02-22-2023

There is something happening in our industry—you can feel it. Before the COVID pandemic, there had been some subtle shifts, but now in the (hopefully) post-COVID era, we can expect to see some significant changes in our industry—and in the world as well. From where I sit, here are some of the noteworthy trends that I see shaking up the industry in the very near future. In fact, most of them have already begun making waves.

01-25-2023

This column has spent a great deal of time talking about the importance of partnerships and how they can allow us to accomplish more than we ever could on our own. Solid vendor partnerships, partnerships with our customers, and even partnerships with our competitors all offer valuable benefits to the company looking to achieve more. But most of the discussions on this topic have been preoccupied with either reflecting on history or contemplating the present. Today I thought it might be interesting to instead discuss what partnerships might look like in the future as well as strong examples from the recent past.

12-21-2022

During the first few months of the pandemic, we were all comforted by the words, “We are all in the together.” It became a kind of comforting mantra, suggesting that we stood together as equals as we faced this new danger. During those early, dark days, we clung to that idea, telling ourselves that, somehow, we would meet the challenges and get through—together. It was around that same time that I started thinking and writing about partnerships, something that I have continued to enjoy doing ever since.

11-09-2022

Now more than at any other time in our history, solid partnerships hold the key to success for all companies. If the past two and a half years of challenges and issues have taught us anything, it is that by increasing the number of stronger partnerships we have, the more we can accomplish and the more secure our companies will be able to handle the future. We should all be looking for strong and cooperative partnership where we all help one another to do things that neither of us could do alone.

10-19-2022

As we delve deeper into the idea of formulating great partnerships with our customers, our suppliers, and even our competitors, we must constantly ask ourselves what we can expect from them and in turn what they can expect from us. There should be a mutual understanding of what these expectations are, and they should be, well, expected. We should be able to count on one another as partners to work with one another, combining and coordinating our expectations so they will always be mutually beneficial. Here are some of the mutual expectations I have with my partners.

09-13-2022

Now more than ever we need to work with one another. The times have evolved to where no one can do it alone. All the challenges that were brought on by the pandemic have only accelerated the need for finding new and innovative ways to work together. When I started in this business, there was little or no interactions between PCB companies, for example. We all operated in silos, as they say. We seldom communicated or shared technology ideas and improvements. Although the pandemic accelerated that change in attitude, it was already inevitable that a time of more cooperation and partnership was well on its way.

08-17-2022

For the past few years, I have written frequently about being partners with our suppliers and our customers. Now I thought it might be time to talk about being partners with each other. By each other, I mean the whole North American PCB industry—PCB and PCBA shops, engineers, designers, and of course, our customers and suppliers. So, now is the time to truly start working together; that includes PCB designers, fab houses, PCBA companies, and our vendors and suppliers. If I may dare, I declare this the new age of cooperative partnership in North America.

07-20-2022

These are unprecedented times. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. In fact, I’ve shared my views in this column many times that we must seek out new ways of doing business, especially in doing business with one another. Let’s work together toward success. No matter what, partners must look out for each other, even to the point of making sure we’re making enough money to survive and to invest in the future.

06-22-2022

There are many types of partnerships in business, but without a doubt the most important one is with our employees. Especially considering today’s labor shortages, it’s critical that we establish true and appealing partnerships with our employees, especially those who are just coming on board. I look at this as an opportunity and chance to improve the way we work with our employees. It’s a chance to not only create a better partnership with our team members but to find better ways to partner with them.

05-25-2022

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade. Not because it will be easy, but because it will be hard. And because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. Because the challenge is one, we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win." John F Kennedy Rice University September 12, 1962. That speech represents the onset of the greatest example of peacetime cooperative partnership this country has ever seen, before or since. A partnership that was based on a great positive achievement for not only our country but for all mankind.

04-20-2022

Because of the results of the pandemic, we are experiencing shortages like we have never faced in our lifetime.Therefore, it is more important than ever that we all work together—and I really do mean all of us. Those of us who fabricate PCBs must open our minds and doors to the idea of working together. Where for so many years we competed to the point of treating one another as adversaries, we now must come together to form a cohesive partnership. Anaya Vardya explains.

