AURORA, CO ― March 2026 ― AdvancedPCB today announced the promotion of John Stine to Chief Technology Officer (CTO). A widely respected figure in the PCB industry, Stine has nearly four decades of experience spanning design, materials, manufacturing, engineering, quality, sales, and assembly.
Stine most recently served as Executive Vice President of Aerospace & Defense Strategic Business Development. Since joining AdvancedPCB, he has played a key role in advancing the company’s technical capabilities and supporting customers in some of the industry’s most demanding sectors. Prior to that role, Stine served as Vice President of Operations at APCT, where he helped guide operational strategy and performance.
In his new role as CTO, Stine will lead AdvancedPCB’s technology strategy and guide the company’s continued investment in advanced manufacturing capabilities. He will work closely with engineering and operations teams to strengthen technical infrastructure, expand capabilities, and support the company’s rapid growth across aerospace, defense, AI/data centers, medical, and other high-reliability markets.
“John’s journey with us has been nothing short of remarkable,” said Greg Halvorson, CEO of AdvancedPCB. “Over the years, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership, technical expertise, and a relentless commitment to driving innovation. His contributions have been instrumental in advancing our products and shaping the direction of our technology.”
“I’m honored to take on the role of Chief Technology Officer at a time when our customers are facing increasing technical complexity and faster development cycles," said John Stine, Chief Technology Officer for AdvancedPCB. "My focus is on strengthening the technical partnership with our customers so we can solve harder problems, accelerate development cycles, and deliver reliable PCB solutions for their most demanding applications.”
Stine is Lean Six Sigma certified and is recognized throughout the electronics manufacturing community for his extensive hands-on experience and practical approach to solving complex technical challenges.
For more information about AdvancedPCB and its full range of PCB manufacturing and assembly services, visit www.AdvancedPCB.com.
Montreal, Canada – Future Electronics, a leading global distributor of electronic components, and SnapMagic, a provider of CAD models and design enablement tools for electronic components, have announced the launch of integrated SnapMagic CAD models across the Future Electronics global online catalog. Engineers can now download verified symbols, footprints and 3D models directly from supported product pages, enabling a smoother transition from component selection to PCB layout.
The new integration brings over ten million CAD assets into the Future Electronics digital experience, allowing engineers to download models in formats compatible with leading ECAD tools without leaving the website. Each model is aligned with manufacturer specifications to support accuracy and consistency throughout early design stages.
“Providing engineers with immediate access to reliable CAD resources reinforces our commitment to supporting customers throughout the entire design journey,” said Georgia Genovezos, Corporate Vice President of Digital Marketing at Future Electronics. “By working closely with SnapMagic, we are delivering a seamless experience that connects component selection with practical design execution.”
SnapMagic brings its extensive CAD library and model generation expertise to the collaboration, expanding access to high quality design assets for engineers worldwide.
“Our goal is to remove friction from the design process by making CAD models easy to find and easy to use,” said Natasha Baker, CEO at SnapMagic. “Partnering with Future Electronics allows SnapMagic to support engineers as they are selecting components - without needing to change their existing workflows.”
This joint launch represents a shared focus on design enablement and reflects both companies’ continued investment in tools that help engineering teams move faster and design with confidence.
To learn more about SnapMagic CAD models now available on FutureElectronics.com, visit the dedicated landing page.
SnapMagic provides engineers with instant access to millions of verified CAD models, including symbols, footprints and 3D models compatible with major ECAD tools. Its AI-driven platform simplifies complex design tasks, helping engineers focus on creativity and move from concept to layout faster.
By partnering with distributors and manufacturers, SnapMagic “Digitizes the Design Win,” connecting engineers, CAD tools, and component suppliers. Today, it serves 2.7 million electrical engineers worldwide.
