30 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2016
fornia facility to learn more about the acquisitions,
their success in China, and the overall challenge of
working in the aerospace and defense market.
IPC Releases Final 2015 PCB Market Size
Estimates and Growth Rates Report
The North American PCB Market Report, published
last week by IPC, reported IPC's final estimates of
2015 market size for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits in
North America. Although North American PCB pro-
duction decreased 4.3% in 2015 to $2.9 billion, the
PCB market grew 1.4% to an estimated $3.4 billion.
All About Flex: Considerations for
Impedance Control in Flexible Circuits
Impedance can be thought of as a system's opposi-
tion to alternating or pulsing electronic current. The
unit of measurement is ohms, the same unit of mea-
surement in a direct current system. However, the
components for calculating impedance are much
more complex than DC resistance.
Weiner's World
This month's column has a higher percentage of IC
coverage than normal for several reasons. The end
of Moore's Law regarding transistor scaling will be
dead by 2021 as will be replaced by 3D integration
according to the International Technology Roadmap
for Semiconductors (ITRS).
Inside Spirit Circuits
I was recently treated to a factory tour with Spirit
Circuits' Managing Director Martin Randall, to learn
more about their process line and how it has evolved
over time. In the discussion following, I learned about
Spirit's involvement in the China market and how
they've structured their business to handle quick
turn prototypes locally and high volume abroad.
Congressman Scott Peters Tours TTM
Technologies' San Diego Facility
Today, TTM Technologies Inc. held a town hall-style
discussion with Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA-
52) on the legislative issues impacting the manufac
-
turing industry. Executives and employees of TTM
gave Congressman Peters a first-hand look at the
work taking place in their San Diego facility.
Shane Whiteside and Summit Interconnect:
Aspiring to New Heights
A few weeks ago I was privileged to meet with Shane
Whiteside in Anaheim, California, at KCA Electronics.
Whiteside, former COO of TTM, has helped launch
a new company—Summit Interconnect— which en-
compasses the recent acquisition of KCA Electronics
and Marcel Electronics International. Once again as-
suming an executive role, this time as CEO and presi-
dent, Whiteside shared his story, strategy and vision
for this new chapter.
Karl's Tech Talk: Digital Imaging Update
Through the years, I have repeatedly covered and
updated digital imaging in this column, from as far
back as 1997 in CircuiTree, through a column in this
magazine in November 2015. Several reasons for this
extended coverage include the fact that technology
had a slow, long incubation time that eventually led
to accelerated improvements and acceptance for
mass production.
Happy's Essential Skills:
Project/Program Management
No matter what your job, you may have to manage,
or play an active role in, a project at some point dur
-
ing your career. It takes a great deal of skill to do this
well, but the time you invest in building good project
management skills can pay off enormously.
A Day with Pete (Starkey)
Usually the one conducting the interviews, I-Con-
nect007's own Pete Starkey recently found himself
on the other side of the microphone when I spent
time with him in his hometown of Market Bosworth,
England. There, between hiking and gardening, we
found time to discuss Pete's rich history in the PCB in-
dustry and the many changes and surprises he's seen
in the manufacturing process over the years.
FTG: Focus to Expand
Firan Technology Group (FTG) is a Canadian circuit
board and cockpit product manufacturer. With a
newly established global footprint, they look now to
grow within that footprint, particularly by way of ac
-
quisition. I-Connect007's Judy Warner and Barry Mat-
ties met CEO Brad Bourne at FTG's Chatsworth, Cali-
PCB007
Highlights
