Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine

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Peter Bigelow As demand for AI and advanced electronics grows, the industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its reliance on scarce rare earth materials.

Much has been written and said in all areas of the world and in all walks of life about the challenges facing the world of technology. Whether it is developing and harnessing AI (artificial intelligence), utilizing electric vehicles, reducing pollution to leave a smaller carbon footprint, or training the next generation of employees to fill the multitude of jobs required to manufacture the advanced technologies that all the above will require, the number and magnitude of all these challenges is staggering. It is nothing, however, compared to the granddaddy of them all: creating the next generations of technology without depleting rare earth minerals.

Read more: The Next Great Technology Challenge: Designing without Rare Earths

Peter Bigelow Memory chip shortages and PCB order spikes signal strength, but history suggests caution amid the hype.

It appears that possibly, as baseball legend Yogi Berra would have said, it’s déjà vu all over again.

Read more: AI Demand Echoes the Late-’90s Tech Surge

Peter Bigelow Repairing ancient technology has its silver lining.

Let it be said that the printed circuit industry faces a whole lot of challenges. While some are geopolitical in nature, most are not. The foundational challenge is advancing technology in the most cost-effective and profitable manner to enable continued development of exciting new processes and products. Successfully meeting these basic challenges has long been the hallmark of our industry.

Read more: Building a Future from Obsolete Parts

Peter Bigelow Executives reveal their top concern isn’t tariffs, but the struggle to retain a qualified manufacturing workforce.

A recent industry event included a session on managing through disruptive times. Toward the end of the session, a panel of industry leaders addressed audience questions, one of which was, “Of all the disruptive issues currently taking place, which keeps you up at night?” Surprisingly, the panel was unanimous in its response, and it was not tariffs, new technology or geopolitical events. What keeps these executives awake at night is far more basic: finding qualified employees.

The catchphrase used when discussing the challenges of locating, hiring and retaining qualified employees is “workforce development,” and the operative word is “development!”

Read more: Why Workforce Development Keeps Manufacturing Leaders Up at Night