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Dan Feinberg on Walt Custer: Remembering an Extraordinary Business Associate and Friend

The passing of Walt Custer marks the end of an era for all those who knew him and were helped and impressed by his presence, both personally and professionally. Walt's life was characterized by his unwavering commitment to the industry, his profound wisdom and willingness to share it, and his infectious enthusiasm for everything he did.

Closing the Loop on PCB Etching Waste

As the PCB industry continues its push toward greener, more cost-efficient operations, Sigma Engineering’s Mecer System offers a comprehensive solution to two of the industry’s most persistent pain points: etchant consumption and rinse water waste. Designed as a modular, fully automated platform, the Mecer System regenerates spent copper etchants—both alkaline and acidic—and simultaneously recycles rinse water, transforming a traditionally linear chemical process into a closed-loop system.

Automation Meets Sustainability

GreenSource Engineering (GSE) is proud to have contributed to the first successful reshoring of a PCB facility on a greenfield site in the United States. While we are honored to have played a key role, full credit for this achievement goes to SEL for its vision, commitment, and professionalism.

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

It’s almost fall here in Atlanta, and that means that the temperature is finally dropping. And it quit raining! It’s been raining since March, and I’m so over it, as the social influencers say. Last night we grilled out on the deck, and it wasn’t hot, and we didn’t get rained on. Life is good. It was a busy week in the industry. In this installment of my must-reads, we say goodbye to Walt Custer, the man who made PCB data points interesting for the rest of us.

Walt Custer: Making Data Interesting

I just learned that IPC Hall of Famer Walt Custer has passed away at 81. I first met Walt about 20 years ago when I started covering the fabrication industry. Right away, he started telling me which companies to watch and which trends to follow. This was in the years following 9/11, and things were still pretty fluid.

Industry Icon Walt Custer Passes Away

We regret to announce that Walt Custer passed away on Aug. 30, 2025. Walt’s son, Jonathan, shared the following: I am in complete shock that my dad, Walt Custer, is gone, and I am comforted that he died peacefully at 81 years old. Walt built CCG from the ground up 26 years ago, guided by his passion, hard work, and commitment to the printed circuit board community.  His dedication not only established our company, but he frequently shared his experience as a chemist and industry executive veteran to provide market insights as an analyst, an avid speaker, a magazine columnist, a board and committee member and a data contributor for the electronics manufacturing community. 

Wisdom From Data-center Power Pioneer Mike Mosman

Few engineers have moved the levers of modern electronics more decisively than Mike Mosman. From the pre-email computer rooms of the 1980s to today’s hyperscale campuses cranking out AI cycles, the retired power engineer and co-founder of CCG Facilities Integration has spent four decades proving that uptime is a design discipline, not a hope.

Labor Day: U.S. Federal Holiday

Today is Labor Day, a U.S. federal holiday that Americans celebrate on the first Monday of September each year. This marks the 131st anniversary of the holiday. In 1887, Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday. In 1894, after the Pullman Strike, Congress passed a bill that recognized Labor Day as a federal holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law.

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

This week, we bring you Global Electronics Association’s Chris Mitchell’s government relations column on—you guessed it—trade deals. TTM is balancing its facilities between East and West. The Global Electronics Association released July numbers for North American PCB shipments, and the news is good. Meanwhile, the corresponding report for EMS might seem like bad news, but that’s misleading. Be sure to look deeper for the rest of the story. Finally, for a bit space-science palate cleansing, I’m sharing news of the latest launch of NASA’s X-37B.

Mastering PCB Floor Planning

Placement of PCB components is far more than just fitting components onto a board. It’s a strategic and critical foundational step, often called “floor planning,” that profoundly impacts the board’s performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost. Floor planning ties into the solvability perspective, with performance and manufacturability being the other two competing perspectives for addressing and achieving success in PCB design.

Coming Soon: The Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest

The upcoming Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest is a curated, condensed monthly publication designed to keep you informed and engaged with the fast-moving world of advanced electronics packaging (AEP). In our inaugural September issue, we will begin at the foundation with an in-depth interview featuring Matt Kelly, CTO of the Global Electronics Association. Kelly and his Technology Solutions Team approach advanced packaging from a holistic systems perspective.

Partnerships Drive Innovation for a Brighter Manufacturing Future

When Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) opened its greenfield facility in 2023, it did so with careful attention to choosing its suppliers. In this discussion, Collin Peters, electronics business director for North America at MKS’ Atotech, and Justin Kennedy, manager of engineering at SEL, explore their unique partnership that includes collaborative efforts to develop innovative solutions like the Uniplate® PLBCu6 line.

TTM Technologies: Bridging East and West with Strategic Expansion

As global supply chains shift and demand for supply chain resiliency grows, TTM Technologies is expanding with purpose: bolstering its U.S. presence while maintaining a strong footprint in Asia. With recent moves in Wisconsin and Malaysia, the company is positioning itself to better support customers amid an evolving geopolitical landscape. In this interview, President and CEO of TTM Technologies Tom Edman discusses TTM’s expansion strategy, the future of manufacturing, and his planned retirement after his long tenure at the helm of the company.