About Future Electronics
Founded in 1968, Future Electronics is a global leader in the electronic components industry. Future Electronics’ award-winning customer service, global supply chain programs and industry-leading engineering design services have made the company a strategic partner of choice.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Future Electronics operates in 159 offices across 44 countries with over 5,000 employees. Its worldwide presence powers the company’s outstanding service and efficient, comprehensive global supply chain solutions. Future Electronics is globally integrated and supported by one IT infrastructure which provides real-time inventory availability and enables fully integrated operations, sales and marketing services worldwide. In 2024, Future became a WT Microelectronics company, now dual-headquartered in both Montreal, Canada and Taipei City, Taiwan.
Future Electronics’ mission is always to Delight the Customer®. For more information visit www.FutureElectronics.com.
ATLANTA, GA – The average index score reported by the ECIA’s February Industry Pulse survey shows sales optimism continuing to soar at lofty heights. Average sales sentiment inched up to 139.7 from 138.0 in January.
“This marks the ninth straight month of strong positive sentiment overall and in each of the major component categories,” observed ECIA Chief Analyst Dale Ford. “This is also the fifth consecutive month where every subcategory has registered robust positive results. The outlook for March points to expectations for continued robust strength with a projected overall score of 141.1. Results from the Q1 quarterly survey extend this expectation for a healthy sales climate all the way through the first half of 2026,” he continued. “The overall average share of survey respondents reporting positive sales growth was 71% in Q1 and 72% in Q2.
ECIA’s Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment provides highly valuable and detailed visibility on industry expectations in the near-term through the monthly and quarterly surveys. This “immediate” perspective is helpful to participants up and down the electronics components supply chain.
The complete ECIA Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment Report is delivered to all ECIA members as well as others who participate in the survey. All participants in the electronics component supply chain are invited and encouraged to participate in the report so they can see the highly valuable insights provided by the Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment report. The return on a small investment of time is enormous! Members can log in here to see the full report.
The monthly and quarterly Industry Pulse: Electronic Component Trends and Sentiment reports present data in detailed tables and figures with multiple perspectives and cover current sales expectations, sales outlook, product cancellations, product decommits and product lead times. The data is presented at a detailed level for six major electronic component categories, six semiconductor subcategories and eight end markets. Also, survey results are segmented by aggregated responses from manufacturers, distributors, and manufacturer representatives.
Tokyo, Japan – Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd. will invest approximately 7.5 billion yen into Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou Factory), to add an additional production line specifically to manufacture MEGTRON multi-layer circuit board materials, which are widely used in high-speed network systems like AI servers.
Guangzhou Factory produces a wide range of products, from the MEGTRON6, an industry-pioneering Multi-layer Circuit Board Materials for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure equipment, to the MEGTRON8, which supports high-speed transmission for AI servers. Going forward, it is positioned as an important production location for cutting-edge materials such as the MEGTRON series for next-generation AI servers that will enable even higher speed transmission.
This announcement follows the recently publicized Panasonic Industry plan to construct a new building and MEGTRON production line at an existing factory located in Ayutthaya, Thailand, which is intended to support printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication customers in Southeast Asia (announced on September 12, 2025). As a part of efforts to bolster global circuit board material production, this new production line in Guangzhou targets PCB fabrication customers in China, a significant market with strong long-term growth prospects. The new line is planned to commence initial manufacturing operations in April 2027, with mass production scheduled for later in the fiscal year.
Along with the evolution and growing adoption of generative AI, the market for ICT infrastructure, including AI servers, continues to expand and data processing volumes are forecasted to grow exponentially. This accelerated growth trend is driving demand for ICT infrastructure devices, such as servers, switches, and routers, which enable faster, higher-capacity communication and high-speed computing. The circuit boards used in these ICT infrastructure devices require low-transmission-loss* materials to enable signals to be transmitted more stably and efficiently.
Leveraging proprietary materials and processing technology, Panasonic Industry is bolstering global production for the MEGTRON series of circuit board materials which deliver industry leading low-transmission-loss performance. Panasonic Industry plans to double the total production capacity of MEGTRON products over the next five years contributing to the growth of the ICT infrastructure market, including AI servers, and the continued innovation of AI technology.
Overview of Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.
Factory & new line: Within the premises of Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.
