IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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42 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2026 What is the primary driver for that? It has been drones and their usage in military conflict. These multi- million-dollar missiles are basically giant drones locked onto a trajec- tory. Now, we have consumable drones that are much more adapt- able than we previously thought, so we have to develop defenses against those drones. We're learning that the aerospace industry needs to be able to pick something up from the battlefield, reverse engineer it, remodel it, and then repurpose it. That's exactly where ACE comes in because we are a quick-turn facility. There are plenty of manu- facturers that can build tens of thousands of good boards in 10 to 20 weeks, but sometimes the mili- tary needs manufacturers that can build boards in a few days. We're not the only ones we are one of the fastest, and we definitely help fill that gap. You also have to do it well, correct? A new PCB facil- ity still has to fine-tune its process at the level that ACE is doing. Can one just pick up and do that? No, you can't. You have to have what's called a process prove out, and there's just no way around that. Right now, there are some other things going on as well. One of our resin suppliers in Saudi Arabia was damaged at the start of the Iran conflict, which has strained supplies of resins needed for epoxies. There's also an E-glass shortage, as AI data centers are trying to get boards as fast as they can and consuming more than their fair share of the raw materials used in many other types of PCBs. This is driving lead times for high-performance laminates to be above and beyond 10 weeks. Tariffs are another issue; they are extremely high. Many copper-clad laminates are above 35% tariffs. How are you managing those challenges? It's affecting everyone, so in some ways, the field is level. But because our production needs change every day, we have developed special relationships with our suppliers, so we are able to stay on top of it. We've been staying busy and, as I said, we work quickly, which gives us a benefit in the market com- pared to some of our competitors. I understand you've attended some conferences recently. How have those helped you understand the market better and increase business? We actively participate in sympo- siums, conventions, and confer- ences throughout the year. It allows us to meet new customers and un- derstand all the ways the industry is changing and where the priorities lie. At the Space Missile Defense Conference recently the most prominent topic was drone defenses. This also allows us to meet some of the defense startups that, once they get past proof of concept, often end up being backed by the large primes. If I see that, I know that's a company I want to work with because they're nimbler and can move faster than a traditional prime, which is what we need. We also like that they are like us in the ability to change, adapt, and respond quickly. The larger defense contractors tend to move a lot slower. Looking at the bigger picture, what do you see as the state of the industry in aerospace and defense? I see a complete renovation of how things are done. I see more diversification. I really think the primes want to partner with everybody. But I feel that once you bring these startups into the umbrella of the big com- panies, they become bogged down and slower. In the past, we tried to have everyone conform and make everything consistent, but we're learning that change is the new norm, and adaptability is key to success. James, we've been talking about how quickly tech- nology and manufacturing requirements are chang- ing. What does that mean for standards and quality systems that traditionally emphasize consistency? I think that might change our standards as well— AS9100 and IPC standards. We have always de- faulted to: "Be consistent. Do exactly this. Develop and build this process and follow it." Instead, I think the future looks a bit more like LEGO® blocks. You can stack them this way, but you also have to be prepared to take them down quickly and stack them another way. We have long relied on our aerospace industry being very consistent. We're now learning that approach won't keep up. With AI coming into the James Hofer