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

In this week’s roundup, we have a variety of articles covering design, manufacturing, sustainability, and, of course, tariff negotiations. We have a milestone anniversary to celebrate as well, with Dan Beaulieu about to publish his 1,000th column. When does Dan even sleep? Here’s to hoping that we have 1,000 more weeks of "It’s Only Common Sense."

Lessons From a Thousand Columns: Dan Beaulieu on Writing, Selling, and Staying the Course

For 20 years, Dan Beaulieu has been a steady voice in sales and marketing, offering weekly columns that challenge, inspire, and guide professionals in the electronics industry and beyond. Soon, he will reach a remarkable milestone—his 1,000th It’s Only Common Sense weekly column. In this Q&A, we look behind the scenes of Dan’s writing journey, exploring what has kept him motivated, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and how two decades of weekly columns have shaped his career and the industry conversation.

SEL: Revolutionizing PCB Production Through MES, Partnerships, and Vision

Two years ago, we visited Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) to better understand its new captive greenfield PCB facility. We recently returned, this time to discuss how this bold vision has transformed the industry. Barry Matties met with John Hendrickson, engineering director, and Jessi Hall, vice president of vertical integration, to discuss the transformative capabilities of Factory Core, SEL’s custom manufacturing execution system (MES), which allows for real-time monitoring of workflow and machine performance, and has led to impressive improvements in quality and cost efficiency.

How Good Design Enables Sustainable PCBs

Sustainability has become a key focus for PCB companies seeking to reduce waste, conserve energy, and optimize resources. While many discussions on sustainability center around materials or energy-efficient processes, PCB design is an often overlooked factor that lies at the heart of manufacturing. Good design practices, especially those based on established IPC standards, play a central role in enabling sustainable PCB production. By ensuring designs are manufacturable and reliable, engineers can significantly reduce the environmental impact of their products.

The Power Shift in U.S. Manufacturing Ownership

The U.S. manufacturing landscape is driven by reshoring initiatives, supply chain realignments, and a surge of foreign interest. What does that mean for U.S.-based PCB and EMS companies? In this interview, mergers and acquisitions expert Tom Kastner breaks down the forces reshaping the industry—why foreign investors are eager to enter the U.S. market, why many are evaluating greenfield facilities over acquisitions, and why the high-mix, low-volume focus of most domestic shops doesn’t always align with foreign buyers’ goals.

Inventing the Future: An Interview with Dr. Ed Schweitzer

Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer III, founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), has a corner office in the company’s world headquarters in Pullman, Washington. Forty-two years after his SEL-21—the first microprocessor-based digital protective relay—ushered in a new era of power-system protection, he has forever changed the way the world safeguards its electric grids. In this three-hour conversation, Dr. Schweitzer reveals that he remains excited to get to work each day, unpacking the “better, cheaper, faster, simpler” mantra that’s still driving SEL’s innovation, and the culture glue that keeps more than 7,000 employee-owners rowing in unison.

Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Jerry Siegmund

The Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award has been awarded to those who have contributed significantly to the Global Electronics Association (formerly known as IPC) and our industry. Though many early HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s membership, their contributions still resonate. This special series on Hall of Fame members provides a reminder of who was honored and why.

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

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.

The Art and Science of PCB Floor Planning: A Comprehensive Guide

PCB design is an intricate and crucial part of developing electronic products. One of the foundational stages of PCB design is floor planning, a phase where the placement of components and the flow of signals are meticulously mapped out. A good floor plan ensures that the PCB performs well, is easy to manufacture, and meets all mechanical and electrical requirements. We’ll explore the essential aspects of floor planning, from its objectives and process to the challenges that designers face.

A Passion for PCB Prototypes: Accurate Circuit Engineering—'Good People Doing Something They Love'

Founded in 1983, Accurate Circuit Engineering (ACE) in Santa Ana, California, is a PCB prototype manufacturer and industry leader in radio frequency (RF) and microwave boards. It started as a family company and still adheres to those values by knowing its staff well and tailoring work and education to encourage them to stay at the company. “ACE is good people doing something they love,” says James Hofer, director of operations. “I am passionate about what I do, and ACE allows me to pursue that passion."

COVID, Tough Sales, and What Made Me a Better Salesperson

Before 2020, we approached sales differently. A persistent, gritty salesperson could approach businesses daily without an appointment. They would often be turned away, but sometimes, they would be given a shot. Then, in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic became official, and things started to shut down. When we finally came back, everything had changed, creating an impenetrable barrier for outside salespeople.

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

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you might be tempted to opine, “What’s going on here?” In this week’s must-reads, we have a wrap-up of the latest news about U.S. tariffs with Asia, and columnist Tom Yang explains why some PCB fabrication business should remain in China. We also have a piece that examines the unprecedented growth that green manufacturing is expected to see over the next four years.
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