AUSTIN, TX – High Density Packaging User Group (HDP) is pleased to announce that Dynamic Electronics Co., Ltd. (Dynamic) has become a member.
“Dynamic’s mission is to provide leading-edge printed circuit board solutions for our customers. We achieve this with a combination of state-of-the-art equipment and processes; using advanced materials including laminate and prepreg, copper foil, chemistries and soldermask; and best-in-class automation and traceability,” said Mike McMaster, North America Engineering Director at Dynamic. “Dynamic is very excited to join HDP, especially as we open our new, advanced manufacturing facility in Thailand. HDP gives Dynamic the ability to collaborate with leaders across the PCB industry and deliver products that exceed our customer’s expectations.”
“I am pleased to welcome Dynamic to HDP, joining the outstanding companies working on HDP User Group projects. Their expertise and capability in leading edge PCBs for high-speed computing and data systems, including high layer count HDI buildup, and high-reliability automotive PCBs, will contribute significantly to our emerging technology projects”, said Larry Marcanti, Executive Director of HDP User Group.
SUZHOU, CHINA – Ventec International Group, a Taiwan Stock Exchange listed (TWSE:6672.TT) global supplier of advanced base materials for the PCB industry worldwide, has promoted Bill Wang to Group Technical Vice President.
Having served as Ventec’s Technical Director since 2013, Bill now adds responsibility for the group’s overseas business units to his remit, leveraging the company’s wide-ranging expertise to create solutions in sectors such as high-performance computing, cloud servers, communications and networking, cellular infrastructure, consumer products, and solid-state lighting. He will continue to lead the Technical Department at the company’s global headquarters, while also directing the Global OEM Technology and IMS Technology sections in the EMEA and Americas regions.
Welcoming him in his new role, Jason Chung, Ventec International Group CEO, said, “Bill’s energy has driven our technical department to ever-greater achievements and our current pre-eminent position in substrate materials that deliver cutting-edge performance. He richly deserves the extra faith we are placing in him, and I have every confidence he will continue to expand our capabilities and strengthen our leading position.”
Bill commented, “Ventec’s technical prowess, alongside our supply-chain capabilities and global customer support services, are key differentiators for our business. I am excited to be working with our global teams to build our strength and continue extending our advantage.”
Ventec’s product portfolio encompasses signal integrity/high-speed digital, RF/Analog & high-performance IMS material technology, and an advanced range of thermal management solutions designed for specialized use in industries including automotive, communication, aerospace, and defense. The comprehensive product line includes pro-bond and thermal-bond resin-coated films for signal-integrity applications, flex/flex-rigid and thin-flex products, and materials for special applications. The group also provides value added technical services, lab capabilities, and capital equipment for PCB fabrication.
Further information about Ventec’s solutions and the company’s wide variety of products is available at www.venteclaminates.com
TAIPEI – As SCHMID Group proudly celebrates its 160th anniversary, the company will mark this significant milestone by showcasing its latest innovations at the TPCA Trade Show in Taiwan. From October 23-25, 2024, SCHMID will present cutting-edge manufacturing solutions at Booth N917, demonstrating its continued leadership in advancing production technology for over a century and a half.
160 Years of Excellence: Founded in 1864, SCHMID Group has grown from its roots as a local company in Germany to become a global leader in high-tech manufacturing equipment and smart factory solutions. Throughout its long history, SCHMID has remained at the forefront of technological advancement, evolving to meet the ever-changing demands of industries including electronics, automotive, energy, and more. Today, the company operates worldwide, with a focus on providing innovative solutions that drive efficiency, sustainability, and profitability for its customers.
Highlighting Key Innovations at TPCA 2024:
Complete Manufacturing Solution for Advanced Glass Core Substrates SCHMID is proud to introduce its comprehensive equipment and process solution for cutting- edge glass core packaging. This solution begins with the through glass via core, covering via formation and plating, and extends to the redistribution layer using either SCHMID's proprietary embedded trace technology or the SAP process.
Customers have the flexibility to choose between a lab version for pilot production or a full set of equipment for high-volume manufacturing, catering to diverse production needs. This new offering from SCHMID represents a robust and versatile solution for advanced glass core substrates, ensuring high performance at every stage of the manufacturing process.
