I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
August 2, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

This week, we bring you a veritable smorgasbord of news, columns and articles from the past week.
After getting stuck in an airport during the Crowdstrike outage, our colleague Nolan Johnson has a review of the first-ever THECA trade show in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a column by Matt Stevenson on drilling optimization, and an interview with Schmoll America President Kurt Palmer about what it takes to thrive in this industry. We have an article by SMTA’s Tara Dunn that focuses on the organization’s educational offerings, and news about All Flex joining the PCBAA.
It's been a busy week. I hope you all have a great weekend!
Impressions from THECA 2024
Published July 31
Our weary editor Nolan Johnson brings us his review of the inaugural Thailand Electronic Circuits Asia trade show. Nolan had the bad luck to be heading to the airport when the Crowdstrike snafu first began, turning his already-long trip to Bangkok into a three-day ordeal. He says it was all worth it, and THECA drew a pretty good crowd of attendees, many looking to Thailand for its China+1 potential. Check it out.
Connect the Dots: Navigating the Intricacies of PCB Drilling
Published August 1
Drilling is a fairly simple operation, but it can be one of the most complex tasks in the PCB fabrication cycle. In this column, Matt Stevenson offers various tips and tricks that can streamline your PCB drilling, beginning with pre-drilling planning and preparations.
Schmoll America: Thriving in the Global PCB Market
Published July 31
Is your business thriving? What does it take to thrive in this industry? In this interview with Marcy LaRont, Kurt Palmer, president of Schmoll America, discusses what it takes to not only survive, but thrive.
Training and Education in the Electronics Industry
Published July 31
With many of the “silverbacks” in our industry heading toward retirement, educational resources are in high demand now. Tara Dunn, director of training and education for SMTA, walks us through the organization’s educational offerings, including webinars, in-person classes, technical papers, and much more.
The PCBAA Accepts All Flex Solutions as Newest Member
Published July 31
PCBAA was founded just a few years ago, but it’s been on a continuous growth path, with more companies joining the organization in its mission to advocate for U.S. PCB companies. Flexible circuit maker All Flex Solutions is the latest company to join the organization, which now numbers 61 PCB U.S. manufacturers.
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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
03/28/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I’ve spent my week recovering from a busy and interesting week in Anaheim for the 25th IPC APEX EXPO. I think back to my first APEX EXPO, and the changes since then are too numerous to count. I first attended in 2004, also in Anaheim, back when there was almost no design content in the conference or expo portions of the show. It was just a few years after the downturn, and attendees and exhibitors alike were skittish, almost afraid to show confidence in our industry. A few unemployed design friends handed out copies of their resumes. Travel budgets were still down, and the aisles weren’t exactly packed with traffic.