PCB West 2026 Conference Registration Grows 60%

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Registration for the technical conference at the PCB West conference and exhibition held in the Silicon Valley last month grew 60% year-over-year. Overall attendance for the sold-out exhibition rose 15% from 2025.

The annual event was held Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The audience of engineers and other professionals from a range of printed circuit and electronics design, fabrication, assembly and advanced packaging companies represented almost the entire US and more than 30 countries.

“This was likely the best PCB West in more than 20 years,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “We heard great reports from exhibitors about the number and quality of leads, and the energy among the conference attendees was off the charts.

“A special thanks to our sponsors, including Allspice, ASC Sunstone, Cofactr, Cadence/EMA Design Automation, NextPCB, Polar Instruments, Screaming Circuits, and Zenode,” he added.

Conference registrants and exhibitors were effusive in their praise of the access to experts and attendance on the show floor.

“The material shared during PCB West was truly exceptional,” said Joaquin Martinez, electrical system design engineer at Spectrolab. “The speakers were highly knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic.”

“PCB West was phenomenal. Our booth was bustling, and I could barely leave it all day,” added Kenneth Chang, chief of staff, JITX.

“As always, we learned a ton, got a pulse on the industry, met great new people, and had a great time. It was everything you are looking for in a show,” said Matt Leary, cofounder, Newgrange Design.

The exhibition featured more than 110 leading suppliers to the electronics design and manufacturing industry.

The 2027 show will be held Sept. 14-17 in Santa Clara.End of article content 

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Announced 2026 Service Excellence Winners

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY last month announced the winners of its 34th annual Service Excellence Awards (SEA). The awards, presented during a ceremony at PCB West in Santa Clara, CA, recognize electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers and their equipment, materials, software and service suppliers for outstanding customer service.

Unlike most industry honors, the SEA program is based entirely on direct, verified feedback from each entrant’s own customers rather than editorial judging. Respondents rate participating companies across seven service dimensions: Dependability/Timely Delivery, Manufacturing Quality, Responsiveness, Technology, Value for the Price, Flexibility and Overall Satisfaction. Every entrant, whether it wins or not, receives a confidential report detailing how its customers rated it.

Four EMS providers earned the highest overall customer rating in their respective revenue category, the program’s top overall distinction:

• Creation Technologies (EMS revenues over $500 million)
• Mack Technologies (EMS revenues from $100 million to $500 million)
• Electronic Systems, Inc. (EMS revenues from $20 million to $100 million)
• Surf-Tech Manufacturing (EMS revenues under $20 million).

Kimball Solutions earned the highest customer rating in all seven service categories among EMS providers with revenues over $500 million: Dependability/Timely Delivery, Manufacturing Quality, Responsiveness, Technology, Value for the Price, Flexibility and Overall Satisfaction.

In the $100 million to $500 million tier, Emerald Technologies was rated highest in Dependability/Timely Delivery, Manufacturing Quality, Technology and Value for the Price, while Vexos took top honors in Responsiveness, Flexibility and Overall Satisfaction.

In the $20 million to $100 million tier, Absolute EMS swept all seven categories, and Microboard earned the highest rating in Flexibility.

Among EMS providers with revenues under $20 million, RBB earned the highest customer rating in all seven categories.

Twelve suppliers to the electronics assembly industry were also honored with the highest customer rating in their category:

• Anda Technologies USA – Coatings/Encapsulants
• Europlacer Americas – Screen Printing Equipment
• Europlacer Americas – Pick-and-Place Equipment
• KIC Thermal – Soldering Equipment
• Koki Solder America – Materials
• Kyzen – Cleaning
• Koh Young – Test and Inspection Equipment
• Optimum Design Associates (an Emerald Technologies company) – PCB Design Services
• PVA – Automation and Handling Equipment
• PVA – Dispensing
• The Test Connection – Test Laboratories
• Win-Source – Distributors

“Every year the Service Excellence Awards reaffirm what our customers already know – that this industry’s best companies earn their reputations one satisfied customer at a time,” said Mike Buetow, president, Printed Circuit Engineering Association. “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners for the consistency and care that shows up in their own customers’ ratings. Just as important, I want to recognize every company that entered. Putting your business in front of your own customers for an unfiltered verdict takes real confidence, and that willingness to be judged is itself a mark of service excellence. We’re grateful to every entrant, and to the customers who took the time to respond.”

