BANNOCKBURN, IL — New data from IPC show that most electronics manufacturing industry executives see a recession as inevitable. IPC’s October Monthly Economic Outlook and Global Sentiment Survey found that 27 percent of industry executives believe the economy is already in a recession, 45 percent believe the economy will enter a recession in 2023, and 13 percent believe the economy will enter a recession in the fourth quarter of 2023. Industry executives expecting a recession are bracing for a longer one.
“Tight financial conditions and an uncertain economic outlook are making both businesses and consumers more cautious,” stated Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. “We have reached the end of the post-lockdown rebound.”
Among other conclusions, the IPC survey results show:
After declining for two consecutive months, the Materials Cost Index rose three points.
Three-fourths (73 percent) of electronics manufacturers indicate labor costs are on the rise.
Ease of recruitment, profit margins, and inventory available from suppliers are presently declining.
Positively, manufacturers expect to see a decline in backlogs over the next six months.
Inflation continues to dominate the narrative, with the U.S. likely past peak inflation, while the situation worsens in Europe. Europe is expected soon to reach peak inflation, and prices continue to rise. Projections for economic growth in Europe in 2023 have been lowered, and now show a decline for the first time for the entire year. China’s economy remains below the targeted 5.5 percent growth expected for the year, with growth likely to be closer to 3 percent in 2022. The yuan has fallen to its lowest level in 14 years.
IPC surveyed hundreds of companies from around the world, including a wide range of company sizes representing the full electronics manufacturing value chain.
FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE — ICAPE Group, a global technology distributor of printed circuit boards, announced the appointment of Ms. Christelle Bonnevie as Chief Industrial Officer (CIO).
ICAPE Group continues to implement its global expansion strategy with the appointment of Christelle Bonnevie as Deputy Chief Executive Officer alongside Cyril Calvignac, CEO of the group. Until now Executive Vice-President of CIPEM, the division specialized in the supply of technical parts on plan, Mrs Bonnevie will be in charge of optimizing the performance of the ICAPE Trax production plant in South Africa, owned by ICAPE Group since 2021 and will continue to lead CIPEM activities.
After more than ten years spent within Alstom, in positions of responsibility in the supply chain, Christelle Bonnevie became Plant and Production Manager for Elvia PCB Group in 2008. She joined ICAPE Group in 2015, took the management of CIPEM in 2016, and that of Divsys France in 2021.
Christelle Bonnevie, CIO of ICAPE Group, stated: "For ICAPE Group, the acquisition of a first production plant was a real challenge. The success of this project is due to an incredible team work and the application of ICAPE Group strategy. The confirmation of these good results shows us the direction to follow for the years to come and I am proud to have the confidence of ICAPE Group to lead this industrial performance optimization project. It is an exciting subject which involves many aspects such as the security of our supply chain, the technical support, the quality but also the human, social and environmental responsibility side."
Cyril Calvignac, CEO of ICAPE Group added : "During the past year, we have successfully integrated ICAPE Trax, our production plant located in South Africa. In order to pursue this strategy, the appointment of Christelle Bonnevie will allow us to structure and optimize our production force for the profitable growth of the group.”
About ICAPE Group
Founded in 1999, ICAPE Group acts as a key technological expert in the PCB supply chain. With a global network of 30 subsidiaries and a major presence in China, where most of the world’s PCB production is done, the Group is a one-stop-shop provider for the products and services which are essentials for customers. In 2021, ICAPE Group generated consolidated revenue of €169 million.
TAIPEI – DuPont Interconnect Solutions (ICS) will showcase its broad portfolio of innovative circuit materials at the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) Show in Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. The show will be held from October 26-28, 2022 and DuPont will exhibit in Booth #N211.
With a broad product portfolio, advanced technology capabilities, and a deep commitment to sustainability, DuPont ICS aims to be the total solution and system design partner focusing on signal integrity and power transmission.
“Over the past decade, DuPont has built strong capabilities in the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) industry globally,” said Avi Avula, vice president & general manager, DuPont Electronics & Industrial. “We are focused on solving our customers’ challenges to address the growing market needs driven by megatrends such as 5G, autonomous vehicles, Internet of things (loT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We recently expanded our R&D capabilities for PCB metallization and are embarking on a journey to build our Advanced Circuit Development Center (ACDC) in Taiwan to develop next generation PCB technology. This facility will bring our global portfolio of current and future products together to help our customers push the leading-edge technologies and innovations and advance the PCB industry.”
During the show, Avula will be awarded the first TPCA International Outstanding Contribution Award on behalf of DuPont. The award is designed to recognize and appreciate the international professionals who have contributed to the PCB industry, and to commend international contributors who are engaged in Taiwan's printed circuit board industry. This recognition acknowledges the achievements made by DuPont by providing a comprehensive and compelling total solution portfolio for the printed circuit board industry, integrating DuPont ICS and Laird Performance Materials as the leading sustainable material solutions provider, and eventually contributing to the acceleration of the development of the PCB industry in Taiwan.
