84 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2025
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Walt Custer: Making
Data Interesting
I first met Walt about 20 years
ago when I started covering the
fabrication industry. Right away,
he started telling me which
companies to watch and which
trends to follow. This was in the
years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid. I still
remember the first time I saw him do a presentation at a
TMRC conference years ago—was it Scottsdale, Arizona?
Facing the Future: Challenges and
Opportunities in Reshoring PCB
Manufacturing
For decades, offshore
manufacturing
dominated the global
electronics industry.
The pursuit of cost
efficiency, scalability,
and access to vast
labor markets made countries like China, Taiwan, and
Vietnam attractive destinations for printed circuit board
(PCB) production. But a seismic shift is underway, from
geopolitical instability and supply chain disruptions to
rising labor costs and national security concerns.
Global Citizenship:
Chinese PCB
Fabricators Will Remain
an Important Part of
the Supply Chain
In today's hyperconnected electronics
landscape, collaboration is no longer
optional; it's essential. Electronics man-
ufacturing is very much a global busi-
ness, and this will not change, no mat-
ter how the tariffs and global trade winds
are blowing. Whether you're a startup
founder building your prototype, an
aerospace engineer pushing the bound-
aries of performance, or a supply chain
leader managing a complex global net-
work, Chinese PCB fabricators have
likely already touched your world.
How Good
Design Enables
Sustainable PCBs
Good design practices,
especially those based on
established IPC standards,
play a central role in enabling sustainable PCB production.
By ensuring designs are manufacturable and reliable,
engineers can significantly reduce the environmental
impact of their products.
It's Only Common
Sense: Why Failure Is an
Opportunity for Growth
It's only common sense that failure, as
painful as it may be, is one of the best
teachers. Whether you're running a
business, managing a team, or navigating
your personal journey, failure offers
an unparalleled
opportunity to
learn, grow, and
emerge stronger.
If you're not
failing now and
then, you're
likely not trying
hard enough or
pushing yourself out of your comfort
zone. Here's why failure is not just
inevitable but also invaluable, and how
to use it as a steppingstone to success.
