Schmid Group Aims for Listing on NYSE

FRANKFURT – Schmid Group plans to list in New York via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in a deal estimated to give the technology firm a valuation of $640 million.

The fifth-generation family-owned business, which specializes in electronics, would become a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange in the fourth quarter this year.

The transaction will be through blank-check company Pegasus Digital Mobility Acquisition Corp. led by Ralf Speth, the company said in a statement.

AT&S Celebrates Plant Construction Milestones

LEOBEN, AUSTRIA – The exterior shell of AT&S’ new R&D and IC substrate center here has been erected just 14 months after groundbreaking, and the company’s new plant in Kulim, Malaysia, has also reached a significant milestone with the completion of the facility’s construction and installation of the first systems.

When complete, the company’s €500 million ($537 million) plant in Leoben will include 11,000 sq. m. of clean room production area, and the gross floor area is 39,000 sq. m. (420,000 sq. ft.).

Once the project is complete in 2024, the facility will be the first in Europe to produce IC substrates – essential for future-oriented applications in microelectronics.

Element Solutions Acquires Copper Nanotech Developer

MIAMI, FL – Element Solutions in June announced the acquisition of Kuprion, a developer of nano-copper technology for the semiconductor, circuit board and electronics assembly markets.

Kuprion’s ActiveCopper technology addresses effects of thermal expansion  in a host of growth applications, including electric vehicles, high frequency 5G networks, IC substrate manufacturing, advanced packaging, mission-critical aerospace and defense systems, and datacenters.

Element Solutions, the parent of MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, said the acquisition has been structured with an upfront payment and potential earn-out payments based on milestones associated with product qualification and revenue over several years.

Altair Survey Finds Friction Points for Enterprise AI and Data Projects

TROY, MI – A survey by Altair found high rates of adoption and implementation of organizational data and AI strategies globally, but also found that project successes suffer due to three main types of friction: organizational, technological, and financial.

“Organizations today recognize the imperative of using their data as a strategic asset to create competitive advantages,” said James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive, Altair. “But friction points clearly exist around people, technology, and investment preventing organizations from gaining the data-driven insights needed to deliver results. To achieve what we call ‘Frictionless AI,’ businesses must make the shift to self-service data analytics tools that empower non-technical users to work easily and cost-effectively across complex technology systems and avoid the friction inhibiting them from moving forward.”

Zhen Ding Building $700M Headquarters in Taiwan

TAOYUAN, TAIWAN – Zhen Ding will invest 5 billion yuan ($701 million) to build a 14,000 sq. m. green energy headquarters here.

The new facility will be located near the Taoyuan Qingpu High-Speed Railway Station and will be the new home for the PCB maker. Zhen Ding has been the global leader for PCB production for the past six years, and Taoyuan’s PCB production value accounts for 29% of the world’s total production and 84% of Taiwan’s.

Zhen Ding chairman Shen Qingfang said the company has been expanding its production capacity in mainland China due to the unavailability of suitable land in Taiwan, but the new headquarters will permit the company to make an investment in his hometown of Taoyuan.

“The establishment of the Taiwanese headquarters will enable easier employee travel to and from major production bases, improve communication between the group’s plants, increase investment in various plant areas in Taiwan, and encourage related supply chain manufacturers to cluster together for greater efficiency,” he said

Ventec to Build New Factory in Southeast Asia

SUZHOU, CHINA – Ventec International announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Southeast Asia by 2025/26 to extend its manufacturing capabilities beyond China and Taiwan and enhance global supply chain resiliency.

The new factory will duplicate manufacturing capability for Ventec’s full range of high-reliability and high-performance products and mitigate supply chain risks for PCB manufacturers, OEMs and EMS companies across all regions by adding geographical diversity to the company’s operations, Ventec said in a release.

“Now is the right time to invest in establishing a local manufacturing presence to support the expanding southeast Asian electronics industry, which is experiencing significant growth across
consumer, industrial, and automotive sectors,” said Ventec CEO Jason Chung. “Moreover, this new factory will enhance our global supply chain security promise to our global PCB and OEM customer base as we plan to manufacture the complete portfolio of advanced high-reliability and high- performance materials.”

Aohong Electronics Commits $84M to Thai PCB Plant

CHANGZHOU, CHINA – Aohong Electronics has announced plans to spend as much as 600 million yuan ($83.7 million) building a new PCB fabrication plant in Thailand.

