PCB East 2024 Registration Up 18% YoY

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registration for the PCB East 2024 conference and exhibits rose 18% overall year-over-year, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association announced in June. Conference registration was up 12% from last year, while the expo-only trade show registration rose 9% over the same period.

The exhibition was held June 5 at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Boxborough, MA. In all, more than 65 leading suppliers of electronics design tools, manufacturers of bare boards and assemblies, suppliers of fabrication and assembly equipment and materials, and related industry companies exhibited at the show.

“PCB East continued its growth this year as the region becomes more aware of the opportunities for education and networking,” said Mike Buetow, conference director and president, PCEA. “Our post-show surveys indicate 100% of respondents would either likely or definitely recommend the conference to a colleague.” 

“Attendees represented 35 states and 42 countries,” Buetow added, “a recognition of the timeliness and scope of the event.”  

“Another great show at PCB East!” said Lauren Waslick, director of PCB design, Newgrange Design. “I gave my first professional talk and met a lot of great people. Thanks to the Printed Circuit Engineering Association for putting on a great event!”

“It’s always great to sync up with my dear friends, as well as many industry colleagues old and new at PCB East,” said Stephen Chavez, senior product marketing manager, Siemens Digital Industries and chairman of PCEA. “A big shout-out to the entire PCEA staff for putting on another great industry event! I can’t wait to attend PCB West later this year! I hope to see you there!”

PCB East 2025 will be held at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center in Boxborough, MA, from April 29 to May 2 with a one-day exhibition on April 30.

2025-26 Board of Directors Slate Announced

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The PCEA Nominations Task Group has chosen three new members to join the board of directors for the upcoming term.

The board in June also voted for Matt Leary and Jim Barnes to join the board, effective immediately, to fill two open positions.

Barnes is corporate senior vice president, strategic global sourcing, at Generac Power Systems, a leading energy technology company. He is an expert in strategic planning, outsourcing, and manufacturing operations, having held a variety of management roles at multinational EMS SigmaTron prior to joining Generac in 2022.

Leary is president of Newgrange Design, a Boston-area design service bureau he founded in 1996.  He has lengthy experience in printed circuit design, executive management and sales and business development.

Ballots for the 2025-26 board will include the following individuals: Jim Barnes, Stephen Chavez, Tomas Chester, Doug Dixon, Justin Fleming, Rick Hartley, Matt Leary, Charlene McCauley, Scott McCurdy, Anaya Vardya, Susy Webb and Eriko Yamato.

Ballots will be circulated in July, per PCEA bylaws requiring voting to begin a minimum 60 days prior to the annual meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 8 at PCB West in Santa Clara, CA.

PCB East Seeks Abstracts for 2025 Conference

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The PCEA Conferences Task Group seeks abstracts for next year’s PCB East technical conference.

The conference will focus on training and best practices for printed circuit board design engineers, electronics design engineers, fabricators and assemblers.

The four-day technical conference will take place April 29 to May 2, 2025, in Boxborough, MA. The event includes a one-day exhibition on April 30.

Papers and presentations of the following durations are sought for the technical conference: one-hour lectures and presentations; two-hour workshops; and half-day (3.5-hour) and full-day seminars.

Preference is given to presentations of two hours in length or more, and no presentations of less than one hour will be considered.

Abstracts of 100-500 words and speaker biographies must be submitted to PCEA. Papers and presentations must be noncommercial in nature and should focus on technology, techniques or methodologies related to printed circuit board design, fabrication, assembly, test, components or packaging, and additive manufacturing.

Abstracts due are due Sept. 6 and must be submitted online here. No emailed abstracts will be accepted. Speakers will be notified in November and presentations are due April 11.