Address: 18 Lian Yun Rd. the East Section of Guangzhou Economic & Technological Development District, P.R. of China
Products manufactured: Circuit board materials
Gross floor area: Approx. 16,000 m2 (including shared area with existing lines)
Scheduled commencement of operations: April 2027
Investment amount: Approx. 7.5 billion yen
Highlights: By enabling automation and reducing labor requirements through digital transformation in manufacturing processes, the new line will drive manufacturing efficiency to meet growing demand in China
Freudenstadt, Germany, March 04, 2026 – SCHMID Group (NASDAQ: SHMD) has successfully delivered the first specialized InfinityLine H+ system designed for Panel-Level Packaging (PLP) applications with formats of up to 700×700mm to a leading U.S. technology company.
The newly developed InfinityLine H+ platform is based on a highly flexible, expanded modular architecture, enabling SCHMID to address the rapidly increasing panel sizes required by next-generation substrate manufacturing. The system incorporates advanced engineering concepts enabling horizontal processing of large-format substrates, allowing customers to implement critical process steps with high economic efficiency, high process stability, and improved throughput.
This project highlights SCHMID’s engineering expertise in developing customer-specific production solutions for markets that demand the highest standards in quality, cleanliness, and process control. The delivery further strengthens SCHMID’s position in high-growth applications such as AI-driven computing infrastructure, advanced high-performance computing (HPC) platforms, as well as space and defense electronics.
Addressing the Exponential Growth in AI, HPC Infrastructure and Space & Defense Applications
The global expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure, AI server boards, and HPC platforms – together with rapidly increasing demand in space and defense applications – is reshaping the semiconductor and advanced substrate industry.
Rising interconnect density, increasingly sophisticated power-delivery architectures, the economic scaling of chiplet-based designs, and growing layer counts are significantly increasing process complexity. As a result, manufacturing requirements for IC substrates and Panel-Level Packaging (PLP) are advancing rapidly, demanding new levels of precision, scalability, and process stability.
The newly developed SCHMID Platform directly addresses these evolving Demands.
At the core of the expanded InfinityLine H+ platform is a fully single-sided, completely touchless process architecture, designed to ensure maximum cleanliness, process stability, and yield for next-generation substrate and panel-level packaging applications. By utilizing a carrier plate with the build-up structure positioned on top, the system ensures stable and reproducible processing - even for highly complex and sensitive multilayer designs.
Face-Up and Face-Down Processing with Maintained Leading Edge
A key technological highlight is the integrated inline flipping station. It enables both face-up and face-down processing while maintaining the leading-edge orientation throughout the entire process flow.
The flipping operation itself remains single-sided and touchless, ensuring maximum repeatability, stable line integration, and consistent process performance in fully automated manufacturing environments.
Within this architecture, key chemical processes benefit from bottom-side processing which eliminates puddling effects on top surface, an important advantage for larger substrate formats and next-generation applications.
Reduced Dragout & Cleanliness as a Strategic Yield Lever
As substrate density increases, sensitivity to particles and media carry-over rises significantly. Yield performance increasingly depends on process purity and contamination control.
The platform’s architecture is therefore product-specific and engineered to minimize media carry-over. Additionally, particle-free drive solutions in the dryer modules significantly reduce the risk of particulate contamination.
Combined with a fully integrated ESD protection concept and automated real-time process parameter monitoring with closed-loop control, the system delivers stable process windows, high repeatability, and sustainably optimized yield performance - critical performance drivers for next-generation AI- and HPC-boards.
Cleanroom-Ready and Scalable for Next-Generation Applications
The system features a full enclosure design, making it suitable for operation in controlled and clean manufacturing environments.
Executive Statement
Roland Rettenmeier, Chief Sales Officer of SCHMID Group, states:
“The global expansion of AI infrastructure, high-performance computing platforms, and rapidly growing demand in space and defense applications is fundamentally transforming the semiconductor and advanced packaging industry. Increasing interconnect density, advanced power-delivery architectures, and the economic scaling of chiplet-based designs are accelerating the transition from traditional wafer-level packaging toward large-format panel level technologies.