The project, set to be constructed in an industrial park in the Prachin Buri province, will be built in phases and aim for mass production to start in 2026, the company said.

Aohong has two production bases in China with a total annual output of 4 million sq. m. of PCBs for home appliances, consumer electronics, power sources, network communications, and vehicle electronics for clients that include LG Electronics, Whirlpool and General Electric.

The Prachin Buri project will enhance Aohong’s core competitiveness by better serving existing and potential key clients and lowering production costs, the company added.

Icape Group Acquires German PCB Distributor HLT

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE – Icape Group has acquired the operating assets of HLT, a German PCB distributor that generated revenue of €4.1 million ($4.4 million) in 2022.

HLT, based in Baden-Württemberg, a state known for its automotive industry, supplies PCB to around 50 well-known customers in various sectors, such as automotive, home automation, telecommunications, aerospace and medical. HLT has a network of six strategic suppliers and its own logistics capabilities, providing a range of high value-added services in high-mix low-volume markets.

The acquisition was carried out by the subsidiary Icape Deutschland GmbH and is financed 100% in cash.

In a release announcing the acquisition, Icape Group said HLT’s operating assets will strengthen its position as a leading player in one of the major markets for PCB distribution in Europe and worldwide. The acquisition will also consolidate and optimize the global network structured by Icape Group, offering a significant value creation potential.

Siemens Allocates $2.2B in New Manufacturing Capacity

MUNICH – Siemens will invest €2 billion ($2.2 billion) to expand its manufacturing in Asia, including a new plant in Singapore and a capacity expansion at a factory in China, to meet rising demand in the region.

In Chengdu, the conglomerate will spend up to €140 million to expand the site, which makes factory automation products. Likewise, the Singapore investment of €200 million result in a new facility for producing factory automation devices.

ECIA GIPC Launches 2-D Barcode Review

ATLANTA – ECIA’s Global Industry Practices Committee has launched a five-year review of its 2-D Barcode Specification, which published its last revision in 2018 to continue guiding the industry on the use and value of this technology for product identification labeling.

Concurrent with the publication of the specification, ECIA launched new initiatives to promote the use of this technology throughout the electronic component channel, and over the past decade, there has been widespread adoption, substantially improving the efficiency of the end-to-end order process.

JEDEC Publishes Major Update to JEP30 PartModel Guidelines

ARLINGTON, VA – JEDEC Solid State Technology Association has announced significant updates to the JEP30 PartModel Guidelines, including all reference documents and related XML Schema files. JEP30 and its constituent documents are available for free download from the JEDEC website.

JEP30 establishes requirements for the frictionless digital exchange of part data between part manufacturers and their end customers responsible for electrical and electronic products creation. The JEP30 guidelines define a standardized format that can be efficiently consumed across different CAD tools and environments. By defining a common framework for part model creation and verification and helping to ensure different tools can accurately interpret and utilize the models created by the full spectrum of part manufacturers, JEP30 offers a transformative resource for both component manufacturers and designers.

New PCB Assembler Launches in Quebec

QUEBEC – Fabrique Manic, a provider of PCB assembly services has opened here. Located in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, just outside of Quebec City, the company was founded by two colleagues from the tech industry.

Dominic Gauvreau, president – electronic design and assembly, and Olivier Morin, vice president – business development, aim to deliver solutions that alleviate complexities and delays of the physical product production cycle. The firm offers electronic design and consultation, and manages rapid prototyping, including three-day turnarounds (upon receipt of parts). PCB- related assembly services include mechanical assembly, firmware programming, board modifications and more.

Incap Inaugurates 3rd Factory in India

TUMKUR, INDIA – Incap recently celebrated the opening of a new 26,500 sq. m. factory in India – its third in the country.

The Tumkur factory specializes in manufacturing electronics and box-build products, and features machinery suitable for common component technologies. Together with its location and skilled personnel, the company can provide high-quality manufacturing services to meet the most demanding customer needs, Incap said.

“Looking ahead, the EMS industry holds a promising future,” said Otto Pukk, president and CEO. “Therefore, we maintain our dedication to investing actively in our operations and fostering their development. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our exceptional team in India whose collective efforts have played a crucial part in establishing our new factory.”

