MAY 2025 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 81
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Prashant Patel, founder and president of Alpha Circuit, takes a pragmatic
approach to doing business: "Commerce always wins out," he says. How will
potential tariffs and shifts in the economy affect PCB manufacturing? Prashant
offers sound advice, "Business is business, and politicians are politicians. In
the end, commerce always wins out. People, companies, and countries want to
do business with each other. We need to do business with each other, and we
always find a way. If you are talking about the tariffs, I am not too concerned
about that since we all have to pay them in one way or another. If there are tariffs on laminates,
for example, all PCB shops are paying them, so it is still an equal playing field."
Business Always Finds a Way
Tom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, discusses the
current economic challenges, noting reduced
purchasing power post-pandemic. He high-
lights the growing demand for HDI in con-
sumer electronics due to AI growth. Tom also
expresses concerns about tariffs under the
new U.S. administration, prompting CEE to
diversify production locations, including new
plants in Southeast Asia. He emphasizes the
need for PCB manufacturers to adapt strate-
gically amidst rising costs and fierce compe-
tition, particularly for mid-sized shops facing
unique challenges in the industry.
Choosing the Right Strategic Path
The ROI of Workforce Training
As the business landscape evolves, quanti-
fying the effectiveness of training programs
is crucial to rationalizing and securing
ongoing investment, effectively address-
ing workforce challenges, and, most impor-
tantly, achieving the desired, tangible
effects on productivity and bottom-line
profitability. In this interview, Carlos Plaza of
IPC and Tim Burke of Arch Systems explore
the critical topic of workforce training
and its ROI in the electronics manufactur-
ing sector, based on a newly released IPC
white paper, "Maximizing Returns: The ROI
of Training in Electronics Manufacturing."
Nobuhiko Okamoto is the
global sales and marketing
manager for Elephantech
Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make
electronics more sustainable. The company
is developing a metal inkjet technology that
can print directly on the substrate and then
give it a copper thickness by plating. In this
interview, he discusses this novel technolo-
gy's environmental advantages, as well as its
potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing
and semiconductor packaging segments.
Elephantech: For a
Greener Tomorrow
Nolan Johnson catches up
with Sydney Xiao, president
of IPC North Asia, who leads a
team covering China, Taiwan,
Japan, and Korea. IPC's North
Asia region has 800 members
who are focusing on standards,
training, and advocacy to
enhance quality and profitability. The adoption
of IPC standards by Toyota in 2021 highlights
this increased regional engagement.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO
2025: Empowering IPC North Asia—
Leadership and Future Goals