With the expansion of our modular InfinityLine H+ platform, we have introduced and successfully delivered another technological game-changer for equipment used in IC substrate and panel-level packaging manufacturing. The system directly addresses the structural growth we are seeing in the panel-level packaging ecosystem.
Our customers are investing heavily in next-generation production capacity and require manufacturing solutions that support larger formats, higher resolutions, maximum cleanliness, exceptional process stability, and optimized consumption of chemicals and resources – while consistently delivering superior yield performance.
With solutions such as the InfinityLine H+, SCHMID positions itself as a key innovation partner, enabling the manufacturing infrastructure behind the next generation of AI-driven computing systems.”
With this project, SCHMID reinforces its strategic focus on the fastest-growing segments of the electronics industry and further strengthens its role as a critical technology enabler for the next generation of high-performance IC substrate and panel-level packaging solutions.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company’s registration statement and final prospectus for the offering filed with the SEC. Copies are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.
About the SCHMID Group
The SCHMID Group is a global leader in providing solutions for the high-tech industry in the fields of electronics, photovoltaics, glass, and energy systems. SCHMID N.V. and Gebr. SCHMID GmbH are headquartered in Freudenstadt, Germany. Founded in 1864, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide and operates technology centers and production facilities at multiple locations, including Germany and China, along with several global sales and service locations.
The Group focuses on developing customized equipment and process solutions for a variety of industries, including electronics, renewable energy, and energy storage. Our system and process solutions for the production of substrates, printed circuit boards, and other electronic components ensure cutting-edge technology, high yields at low production costs, maximum efficiency, quality, and sustainability through environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
Siemens today announced Inventec Corporation, a global leader in high-tech electronics and server manufacturing, has adopted Siemens’ Valor NPI software and Process Preparation X solutions from the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio to strengthen design-for-manufacturing (DfM) efficiency and production quality across its server and notebook product lines.
Solving manufacturing issues before production
Inventec is a major Taiwan-based original design manufacturer (ODM) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that designs and manufactures notebooks, servers and other electronic devices for leading global brands. As the complexity of server and AI-driven hardware designs increases, the gap between design and manufacturing becomes a critical bottleneck. Realizing this, Inventec sought a scalable, automated approach to improve its early-stage manufacturing readiness and production quality.
By adopting Siemens’ Valor NPI, Inventec has embedded automated DfM verification into its development workflow, enabling engineering teams to identify and resolve manufacturing issues before production. This shift has helped Inventec significantly reduce late-stage design changes, improve first-pass yield and cut EQ from PCB and assembly partners by more than 50 percent.
“Our goal is to deliver cutting-edge server and notebook technology to our customers with speed and precision,” said Barry Chen, senior ECAD manager, Inventec Corporation. “With Siemens’ software, we’ve moved away from manual, document-based processes to a fully digitalized workflow. This has allowed us to identify and resolve potential manufacturing issues before production begins, accelerate time-to-market, reduce engineering change cycles and enhance collaboration between design and manufacturing teams.”
Fast error-free SMT readiness
In parallel, Inventec implemented Siemens’ Process Preparation X to streamline surface-mounted technology programming and digital work instruction generation, creating a unified programming environment across multiple SMTs, reducing manual data conversion and preventing polarity, offset and placement errors through virtual validation. As a result, Inventec achieved earlier detection of DfM and equipment-related issues before pilot runs, accelerated SMT program preparation by up to 50 percent, enabled automated and error-free generation of more than 20,000 production work instructions annually and improved consistency and quality across its global manufacturing operations.
“Electronics manufacturers are under increasing pressure to deliver highly complex products faster, with uncompromised quality,” said AJ Incorvaia, senior vice president and general manager, Electronic Board Systems, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “By adopting Siemens’ portfolio, Inventec has transformed its DFM operations to unlock new levels of operational excellence and gained significant productivity boosts to its SMT programming and work instruction generation workflow.”
