It’s Only Common Sense: Build Your Business on Reputation, Not Neglect
The Marketing Minute: If Your Marketing Budget Gets Cut in Half, Then What?
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
Driving Precision: All4-PCB’s Push for Smarter Inspection and Better Boards
April 17, 2026 | Real Time with... APEX EXPOEstimated reading time: 1 minute
At APEX EXPO 2026, all4-PCB's booth stayed busy until the very end. In this interview, Managing Director Ralph Jacobo highlights what he sees as strong market momentum in North America driven by increased demand for advanced PCB manufacturing technologies. He emphasizes investments in multilayer lamination, propelled by AI infrastructure, aerospace, and HDI complexity, where precision and uniformity are critical. Jacobo also discusses growing interest in improved AOI technologies, underscoring All4-PCB’s role in enabling factory automation through integrated equipment solutions, helping manufacturers address labor shortages while improving efficiency, yield, and scalability.
APEX EXPO 2026 has concluded successfully. If you couldn’t make it to the show, don’t worry, the I-Connect007 team has coverage of the entire week’s events. Watch your inbox on Fridays over the next several weeks for our complete coverage, delivered directly to your inbox, or visit Real Time with… APEX EXPO 2026 now for video interviews with the movers and shakers of the electronics industry.
Share on:
Subscribe
Stay ahead of the technologies shaping the future of electronics with our latest newsletter, Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest. Get expert insights on advanced packaging, materials, and system-level innovation, delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now to stay informed, competitive, and connected.
Suggested Items
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
05/12/2026 | Tom Kastner -- Column: Punching Out!Let’s see what the public companies are up to in the PCB and EMS industries. In North America, there are only a couple of publicly traded PCB companies: TTM Technologies and Firan Technology Group. On the EMS side, there are a few more: Flex, Jabil, Celestica, Sanmina,, Benchmark, Fabrinet, Kimball Electronics, Plexus Corp, Nortech Systems, and Key Tronic Corp. From an M&A standpoint, these public companies have been fairly quiet in the past five years. FTG completed two deals in 2022 (IMI and Holaday), Flex had three deals, Jabil had five deals, and Sanmina had one deal.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.