03-15-2022

Now more than ever, our customers are looking for complete solutions. They are looking for quick turn new product introduction solutions that will include the three services: PCB design, fabrication, and assembly. They want to place their business as easily, simply, and quickly as possible. This means that they want to place one purchase order with one company and that company will act as the prime on the job and will give their other two partners their purchase orders. The three companies will then work together to provide their customer a complete synergistic solution.

12-22-2021

The best way to develop and implement a true ongoing and productive partnership with your vendor/partners is to make it a full team effort. Each companies’ partnership team should have members from each of the company’s departments. For example, the vendor’s team should have someone from the shipping department coordinating with someone from your receiving department. The same with engineering, the same with quality and the same with operations. This coordination should be at all levels from the top down.

11-22-2021

We all enjoy great customer service. Actually, we love great customer service. We love it so much that we are always happy to tell everyone we know when one of our vendors provides us with great customer service. We actually want to let people know that we are getting special services from our vendors. We might even want to evangelize about them. And that is the point of this column. The best way to get great customer service from your vendor partner is to be open to it. Here are seven ways to be sure you always get the best customer service possible.

10-27-2021

One of the best features, the best benefits of working closer in partnership with your vendor partners is working with them to develop new products for the industry—whether it’s a new thermal management material with one of your laminate vendors or helping them develop a new piece of equipment that will benefit your entire industry. This is when a great partnership can serve to benefit everyone involved, even those not directly involved those in your industry who will benefit greatly by the new and innovative product you worked on. Talk about partnering productively!

09-29-2021

There are some very simple steps to developing and sustaining a good partnership with your PCB vendor/partners, all based on treating your partners as you want to be treated. It's following the Golden Rule. But before you do that you have to get rid of that other golden rule, “he who has the gold makes the rules.”

08-25-2021

This is certainly a time for all of us to pull together in the true spirit of cooperative partnership. There are even better ways to increase the level of partnership you have with your vendor now, and with your customers as well. One on the best ways is to do some co-marketing.

08-16-2021

As result of the pandemic, severe shortages—both real and created—from our offshore vendors is making it difficult for us to build and deliver products on time. Here are five tips for getting through this together.

07-28-2021

Partnerships are more important than ever. Not only with your vendors as we regularly focus on in this column, but with your competitors as well. I believe that if we can all start working together in this new post-pandemic world, life will be much better for all of us individually but also better for our industry as a whole.

05-13-2021

We often talk about the value of working closely with your vendors to the point of making them partners. This strategy makes sense. The closer you are to your vendors, the more you help them, the better vendors they will be, and most importantly the better partners they will be. Now let’s take that idea to the next level, all the way to the point of a true partnership.

04-12-2021

The pandemic and also recent shifts in our geopolitical view of the world have changed the way we look at offshore PCB vendor partners, especially those in China. These two factors alone—increase in new technology, and an onshoring trend for buying more PCBs domestically—have caused a significant paradigm shift in choosing your PCB/ vendor partners.

03-18-2021

We have been constantly reminded over the years to step into our customers’ shoes: looking at things from our customers’ perspective, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, understanding the challenges they face to make it in their own marketplace. We have been advised that this is the best way to gain insight into what it takes for us to become valuable to our customers.

12-14-2020

One aspect of a great partnership with your vendors is to show the world how you are working together. Demonstrating how a great partnership can serve both your companies well and is beneficial to your industry too. Anaya Vardya shares nine ways to go public with your partner.

11-23-2020

One of the most overlooked aspects of having a great partnership with your PCB vendors is making sure that your salespeople know each other. Anaya Vardya shares six key reasons to develop a partnership between your sales team and your PCB vendor's team.

10-13-2020

As we continue to work our way through this pandemic, it makes us wonder about—and even yearn for—what things will be like one year from now. Looking ahead to what doing business will be like, Anaya Vardya shares four things that we have been forced to do today that we will still be doing—and, hopefully, doing even better than now—in October of 2021.

09-21-2020

With the current shortage of qualified and certified military PCB suppliers, finding one has become more challenging than ever, and the trend toward consolidation over the past few years has only added to the shortage. Anaya Vardya shares five guidelines to consider when developing a bilateral relationship with your military PCB supplier.

08-10-2020

With so many things changing right now, as well as lots of innovation happening and new products being developed, it’s important that you share your vision of the future with your PCB suppliers. Anaya Vardya shares six general logistical processes to use when working with customers on their product innovation and development.

