down standpoint, you would look at GDP's X, and we think the industry's X plus or X minus. We talk to the CEO and the CFO and use that to drive our research process. EMS Providers Should 'Plan Prudently' in 2025