Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1542458
JANUARY 2026 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 17 pace, creating multi-site organizations. To support this shift, the factory digital twins of multi-site EMS organizations are increasingly crit- ical, as they ensure consistent throughput and quality across locations. The modern EMS network must function as an interconnected system, not as operational islands. This network spans from the initial schematic to the box build and final inspec- tion. Meanwhile, design-tool vendors must con- tinue integrating supply-chain risk information at the engineering level. Designers can no lon- ger assume stable component availability or pre- dictable lead times from their suppliers. Real-time sourcing information, end-of-life alerts, and even BOM-level risk scoring are becoming integral to the design process. Designers increasingly carry responsibility for the long-term resilience and com- ponent availability of the product bill of materials they create, so these features in their design suite are no longer optional. Chiplets, Advanced Packaging, and Substrate Convergence Heterogeneous integration and chiplet- based system design, touted as the solution to the slowing of Moore's Law, continue to reshape elec- tronics manufacturing. SEMI's 2024 Advanced Packaging Report6 anticipates sustained double- digit growth in substrate-based packaging and 2.5D/3D architectures. Advanced packaging tech- nologies are erasing long-established boundar- ies between silicon design, packaging, and PCB layout, forcing traditionally separate domains to collaborate far more tightly. I-Connect007 is fol- lowing this shift as it affects interconnect technolo- gies, and launched a monthly newsletter titled The Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest. For EMS providers, the rise of chiplets intro- duces a new class of manufacturing requirements. System-in-package modules, high-density inter- connects, advanced underfill materials, and pre- cise thermal process windows are a challenge to existing processes. EMS companies will find them- selves shifting to a more integrated system manu- facturing environment, working directly with sub- strate suppliers, ASIC developers, and OSATs. EMS companies that invest in the necessary tooling can pursue these new opportunities. There is a trend for smaller EMS companies, according to Wolfe, to see these new packages as opportunities for a new niche specialty that helps them with growth over time. PCB fabricators share the advanced pack- aging spotlight; they're being pulled into sub- strate technologies more aggressively than ever before. To stay relevant, investment in semi-addi- tive processes, ultra-fine-line capabilities below 50 microns, and advanced dielectric materials com- patible with high-density packaging requirements will be a must. Just as OSATs and EMS companies will work more collaboratively, so will OSATs and fabs work to close gaps between substrate fabrica- tion and package assembly. EDA vendors can no longer treat chip, pack- age, and board as separate design spaces. Design tools need to continue the trend of unify- ing these workflows. A true system design solution will enable constraint manage- ment across multiple func- tional domains, integrate thermal and signal simula- tion, and make truly collabor- ative design reviews a reality throughout the entire man- ufacturing chain. Of course, this will require the system to integrate data from design, simulation, manufacturing inspection, procurement, MES, and ERP into a holistic 3