07-14-2020

We always talk about being a valuable vendor, but what about being a valuable customer? Anaya Vardya shares five guidelines for making sure that you are always your suppliers’ most valued customer.

06-08-2020

Are you a good and true partner to your PCB vendors? Are you doing everything you can to participate in an honest partnership where both partners equally look out for one another? Anaya Vardya shares 16 questions to consider when contemplating how good a partner you are to your PCB vendors and others.

05-12-2020

When you work with a good PCB fabricator, you need to have a good understanding of the total value of the product. Many companies look for the bottom-dollar price of PCBs and do not take the time to make sure they are getting the very best deal they can. Anaya Vardya discusses the value of a PCB and what makes up the true costs.

04-14-2020

Now, more than ever, we need to partner with one another. Traditionally, Anaya's columns have focused on developing a strong working bond with your PCB vendor partners. In this column, Anaya discusses how we must have partnerships with everyone we deal with during our daily business lives.

03-17-2020

Now, more than ever, we have to rely on our PCB partners to help us with new product development. A great deal of trust and confidence in our PCB vendors is required to create and fulfill this type of partnership fruitfully. Anaya Vardya shares eight things that must be in place to have a successful R&D relationship with your PCB partner.

12-10-2019

One of the more important aspects of any partnership is mutual respect for one another. And, of course, this is extremely important when it comes to your PCB vendor partner. Many times, in the past, PCB fabricators have been treated as the third wheel in the relationship, stuck between their suppliers on one side and their vendors on the other. In most cases, both of these other entities were much larger and more powerful that the PCB shops.

11-11-2019

The best way to work with your PCB vendors is to treat them as strategic partners. This means not only sharing your current needs but your future ones as well. I know that this requires a great deal of trust on your part as well as that of your PCB vendor partner. But if you have been reading this column, and doing everything we have recommended, then you should already be prepared for this. If you want your PCB vendor to be prepared to meet your future needs, you have to tell them what they are; it’s that simple.

10-15-2019

There are regular PCB vendor relationships, and then there are the partnerships where you invest in future projects, such as developing processes for a new technology where you will have to share the work, responsibility, and success of the project. In short, project partnerships require a much deeper and more trusting relationship with your vendor.

09-24-2019

When you’re in the PCB business, the one thing you can count on is that something will go wrong; it always does. Here are six steps to not only help and support your vendor through problematic times but also use the adversity as an opportunity to develop a deeper and more productive relationship.

08-28-2019

For the past year, I’ve talked about various aspects of developing a great vendor-customer relationship with your PCB fabricators from trust to confidentiality and sharing the future. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself when testing the strength of your current partnership with your vendor.

07-23-2019

As the world goes global, so does the PCB industry. It is no longer sufficient to have a domestic PCB vendor; it has become critical to have a portal to offshore PCB acquisitions as well. But here are six reasons why, in many cases, it is better to go through your own domestic PCB supplier when you want to take advantage of the global PCB vendor base.

06-24-2019

What happens when you have all of the suppliers you need, but a larger firm acquires one of them all of a sudden, and there is only one qualified supplier left when there used to be two. As a smart PCB user, you always want to keep your options open in case you are going to have to qualify another supplier to buy your PCBs from.

06-03-2019

Once you have established a solid, trusting relationship with your PCB vendor, you can start working together developing new products, technologies, and in some cases, services. There are even times when your PCB supplier will bring projects to you. Here are three ways that you can work with your PCB suppliers to face the future.

04-29-2019

Once you have done your due diligence, have developed a strong working partnership with your PCB suppliers, and now feel confident that those suppliers are the right ones, the next step is to recognize that your PCB suppliers are indeed the true experts, and that you can trust them enough to listen to them. Here are four tips on listening to and learning from your suppliers to ensure that you have the best PCB value that money can buy.

04-02-2019

There are only two ways to buy PCBs; the first is based on price, which is the wrong way because it encourages a very shallow relationship based on just one thing—the price of the boards; and the second, and right, is based on value. A great company should understand what it means to buy value.

12-03-2018

Now, it’s time to talk about the future with your PCB vendors. Referring to our previous columns, if you’ve done everything right so far, you will now have a strong working relationship with your PCB supplier. They understand all they need to know to fabricate perfect boards for you at this time. With trust and respect between you, you’ve truly formed a strong partnership going into the future.