Rapid Manufacturing Unveils Kulim Expansion

KULIM, MALAYSIA – Rapid Manufacturing has announced a new facility here to serve the aerospace, telecommunication, medical, semiconductor, automotive and industrial automation sectors, as well as house a regional center to set up a center of excellence.

The company made the announcement in a joint statement with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA).

Rapid Manufacturing subsidiary RPD MFG Connectivity managing director Yogendran Krishnamurthy said the company’s investment is expected to create an estimated 2,000 jobs locally, including at least 500 high-income jobs.

Escatec Builds New Production Facility in Bulgaria

PLOVDIV, BULGARIA – Escatec has opened a new production facility here to meet an increasing demand for nearshoring production in Europe.

The 4,000 sq. m. facility is already operational to vertically integrate plastic molding and electronics assembly to support the company’s production commitments in Europe, and Escatec said it is willing to expand capacity and capabilities at this new facility as order volumes pick up.

“Escatec Bulgaria is an important new site in Escatec’s portfolio as we move to complete our global manufacturing footprint. Customers of Escatec can expect that we deliver a best-value solution, regardless of region, as we continue to harness the benefits of our multi-site strategy,” said Charles- Alexandre Albin, Escatec’s executive director and director of strategic development.

Compal Building New Vietnamese Plant

THAI BINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM – Compal Electronics has purchased a $30 million plot of land in Vietnam to build a new plant and expand production capacity.

The Taiwanese firm’s Vietnamese subsidiary leased a 40-hectare plot in the Lien Ha Thai Industrial Park in Thai Binh province, Compal said in a stock exchange filing. Compal is already producing Apple products in Vietnam, with factories in Vinh Phuc, on top of its major production sites in China’s Chongqing and Jiangsu as well as Thailand’s Phetchaburi, according to Apple’s latest supplier list.

Ekkaa Electronics Shifting to Consumer Electronics Production

SONIPAT, INDIA – Ekkaa Electronics has announced plans to build a new factory in Noida, India, that will produce LED TVs and other consumer electronics products like washing machines, smartwatches and hearables.

The company said it will be investing INR1,000 crores ($122 million) in the new manufacturing unit, and the construction of the facility will mark a shift for the company from assembly to core manufacturing of consumer electronic products. With the growing demand for exports out of India, Ekkaa will soon launch an export arm as well.

PCB West Registration Now Open

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association has opened registration for the technical program for PCB West 2023, featuring nearly 50 presentations and more than 130 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training.

Among the industry experts on tap for this year’s show are Lee Ritchey, Susy Webb, Tomas Chester and Zachariah Peterson.

The conference will be held Sept. 19 to 22 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center and features classes for every level of experience, from novice to expert.

Chapter News

Education committee. The committee is reviewing the overview of free content that is available at pcea.net, with feedback due in June. This project is being managed by John Watson.

The committee is also updating the 2023 PCD&F Salary Survey prior to distribution to the membership.

Troy Hopkins, a senior hardware designer with Connect Tech, has been named chair of the Conferences task group.

Rio Grande Valley. The RGV Chapter had its first public meeting on June 1. We are planning our next meeting for September and will have more details as we get closer.

Supply Chain Productivity Declines Cannot be Solved by Robots and AI Alone, Gartner Says

New technologies ranging from smart robotics to actionable AI have the potential to transform the supply chain function, but they will fail to lift historically low levels of labor productivity unless utilized as part of a broader strategy, according to research firm Gartner.

“There is legitimate excitement today around new technologies that hold out the promise of vastly enhanced organizational productivity,” said Thomas Pocock, senior director, advisory, in Gartner’s Supply Chain Practice. “Supply chain leaders must remember that these new technologies require the partnership of an engaged and productive workforce for these gains to be realized. Unfortunately, the data tell a discouraging story on this front.”

Pocock highlighted data from a first quarter Gartner survey when 2,613 supply chain employees were surveyed to show the extent of supply chain’s labor productivity challenges:

‘We Teach the Engineering of PCB Design’

For students at Palomar Community College, a 4nely-tuned design curriculum is just the beginning.
by MIKE BUETOW

It goes without saying that finding talent is a big deal in electronics hardware development. Outside of internal training programs, talent development falls to the handful of colleges, universities and third parties involved in teaching printed circuit design and manufacturing.

One of the original providers is Palomar College, located in San Marcos, CA, part of San Diego County. The community college has offered practical printed circuit design coursework since the mid-1990s.

