US-based fabricators actually build more boards offshore than they do in the US. To wit, it took about 320 US fabricators to produce $3 billion in 2010 domestically, while just six US-based fabricators (TTM, Viasystems, Multek, M-Flex, Sanmina-SCI and 3M) produced some $3.1 billion overseas. Because of their vigorous investment overseas, offshore production by US-based manufacturers will continue to grow, while domestic production will oscillate around the $3 billion level.

Table 6 underscores the “big get bigger” trend. At the same time, the growth rate of smaller manufacturers ($80 million to $150 million per annum revenue) is greater than their middle-class counterparts. This is driven by the China-based manufacturers, while mid-tier fabricators in “the west” are stagnant in terms of revenue growth. Big fabricators continue to expand because their big customers do not wish to increase the number of suppliers. Small ones have no fear. Middle-class makers are sandwiched between these two classes.

Dr. Hayao Nakahara is president of N.T. Information; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ed.: Due to last-minute changes in the data, the original posting of this article indicated 101 fabricators had sales of $100 million or more in 2010. In fact, there were 102 such companies. PCD&F regrets the confusion.

Follow us on Twitter: @mikebuetow

• Prev
• Next