I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Not surprisingly, President Trump’s wheeling and dealing have continued to dominate the news cycle in the electronics industry with tariffs and penalties announced for India last week, and another 90-day reprieve on tariffs to China this week. To the relief of many, this resulted in a stock market bump amidst reports that orders are likely to increase over the next couple of months. 

In the chips industry, President Trump also met with Nvidia’s CEO, wheeling and dealing very directly with the company’s business and resulting tariff outcomes, to the raised eyebrows of some.

In our industry, my top reads include Prashant Patel’s overview and argument for reshoring, which I found to be a great general overview and breakdown. In further support of the onshoring/reshoring message, I’m highlighting Nolan Johnson’s interview on the survey and report by the Reshoring Initiative. Check out my interview with USPAE’s Jim Will on the state of the flat panel display (FPD) industry and the risks associated with it for U.S. defense and critical infrastructure products. I thoroughly enjoyed Community Magazine’s profile on Accurate Circuit Engineering (ACE) and James Hofer, which just served to reinforce my impressions from our interview a few months back. Finally, I have included one news piece indicative of more supply shortages to come as AI gobbles up resources in all areas of manufacturing. 

Facing the Future: Challenges and Opportunities in Reshoring PCB Manufacturing
Published August 13

In his latest column, Alpha Circuit’s CEO Prashant Patel argues that total cost merits onshoring despite the list of barriers that make it difficult to calculate. When one genuinely looks at total cost, scaling, and capacity, the benefits to re-shoring can be substantial in areas such as lead time reduction, quality control, risk mitigation, and cybersecurity and IP. He acknowledges that partnership amongst all the stakeholders is necessary for reshoring success, but states strongly, “The path to reshoring PCB manufacturing won’t be linear or easy, but it’s necessary.”

Survey Says: Reshoring is a TCO Equation
Published August 14

As many of you may have noticed, I do like to bundle things in theme, so I have also included Nolan Johnson’s interview in this month’s issue of SMT007 Magazine on the Reshoring Initiative. Founded in 2010 as a nonprofit initiative to help balance the U.S. trade deficit, the effort is getting some extra attention. Harry Moser and Kathy Nunnally, talk about the survey itself and using total cost of ownership (TCO) to evaluate whether nearshoring makes sense for you. Interestingly, it is noted that a full 30% of OEMs do not use “total cost” in their decision-making. Compiled from over 20 different reports and surveys done on reshoring, this is an interesting, illuminating read that I know you will enjoy.  

Securing the Future: The Battle for America’s Flat Panel Display Industry
Published August 12 

Whether looking at your cellular phone, your desktop or laptop, or checking out at your local grocery store, we stare at flat panel displays (FPD) and LCD screens every day, all day long, and no longer even think about it. But in my interview with Jim Will, executive director of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics Executive Director, he explains just why FPDs should be a big concern for U.S. national defense and security. He discusses what must be done next if the U.S. government is serious about its commitment to secure our supply chain and make “at-risk” products with only secured, domestic sources. 

A Passion for PCB Prototypes
Published August 13

“ACE is good people doing something they love,” says James Hofer, director of operations and partner in Accurate Circuit Engineering, a self-described “boutique” PCB fabricator that specializes in RF and microwave boards. In this interview, published in the Summer 2025 issue of Community Magazine, James displays his passion for the industry and his company. In addition to the great (and fast) work they do, ACE stands behind the values it was founded on, especially when it comes to knowing the value of its people. 

DDR4, LPDDR4 Supply Tightens Sharply in 2H25 as Structural Shortage Drives Strong Price Surge
Published August 11

Memory, power, and speed! This one makes my top-five must-reads this week as it shows data around what so many have been predicting over the last couple of years. DDR4 has become an important offering for AI processing demands, but with DDR4 technology in a “persistent state of undersupply,” primarily driven by the hard server market edging out capacity and resources, OEMs for PCs are being forced to adopt DDR5 technology sooner. This interests me as an indicator of things to come. Stay tuned, as there is bound to be more market knock-on effects with other electronics supplies and products wherever related AI-driven needs are pushing envelopes and eating up resources.