BANNOCKBURN, IL – The US has lost its historic dominance in a foundational area of electronics technology – printed circuit boards – and the lack of any significant US government support for the sector is leaving the nation’s economy and national security dangerously reliant on foreign suppliers, according to a new report by IPC.  

Joe O’Neil’s report outlines steps the US government and industry must take if it is to survive in the US.

O’Neil writes that for any such measures to achieve stated goals, Congress must ensure printed circuit boards and related technologies are covered by it. Otherwise, the US will become increasingly unable to manufacture the cutting-edge electronics systems it designs.

“The PCB fabrication sector in the United States is in worse trouble than the semiconductor sector, and it’s time for both industry and government to make some significant changes to address that,” writes O’Neil, principal, OAA Ventures, in San Jose. “Otherwise, the PCB sector may soon face extinction in the United States, putting America’s future at risk.”

Since 2000, the US share of global PCB production has fallen from over 30% to 4%, with China now dominating the sector at around 50%, says IPC. Four of the top 20 electronics manufacturing services companies are based in the US.

Any loss of access to China’s PCB production would be “catastrophic,” with computers, telecommunications networks, medical equipment, aerospace, cars and trucks, and other industries already dependent on non-US electronics suppliers.

To fix this problem, “the industry needs to intensify its focus on research and development, standards, and automation, and the US government needs to provide supportive policy, including greater investment in PCB-related R&D,” O’Neil says. “With that interconnected two-track approach, the domestic industry could regain the ability to meet the needs of critical industries in the coming decades.”

Adds Chris Mitchell, vice president of global government relations, IPC, “The US government and all stakeholders need to recognize every piece of the electronics ecosystem is vitally important to all the others, and they must all be nurtured if the government’s goal is to reestablish US independence and leadership in advanced electronics for critical applications.”

Register now for "Best DFM Practices for Board Engineers," a new three-hour webinar from Susy Webb, CID. Coming Feb. 22. www.pcb2day.com

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