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Choosing the Right Strategic Path
April 29, 2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Voices of the Industry: CEE PCB
Tom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, discusses the current economic challenges, noting reduced purchasing power post-pandemic. He highlights the growing demand for HDI in consumer electronics due to AI growth. Tom also expresses concerns about tariffs under the new U.S. administration, prompting CEE to diversify production locations, including new plants in Southeast Asia. He emphasizes the need for PCB manufacturers to adapt strategically amidst rising costs and fierce competition, particularly for mid-sized shops facing unique challenges in the industry.
Marcy LaRont: Tom, how are you feeling about the state of the economy and the geopolitical and geo-economic climates?
Tom Yang: We cannot say the economy is an ideal situation. Generally, people are more hesitant to spend due to reduced purchasing power compared to pre-pandemic level.
The demand for PCBs varies depending on our client base and product lines. One news item is that the HDI market is gaining a larger share with the increasing use of machine learning (ML) computation and data centers spurred by AI growth. These end customers primarily operate in the consumer electronics sector.
Technology-wise, PCBs haven’t seen major breakthroughs, but overall, HDI is becoming more widely used in various consumer electronics applications (especially smartphones, computers, and wearables) so there is more demand for HDI PCBs.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
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