Take the Mic: Smart and Flexible SMT Solutions from Essemtec

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Standard of Excellence: AI Makes It Possible, and Engineers Make It Happen

10/28/2026 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of Excellence
It’s impossible to deny the impact of AI in manufacturing, engineering, and electronics. Every day, we read about new AI platforms, automated design tools, predictive analytics, intelligent inspection systems, and digital assistants capable of generating reports, reviewing documentation, or analyzing vast amounts of data in seconds. The excitement is justified because AI is transforming the way we do business.

Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys Doing Now?

10/26/2026 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!
I thought it would be interesting to check in again on what the larger North America-based public companies in the PCB and EMS industry are doing. In general, sales, profits, and stock prices are up, and many are doing smaller, non-core acquisitions. In particular, growth markets include AI infrastructure, defense, and certain areas of healthcare. Here’s a breakdown of some of the largest companies.

ICT 2026 Annual Symposium Review (Part 2): Solving Complex Manufacturing Challenges

10/23/2026 | Pete Starkey, FInstCT
A logical follow-on from the discussion of AI infrastructure was a practical example of AI applications in a PCB manufacturing environment. Oliver Cleveley-Jones and his colleagues Patrick Brown and Sam Hair from Alpha Machines described the development and benefits of an AI-driven integrated digital-twin architecture, and what it looks like from the inside of a working factory. 

Optimizing the Interconnect with Dr. John T.C. Lee

10/21/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007 Magazine
When Dr. John T.C. Lee talks about the evolution of electronics, he keeps coming back to the interconnect. As CEO and President of MKS Inc., he saw growing complexity in the connections between increasingly powerful devices as both a manufacturing challenge and a business opportunity. That thinking helped drive MKS’ acquisition of Atotech in 2022, bringing process chemistry and electroplating together with MKS’ existing strengths in lasers, optics, and precision motion, and giving substance to a strategy the company calls Optimize the Interconnect™.

SEMICON West 2026: Another Sold Out Show

10/21/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007
It was a beautiful Fall Day in the heart of downtown San Francisco, as I headed off to the first official day of SEMICON West 2026 on October 13th. Luckily, the beautiful, sunny and crisp Fall weather would endure throughout the week, just as the state was also seeing unprecedented storm activity, flooding and damaging wave activity on the Southern California coast, that juxtaposition in what had once been the only real tech-forward state in the U.S. not lost on me.