Game-Changing Via Forming Process: HPPF (High Performance Plasma Forming) As a second major highlight at the SCHMID booth, the HPPF (High Performance Plasma Forming) takes center stage, offering a next-generation via forming process designed to replace traditional laser-drilled vias for mSAP and SAP applications. The technology offers several unique advantages: flexible hole shapes (round, square, line-to-line), reduced hole sizes down to 5μm with the highest registration accuracy defined by photolithography (rather than laser drilling), precise depth control, and more—enabling a completely new level of miniaturization. It unlocks a whole new world of possibilities for HDI+ and advanced packaging designs. This innovation is further enhanced by its ability to maintain consistent process times and costs, whether producing 1 million or 10 million vias.
This cutting-edge process enhances precision in advanced substrate manufacturing, delivering superior performance while lowering production costs. SCHMID’s HPPF technology is poised to redefine industry standards, giving customers a competitive edge in the electronics sector.
A Legacy of Innovation: With 160 years of industry experience, SCHMID Group continues to prioritize research and development. The company is known for its forward-thinking solutions that address the needs of a wide range of industries. SCHMID’s portfolio spans automated wet processing equipment, high-precision etching, electroplating, and more. As a key player in the solar, PCB, and electronics industries, SCHMID has established itself as a trusted partner for companies aiming to implement state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies.
We invite all visitors to stop by Booth N917 at TPCA 2024 to see firsthand how SCHMID Group’s innovations are transforming the future of manufacturing. Our team of experts will be available to offer personalized consultations, and deeper insights into how our solutions can benefit your business.
WOOSTER, OH – RBB is pleased to announce that we have entered a strategic partnership with LogiSync, LLC. This will help us to expand our existing in-house design capabilities and further strengthen our position in the field of electronics. This deal increases the services we offer our clients. We will use the latest design tools and technology from LogiSync to produce leading-edge, quality designs.
Since 1973, RBB has established a reputation for quality service in the manufacturing industry. A new partnership empowers our design and engineering capabilities to leverage technology expertise and bring innovative design solutions to our clients. LogiSync, established in 1993, is a company that has experience and uses the finest design tools and technologies to contribute to this partnership. Both companies were established in Northeast Ohio and will continue from RBB’s Wooster, Ohio headquarters to serve the region and beyond.
Through this alliance, we offer in-house design, which carries out the design process to improve efficiency and ensure timely delivery with exceptional client results. This also creates closer collaboration with our clients to understand their needs better and efficiently deliver customized design solutions.
The partnership with LogiSync strongly reflects our expanded design development capability. Embracing 31 years of LogiSync technical experience positions us to provide world-class design solutions that set new industry creativity and innovation benchmarks. That is our commitment to excellence and dedication to giving our clients new and sustained product development engineering support.
The alliance is also a win-win for LogiSync and its clients. With RBB’s production and prototype facilities, LogiSync’s engineering has access to more innovative and efficient manufacturing techniques. This contract stands for excellence, strengthening our well-established leadership in this industry while raising new benchmarks for creativity and innovation.
NEW YORK – This week saw two major announcements in the US air taxi sector. Joby Aviation raised another $500M from prior-backer and partner Toyota and Beta Technologies unveiled Monday a new passenger-carrying vehicle. While still in its nascent stages, the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxi market presents a compelling longer-term investment opportunity, particularly in the US and Korea. Driven by eVTOL tech advancements, a growing need for efficient urban transport solutions, and supportive government initiatives, the market looks to be poised for lift off.
Market Growth and Drivers
The global air taxi market is projected to experience significant growth, with estimates ranging from $4.04 billion at a CAGR of 23% to USD 8 billion by 2030-32. North America dominated the global market in 2023 with 30%+, due to technological innovation, investment, and favorable regulations. Key growth factors include:
Advancements in high-energy-density batteries and efficient electric propulsion have extended flight ranges, and increased safety and reliability.
Air taxis offer a potential solution to traffic Congestion in major cities by utilizing airspace, providing faster and more efficient point-to-point travel.
The FAA is actively working on regulatory and certification processes and air traffic management systems for low-altitude urban airspace.
An Influx of capital from VCs, tech giants, and established aerospace manufacturers is driving innovation and accelerating commercialization.