10-29-2018

For the past few months, this column has discussed how to find and work with a great PCB vendor, and most importantly, how to form a strong, productive partnership. This month, Anaya Vardya will address how adversity can forge a great partnership between you and your PCB vendor that will last for life.

09-28-2018

The true test of the vendor-customer relationship comes when you need innovative PCBs—boards that are not easily found in the common marketplace and are so technologically advanced that they require your designers and suppliers to work together to go where neither has before.

08-13-2018

Is your PCB supplier ready to take you into the future? Sure, they are doing a good job today, but what about tomorrow? What will happen when new designs require boards to be made with thermal or RF materials, or have lines widths down to two mils?

07-23-2018

This month's column is written by Anaya Vardya and John Bushie. In today’s environment, there are a number of suppliers that may have similar materials but price points and lead times may vary. If you are open to trying different options, it is a good idea to work closely with your PCB fabricator so they can educate you on these aspects. Another option is to do parallel builds with multiple materials in the early stages of honing a new design to determine the optimum material set.

06-12-2018

Are your PCB needs exceeding your vendor base’s capabilities? Do you feel that your suppliers are no longer able to keep up with your PCB needs? Do your designers feel limited by your vendors’ limited capabilities? Are you finding an issue locating alternate sources for PCBs due to the consolidation of the larger shops in our industry? If so, you are not alone.

01-10-2018

Our world now extends far beyond the traditional brick and mortar of the domestic board suppliers of yesteryear. Now our customers demand that PCB fabricators provide them with a complete and total printed circuit board solution, from domestically built ITAR-registered defense and aerospace boards to high-volume, offshore solutions.

08-17-2017

For years we have been calling them “science projects,” those PCB orders that did not quite fit into our normal process stream and therefore needed special attention, as well as special handling. Often, we have had to use trial and error to come up with just the right process to successfully complete the order.

05-17-2017

Increasingly, we hear about the challenges of finding and hiring good people in our industry. We are being hit on all sides; much of our work force is aging out while young people don’t seem to be too interested in joining the printed circuit board industry. Let’s face facts: Fewer young people are going to college to become circuit board process engineers.

05-01-2017

Since their introduction, flexible and rigid-flex circuits have been steadily moving from the fringe of electronic interconnection towards its center. Today, flex and rigid-flex circuits are found in countless products from the very simple to the highly complex. The reasons for this shift to the center are numerous; most of them are related to the advantages they offer. An examination of some of the benefits and advantages will make this clear.

03-08-2017

Handling the operations of a PCB company these days is a challenge, to say the least. When I started in 1979, we were building single-sided, double-sided, four-layer multilayers, and the occasional six-layer if you really had your act together. We were using FR-4 materials sprinkled in with an occasional polyimide build.

12-21-2016

Selling technology today takes a great deal of time, patience and most of all knowledge of the product. There was a time when a salesperson was just that, a salesperson. Now, with the onset of all the new technologies, from RF and metal backed boards to flex and rigid-flex boards, to HDI and microvia boards and heavy copper boards, a salesperson must know what he’s talking about.

11-29-2016

Although RF/microwave technology has been around for a considerable amount of time, many people are still not sure exactly what it is. This month, I am going to dedicate my column to explaining exactly what it is, why it is used, and in what products is it used. I’ll also discuss who needs it.

11-18-2016

Although flex and rigid-flex technology has been around for many years, it is only in recent years that it has come into its own. The reason for the increased requirements for the flex and rigid-flex technology is simple: Devices are getting smaller.

08-29-2016

We all need to talk to one another. You need to work closely with your customers. And we all need to work with the new generation of PCB designers and design engineers, many of whom have never set foot in a board shop. Fortunately, they make up for their lack of DFM knowledge with their hunger for information.

07-11-2016

The age of much finer lines and spaces is upon us. After years of slowly moving towards this technology our customers are now demanding that all of us provide them with fine lines and spaces.

05-25-2016

Probably one of the hottest, or should I say coolest, technologies today is LED. I would also venture to say it is one of the fastest growing as well...

04-06-2016

This new column, Standard of Excellence, represents a cooperative writing effort by a team of experts at American Standard Circuits. This month, we begin with CEO Anaya Vardya, who focuses on R&D. In his piece, he provides his insights on what characteristics to look for in a good R&D PCB fabrication vendor partner, and a few things that are expected of them to do for you.