At the show, DuPont will present a broad product portfolio designed for fine-line applications. It enables advanced PCB technology development for high-end segments such as Integrated Circuit (IC) substrate and Substrate-like PCB (SLP) to drive high integration, high performance, and miniaturization process development. DuPont offers a total solution approach with industry leading products covering metallization chemicals and dry film photoresist, which helps IC substrate fabricators shorten the capacity build-up time and improve production efficiency.
The newly renovated pilot lab located in Taoyuan Taiwan covers both Make Hole Conductive (MHC) and Electrolytic Plating (EP) processes, to accelerate metallization product development and scale-up tests. The future ACDC in Taiwan will be equipped with the most advanced circuit process lines and help provide fast sampling, testing, and robust processability to our customers in the Asia Pacific region.
In addition, DuPont’s low-loss and signal integrity total solutions are designed to meet the needs for higher frequency and higher speed signal transmission applications in the 5G era. DuPont recently made a $250 million investment to expand production of Kapton® polyimide film and Pyralux® flexible circuit materials and is well positioned to help solve customers’ critical interconnect challenges. Pyralux® Flexible Copper Clad Laminate (FCCL) can help save space by reducing thickness and weight, allowing more design freedom with unrestricted inspiration. Furthermore, Laird Performance Materials, which is now part of DuPont, designs and manufactures high performance materials to mitigate electromagnetic interference and suppress broadband common mode noise to improve signal integrity.
In 2021, DuPont ICS achieved the milestone of being able to power 95 percent of global operations with renewable electricity. With the business ambition of Zero by 2030, the key sustainability focus areas for DuPont ICS include innovation for green and sustainable chemistry, enabling the circular economy, and adopting renewable electricity. DuPont leaders will share their expertise on sustainable development, technology advancements and industry trends through speeches at conference during the show.
SUZHOU, CHINA — Ventec International Group Co., Ltd. (6672 TT), will be exhibiting alongside its partner, Taiyo, at electronica 2022 in Munich. From 15 to 18 November 2022, visitors to the joint Ventec & Taiyo booth #207 in hall A1 will be invited to discover the collaboration’s one-stop shop for PCB material requirements.
Attendees can find out more about Ventec’s unique laminate and prepreg capability as well as the additional technologies brought together for the PCB Materials One-Stop Shop. Alongside Ventec’s range and Taiyo’s color-based technology, the one-stop shop offers advanced copper foils, Thinflex FCCLs and coverlays, thermal interface materials from EMI Thermal, aluminum entry drill boards, and more.
Ventec and Taiyo technology experts will be on-hand to share a beer and advise on the following:
aerolam – The dedicated portfolio developed by Ventec to cater for the complete spectrum of aerospace and defense applications.
autolam – Ventec’s PCB base material solution set, specifically curated for the diverse and unique requirements of automotive and EV/e-mobility applications.
tec-speed – Our comprehensive and enhanced set of high-performance, high-reliability high-speed/low-loss/high-frequency solutions. tec-thermal – Ventec's IMS (Insulated Metal Substrate) families, laminates and prepregs for multilayer PCBs that guarantee excellent thermal performance.
Taiyo inks – Taiyo’s PSR-4000 and PSR-4100 series of two-component, alkaline developable LPI solder mask products, available in a full range of colors.
“Ventec is pleased to return to electronica,” enthused Mark Goodwin, COO EMEA & America at Ventec. “With our new partners Taiyo, we’d like to invite visitors to our booth not just to discuss our world-leading materials and solutions, but to enjoy a unique Ventec or Taiyo burger and some draught beer - after all, we all know just how busy these events can get and sometimes it’s good to just have a chat with colleagues and friends!”
Ventec International is a world leader in the production of polyimide & high reliability epoxy laminates and prepregs and specialist provider of thermal management and IMS solutions. Further information about Ventec’s solutions and the company’s wide variety of products is available at www.venteclaminates.com and/or by downloading the Ventec APP.
PASADENA, CA — Through regular exchanges of industry perspectives, long-standing strategic supply chain partners Supplyframe and Jabil, a global manufacturing solutions provider, have developed insights indicating that the electronics supply chain’s new normal is neither new nor unusual.
Read more: Supplyframe and Jabil Indicate Limited Relief for the Electronics Supply Chain
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) is entering a new phase of rapid growth to better connect the electronics industry with government needs and opportunities. Effective immediately, membership dues are reduced to $1,000 for all organizations, and the process to join is streamlined.
USPAE membership entitles qualified companies to participate in the Defense Electronics Consortium (DEC), which is a Department of Defense contract vehicle targeted at non-traditional defense suppliers. The first DEC project is a $42 million effort that involves academia and large defense prime contractors along with small- and medium-sized companies.
“We anticipate a multi-project solicitation will be available to DEC members in the next few months,” said Chris Peters, USPAE Executive Director. “The business changes we’re making will help us be better positioned for that and other opportunities.”
Launched in 2020, USPAE is a DC-based nonprofit industry association dedicated to ensuring the U.S. government has access to resilient and trusted electronics supply chains. Membership is open to companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations based in the United States or its allies. Members from across the electronics supply chain participate in a variety of programs, such as conferences, networking events, and funded projects.
For further information, visit www.USPAE.org or send inquiries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