Key Players and Strategies
California startup Joby Aviation is a leading market contender backed by a substantial investment from Toyota now $894M. Its focus is now on obtaining FAA Type 2 Certification for commercial ops and scaling up production with Toyota's support. Joby acquired Uber’s air taxi moonshot Elevate in 2020 in a deal that saw Uber invest $75M, and it aims to make trips as affordable as an Uber Black.
LA’s Archer Aviation is another key US player. Its strategy centers around leveraging existing infrastructure like unused airports and helipads to minimize initial investment. Its data-driven approach to vertiport location selection, using customer data from partners like Southwest and United Airlines, ensures high demand and efficient routing and offers seamless integration with existing airline networks. Archer also has a partnership with automaker Stellantis, and aims to serve LA’s SoFi Stadium for major sport events like the 2026 World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics.
Vermont’s Beta Technologies has raised $860M+ from investors like Amazon. Its core strategy is to sell aircraft and infrastructure to defense, cargo, and medical logistics companies with existing UPS and U.S. Air Force deals. Beta is also expanding into air taxis by adapting its existing eVTOL aircraft. Its cargo focus and partnerships with potential customers like Blade give it a potential advantage.
Market Challenges
While the air taxi industry holds promise, challenges include:
A lengthy and stringent Certification and Safety process.
Development of supporting infrastructure like vertiports, charging stations, and maintenance facilities through public/private sector collaboration.
Solving financial viability to move from R&D/testing to commercialization will require substantial investment and strong demand, which isn’t yet certain.
Investment Landscape and Opportunities
So how realistic is the investment opportunity?
High Upside Potential with the industry still in its early stages.
Cutting-edge Tech Proxy. The sector is driven by rapid tech advancements in battery tech, autonomous flight, and AI, so offers good exposure to these.
The growing number of strategic partnerships between startups, aerospace & tech companies, and airlines gives the sector a degree of credibility and inevitability.
Government Support through funding, regulatory initiatives, and pilot programs also gives it credibility.
Korea: Another Promising Market
With its focus on technological innovation and urban mobility solutions, South Korea is emerging as a significant player in the air taxi market. The Korean government's support through regulatory initiatives and pilot projects, coupled with investments in infrastructure development, creates a favorable environment. Archer has strategic partnerships with local ride-sharing player Kakao Mobility to integrate into its mobile app. Supernal, a Hyundai subsidiary, is also developing an eVTOL aircraft, targeting commercial passenger flights by 2028.
Conclusion
While challenges remain, the market's high growth potential, tech advancements, industry interest and increasing traction offer significant opportunities for investors. As the industry matures, investors who identify and back the right flying horses could reap substantial rewards. Air taxi companies like Archer and Joby are incurring deep R&D and logistics losses, per SEC filings, and this will only increase as they scale up so they likely won’t be profitable any time soon. This looks like another long- to mid-term play in the current environment unless the government intervenes.
NEW YORK – Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research recently completed its 2024 Manufacturers' Technology Adoption & Attitudes Survey, a comprehensive survey of 461 manufacturing decision-makers across the United States, Malaysia, and Germany to uncover real-world attitudes, adoption trends, and valuable insights that reflect the current technological landscape within the manufacturing industry. When asked which criteria were most important when evaluating a new solution or vendor, 64% of respondents ranked a robust onboarding process with training, resources, and post-sales follow-up as the most critical.
"Improving quality and productivity levels are key objectives for survey respondents. However, an overriding concern is how to deploy the technologies to achieve those objectives. Manufacturers require assurance that they will receive adequate support and training resources to quickly adapt, along with ongoing follow-up from the vendor," explains Michael Larner, Distinguished Analyst at ABI Research.
Vendors often prioritize outlining potential investment outcomes to provide evidence of return on investment. Benefits will take longer to accrue if users cannot fully understand and properly utilize the solution. To avoid this, the vendor or their partners must be present during the initial launch, provide training resources that enable users to map the solution to their workflows, and adhere to a strict follow-up plan with the customer. These measures will require investment in the post-sales process, emphasizing partners' education so that they effectively represent the vendor in onboarding processes.
The survey further revealed that recruiting and retaining staff is challenging for manufacturers. The lack of skills underscores the concerns not only regarding deploying technologies but also fully grasping the opportunities that digital technologies offer. "Hand holding by the vendor will be required when manufacturers are devising Proofs of Concept (PoCs), evaluating suppliers, and implementing solutions at their facilities," Larner concludes.
