Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1534385
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2025 great job of laying out that vision and mov- ing beyond the status quo into so many other areas, whether it's sustainability initiatives or understanding and roadmapping the tech- nology requirements of advanced packaging. ese areas are very important to TTM and, ultimately, to our customers. I've loved every- thing about my involvement in IPC. Tom, what are the most pressing issues for PCB manufacturers right now? I'll give you two. First is the changing geopo- litical environment and the resulting changes in global footprint requirements. You're deal- ing with an industry that was 60% in China and is now being asked to move outside of China and take that infrastructure with us. at's a significant challenge from the stand- point of managing your bal- ance sheet, the customer relationships, and even the governmental relationships. ere is a lot of strategic effort in really making sure that we're taking the right steps there. So, it's a big one. e second one is the pace of technology change, which all started with the iPhone. If you think about what Apple drove in terms of innovation in the iPhone that, in turn, drove innovation in printed circuit boards, it is remarkable. Now we're looking at a world that's being driven by generative AI. Regarding the basic requirements, we are always looking at size, weight, and power. We're now looking at significant shrinkage in cir- cuit requirements while accommodating more components. is is a big challenge and places a big thermal load onto the printed circuit board. Speed requirements continue to increase at the same time. at means new material sets and new processing requirements. It is a pace of change that I haven't seen for a significant period of time. It is very exciting, but certainly, we're looking at technology requirements that are very challenging for the industry. Will the PCB manufacturing industry become more like semiconductor manufacturing? ere are some similarities. is industry has always been a bit like the Wild West. Depend- ing on where you are in the world, on your sup- ply chain, and on your equipment and manufac- turing processes, the variation is tremendous. It is a fascinating industry to be involved with. If you look at where the semiconductor industry is in terms of process, consistency, equipment, platforms, and use of AI, the trends lend themselves to many fac- ets of the PCB industry. We will use AI and other means to drive more process con- sistency in our business with some elements that will resemble semiconductor- like processing. Tom, what will things look like a year from now? I think 2026 will continue to benefit from technology changes primarily driven by generative AI requirements. We will also have learned a lot about the new admin- istration's requirements related to PCB production. We could see significant developments in terms of footprint requirements, not just for PCBs but also for materials. I look for- ward to sitting down with you a year from now. Thank you, Tom. ank you very much. PCB007 " I think 2026 will continue to benefit from technology changes primarily driven by generative AI requirements. "