Now in its 34th year, the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards is the electronics assembly industry’s only awards program based solely on direct, verified customer feedback rather than editorial or judged criteria. EMS providers and suppliers of equipment, materials, software and services are rated by their own customers on dependability, manufacturing quality, responsiveness, technology, value, and flexibility. All entrants receive a confidential customer satisfaction report regardless of outcome.End of article content 

Upcoming PCEA PCB Design Training Classes for 2027

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA Training announced its winter and spring 2027 schedule for the Certified Professional Circuit Designer (CPCD) training and certification program.

The instructor-led classes cover the gamut of printed circuit design engineering, from layout, place and route to specifications and materials to manufacturing methods. Schematic capture, signal integrity and EMI/EMC are also part of the comprehensive program.

Classes will be held on the dates below:

• Jan. 15, 22, 29, Feb. 5, 12 (online)
• Mar. 19, Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23 (online)
• Apr. 26-30 (in person in the Boston suburbs, at PCB East)

Each class is 40 hours long and includes a copy of Printed Circuit Engineering Professional, a 400-page handbook on circuit board design, and the optional certification exam. 

There are no prerequisite requirements to enroll. The January and March classes will be held online via Zoom; the April class will be held in person in conjunction with PCB East. All courses are led by experienced instructors. Private corporate classes are also available on request, subject to instructor availability.

The course handbook, Printed Circuit Engineering Professional, was authored by Michael Creeden, Stephen Chavez, Rick Hartley, Susy Webb and Gary Ferrari, industry veterans who combined have more than 200 years’ experience designing and building PCBs for all types of applications.

The course includes an optional certification exam recognized by the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA).

For information about the course overview, class format, and materials to prepare in advance for the class, visit pceatraining.net/course-overview.

To enroll, visit pceatraining.net/registration for the next available class or email pceatraining@pcea.net for additional information.End of article content 

PCEA Announces 2027-28 Board of Directors

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – PCEA in late October announced its board of directors for the 2027-28 term. Anaya Vardya, CEO of ASC Sunstone, will serve as chairman, with Matthew Leary, president of Newgrange Design, becoming vice chairman.

Doug Dixon, chief marketing officer of 360 BC Group, is now treasurer. Returning as secretary is Justin Fleming.

The board sets the strategic direction of the association, which serves the printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly community through its publications, conferences, and training and certification programs.

Also elected to the PCEA board for 2027-28 are:

• Jim Barnes, executive vice president – Global Supply Chain, Generac
• Stephen V. Chavez, principal technical product marketing manager, Siemens
• Tomas Chester, founder and hardware designer, Chester Electronic Design
• Juan C. Frias, staff PC board designer, Rivian
• Rick Hartley, founder, RHartley Enterprises
• Charlene McCauley, president, McCauley Design Group
• Susy Webb, senior PCB designer, DesignScience
• Eriko Yamato, OEM business development manager, Panasonic

“The board has done a phenomenal job of defining PCEA’s mission and path to collaborate, educate and inspire the current and next generation of printed circuit board designers and engineers,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “I am excited for the chance to continue working with them over the next two years.

“I am also grateful to Steph Chavez, our founding chairman, without whom the impressive strides we’ve made over the past five-plus years would not have been possible.”

“PCEA has built something valuable: a place where engineers across the full PCB lifecycle learn from each other,” said Vardya. “As incoming chair, my goal is to build on that foundation by bringing designers and fabricators closer together, supporting the next generation of engineers, and keeping our members ready for what’s coming next in electronics.”End of article content

PCEA Issues Call for Abstracts for PCB West 2027

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Abstracts are now being accepted for the PCB West 2027 technical conference. The conference, the largest of its kind in Silicon Valley, focuses on training and best practices for printed circuit board designers and design engineers, electronics hardware engineers, fabricators and assemblers.

The four-day technical conference will take place September 14–17, 2027 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on September 15.

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 150-750 words and speaker biographies should 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.

Submit abstracts at pcbwest.com by January 8, 2027. No emailed abstracts will be accepted. Submitters will be notified by early April if their abstract has been accepted. Presentations are due August 13, 2027.

Speaker Benefits: Presenters of accepted abstract(s) for the 2027 program receive the following event benefits:

• Complimentary access to the online proceedings
• Complimentary pass to the technical conference
• Invitation to the Speaker/Exhibitor Reception.End of article content