John Watson’s day job is customer success manager at Altium. But twice a week during the school year, he teaches the course on printed circuit design at Palomar. He spoke with us in May for the PCB Chat podcast. This transcript of that interview is lightly edited for length and clarity.

Rightsizing Continuous Improvement Focus

Match the resources that make sense in the scale of your operation.
by MATT CLINE

In the early 1990s, some observers were predicting that the EMS market would consolidate and shrink to a handful of large players building the bulk of the world’s electronics products. But outsourced electronics manufacturing isn’t a one-size-fits-all equation. Even large OEMs often have higher mix, lower volume or variable demand segments of business that fit best in a regional EMS provider. Consequently, regional EMS providers continue to thrive.

That said, just as different types of manufacturing projects are often best served by different tiers in the EMS industry, regional EMS companies often need to right-size internal processes to match the resources that make sense in that scale of business. One area that can benefit from this rightsizing approach is quality management and continuous improvement.

While similar ISO quality management system frameworks make sense regardless of company size, the types of metrics collected, the size of the dedicated quality staff and the methodologies in place to drive corrective action do benefit from a more tailored approach.

Key Considerations When Selecting a Replacement Vapor Degreaser Cleaning Fluid

Can your preferred choice be dropped in?
by ELIZABETH NORWOOD

Let’s set the scene. You have been using the same vapor degreasing fluid to successfully clean complex circuitry and printed circuit boards (PCBs) for years, only to learn that your trusted line of cleaning fluids will soon be discontinued. What do you do? How do you choose a replacement that meets the PCB cleaning challenges that you and many other fabricators face?

Factors to consider when choosing a replacement cleaning fluid include the equipment, the substrate being cleaned, the type of contamination being removed, the long-term availability and sustainability of the replacement fluid, and the level of support available from the supplier.

Taking these factors into consideration, PCB manufacturers can make an informed decision and select a replacement cleaning fluid that meets their specific needs while minimizing any negative impact on their cleaning processes.

Understanding Criticality of Thermal Performance in Thermal Interface Material Applications

Effects of types of TIM types, thicknesses and contact pressure in a real-world application.
by Dr. Rita Mohanty

Power electronics are integral parts of power components, power supplies, 5G networks, automotive and defense/space applications. All modern power electronics have two critical factors in common that drives the need for unprecedented thermal management: first, increased transistor density to meet the higher demand in increased computing power and second, component miniaturization leading to higher heat flux. It is well known in the electronics reliability field that 55% of the component failures in electronics devices are related to excess heat. The Arrhenius equation in Eq. 1¹ predicts that, for electronics, the lift of the device decreases by half2 by increasing the device temperature by 10°C. Design engineers mitigate this issue by carefully selecting thermal interface materials (TIM) to keep the system/device temperature at the desired level.

AF = Acceleration factor
T = Temperature
EA = Activation energy
K = Boltzmann constant

The primary function of a TIM is to replace the air between the heat-generating component and the heat spreader/heatsink to improve heat dissipation. FIGURE 1 shows an illustration of a typical microelectronics packaging assembly with heatsink and TIM. Unevenness and roughness of the surface must be taken into consideration when implementing a thermal solution.

In Case You Missed It

Nanoprinting

“An All-in-One Nanoprinting Approach for the Synthesis of a Nanofilm Library for Unclonable Anti-Counterfeiting Applications”

Authors: Junfang Zhang, et. al.

Abstract: Current materials for anti-counterfeiting labeling typically contain toxic inorganic quantum dots and the techniques to produce unclonable patterns require tedious fabrication or complex readout methods. Here the authors present a nanoprinting-assisted flash synthesis approach that generates fluorescent nanofilms with physical unclonable function micropatterns in milliseconds. This all-in-one approach yields quenching-resistant carbon dots in solid films, directly from simple monosaccharides. Moreover, the authors establish a nanofilm library comprising 1,920 experiments, offering conditions for various optical properties and microstructures. The authors produce 100 individual physical unclonable function patterns exhibiting near-ideal bit uniformity (0.492±0.018), high uniqueness (0.498±0.021) and excellent reliability (>93%). These unclonable patterns can be quickly and independently read out by fluorescence and topography scanning, greatly improving their security. An open-source deep-learning model guarantees precise authentication, even if patterns are challenged with different resolutions or devices. (Nature Nanotechnology, June 2023, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01405-3)