Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1541367
84 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2025 nical bubbles, like invention of the internet and the COVID-19 pandemic, changed the direction of electronics and PCB manufacturing and the move to outsourcing to maximize profitability. I was not prepared for the decline in PCBs as we transitioned from captive PCBs to merchant PCBs, resulting in the loss of innovation and investment here. Since the military is not passing on its new technologies, U.S. OEMs need to verticalize once again to ensure that substrates and the packaging of ICs are a competitive advantage. In this country, we have no problem being innovative, but only the OEMs have the resources to implement such innovations into high volume. If we continue to outsource our inno- vations, we will become a third-world country in that regard. While the PCB manufacturing industry has always been stimulating, it's also a tough business. What words of wisdom do you have about surviving and thriving in this industry? Embrace learning throughout your life and career. Ever since I started school, I have loved to learn. I read the entire World Book Encyclopedia when I was 7 years old, at the library. Back then, we didn't have a TV or a local movie theater, and I had a hard time with the radio since I built the crystal set myself. But the public library was only two blocks away, so almost every night, I went over to the library. My life has been driven by a constant pursuit of knowledge to create new and advanced solutions. Seeking to solve problems and create solutions has always been a driving force for me. It has led to excitement and many achievements. In my opinion, a relent- less pursuit of knowledge is always the best way to survive and thrive in this business. PCB007 Gentex: A Model for American Manufacturing and Success by H a p py H o l d e n , I - C o n n e ct 0 07 I met the executives of Gentex when they contacted me in China (at Foxconn) because they wanted to benchmark their internal SMT assembly. At the time, there was no one in the Western Hemi- sphere larger than they were, but Foxconn was 100 times larger. Fortunately, I was familiar with Gentex from my days at Mentor Graphics, and since Foxconn wanted to enter the automotive electronics market, I convinced the chairman, Terry Gou, that we should host them to learn more about the automotive SMT business. The five G entex e xecutives v isited u s a t F oxconn City in Shenzhen. They were the only outsiders to ever see inside Foxconn and were surprised at how vertically integrated Foxconn was, just like they were. Foxconn manufactured virtually all the components of the iPhone, as well as notebook computers, printers, and video games, for most of the world. Foxconn not only manufactured the flex, multilayers, IC packaging, metal/plastic cases, cables, connectors, earphones, power supplies, and LCD displays, but also re-engi- neered products to take advantage of automation. We had many opportunities to discuss their busi- ness during their four-day stay. They even offered to fly my wife and I on their corporate jet to see their U.S. operations. We took them up on that offer, and fortu- nately, I walked into a company like the HP I joined in 1970. They did not outsource any critical competitive advantage. They made their own chemicals, designed and packaged their own ICs, made all the critical components and test systems, and did the robotic final a ssembly. They a ssembled over 9 0 m illion S MT- PCBs each year and had the largest thin-film g lass sputtering operation in the Western World. Their prof- its and growth were the envy of anyone who came in contact with them, and they did it all from the little town of Zeeland. Gentex's accomplishments should be better known. I consider them a poster child for American corporations.