Judy Warner (00:01) Hi David, thanks so much for joining us again. It's good to see you my friend. I'm excited to get an update for you, Lisa on LinkedIn. It looks like you've been a busy guy. Why don't you introduce yourself once again and then we'll jump into all the craziness that you've been doing these days. David (00:17) Thanks, Judy. It's always great to be here. Again, I'm David Schild with the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. And yeah, it's an incredibly busy time in the realm of industrial policy and where that intersects with national security and of course, PCBAA efforts to reshore and restore our domestic PCB capacity. Judy Warner (00:37) Well, what of course caught my attention, David, was a documentary that I saw on LinkedIn, both through your members and through PCBAA. So why don't you give our audience a little taste of the documentary you've made, why you've made it, and why the folks in our audience should take a peek. David (00:58) Yeah, thanks, Judy. You know, we're really proud of a new film called The New Frontier, which was produced in partnership with the Alliance for American Manufacturing. And that film really tells the story in just 21 minutes of America's PCB industry through the eyes of two companies, Summit Interconnect and K &F Electronics. And, you know, you sort of get the sense of how did we get here? What is the human story about the people who make this technology that is so essential to modern life? And what do we need to do? to bring back the innovation, bring back the manufacturing, bring back the career track that is PCB production. So it's a really great film. I'm very proud of it. took more than two years of production. And I'm of course grateful to our member companies for opening up their facilities. And we did the world premiere in Washington, DC just last week for almost a hundred people. So it's a really neat time to have a piece of collateral out there like this, a true soup to nuts storytelling experience about American. PCB manufacturing. Judy Warner (02:00) Well, it's very timely. can tell you there's so much, you know, we've talked often about that we usually live in the shadows, us electronics development, you know, industry and people, but it's so timely, right? As since COVID, we've looked at a fragile supply chain and what we need to do and how to do it. And I think your documentary makes a very compelling case. And furthermore, ⁓ It really does touch the human story, which I really appreciate it as someone that's been playing and working in this space since the eighties. And I think you guys did a great job of capturing it and helping people to maybe understand one, the industry is critical for the country. And second, that there's ⁓ really meaningful jobs and people that drive this industry and bringing awareness to available of high paying jobs and opportunities ahead of us that are very exciting. It was exciting to see young students and people entering this space and doing such a tremendous job. would you say, that was my take from the documentary. What is the feedback you've been getting and why do you think the engineers who listen to us would? really enjoy tapping into it. David (03:30) Yeah, Judy, you're absolutely right. It's a very human centric story, right? It tells the story through the eyes of workers, the people who are building the future. And one of the things that I've been hearing from people is no one's ever done this before. It's the first time anybody's made a short story about the PCB industry, about the need to reshore and restore capacity. And of course we had policymakers in mind when we were producing this film, right? We want people to support our bills in the House and the Senate. We want people. to petition the executive agencies, the White House, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Transportation, the State Department for support of this American manufacturing industry as part of a manufacturing renaissance as spoken about by the president, the secretary of commerce. We think this fits neatly into that story. And so many people from the industry said, finally somebody tells this story in a way that's approachable. I show this film on Capitol Hill and I encourage everybody listening to. you know, visit our YouTube channel, find us on LinkedIn and you'll be able to find that documentary right there. It's 20 minutes of your time. But I think you can come into this movie, Judy, knowing nothing about the industry, right? Your listeners are subject matter experts, but you can come in knowing nothing. And on the other end, if you don't come out fired up to build out factories and build out careers and build out high technology, I think you were watching a different film than the rest of us. Judy Warner (04:35) I agree. Well, we've talked about before that the chips and the chips act has had so much play in the press and in the media, mostly because of what happened during COVID. But there's this, like you say, chips don't float. Those chips have to sit on the circuit board that allows for the interconnect. I thought Jerry Partita did a really good job of talking about it in the framework of infrastructure. If there's not... ⁓ a substrate connecting all those amazing chips. You got nothing. And ⁓ why do you think that's important to engineers in our audience? Like what do think that'll do to their day-to-day, you know, best case scenario to have that domestic supply chain? David (05:39) Yeah, Judy, I think we can go back to a time when the production of boards and everything upstream and downstream of that production is a real career path. And of course, engineers are critical to the work that's being done here. There's any number of specialty roles that you need not just to produce boards, but produce the raw and refined materials, excuse me, that are necessary for that. And of course, then from the OEM perspective, right? And that's why companies like Bausch and Loam and Raytheon have joined the PCBAA cause. because if you are sourcing circuit board and circuit board assemblies, you're very concerned about where that is coming from, especially for critical applications, critical infrastructure, national security applications. So I think from an engineer's perspective, this tells the story again of what we're doing and hopefully compels policymakers to act. If we are building more Greenfield initiatives, if we are breaking ground on more, not just print circuit board facilities, but copper foil facilities, woven glass facilities, specialty chemical facilities, assembly factories. Of course, that's going to build a more sustainable career path, not just for engineers, but for everybody in the microelectronic space. Judy Warner (06:46) And just our national security too, I think David, what you said is really well articulated and I appreciate it. And I think that the documentary does make the case for national security ⁓ in a compelling way. again, from ⁓ an area that doesn't normally get a lot of attention, it's just there, right? And so really, really well done. For our audience, I will put the links. for you below the things that David's talked about, their YouTube channel, and so you can check into it. I watch it. It's amazing. I highly recommend you take a look and understand why this is so critical. All right, David. Again, I've been seeing you all over the place. I'm like, where's David now? So tell us a little bit more. It sounds like your membership is too growing. You were just in DC. What else is going on at PCBAA? And then we'll talk about how our audience could maybe tap into some of those things that are going on. David (07:49) Sure, it is incredibly busy time. We're not just in the moviemaking business, but also in the policy business. So just in the last couple of months, Judy, we've met with the Department of Commerce, the Department of War, both of which are focused on American manufacturing, critical points of failure. There's a lot of interesting discussion now around data centers and AI data center build outs. And what is the content inside these giant sprawling factories that seem to be popping up in everybody's backyard? Where are we getting this technology from? Is it all? Judy Warner (08:13) Right. David (08:16) trusted and secure technology. These are applications critical to our economy. And I think a lot of people are asking, what's the content? Where is it coming from? And certainly it's not just microelectronics having that discussion. Really impressed with the Department of War. Of course, we are in a time of conflict and a lot of munitions are being expended by our men and women in uniform. And of course, we've got to replace and even grow those magazines, those inventories. And so for a lot of folks in the microelectronics space, the Raytheons, the Northrips, Lockheed Martins of the world are signaling a lot of increased demand and a need for increased capacity. And we want to signal to the Pentagon that, you know, we've got to have microelectronics build out an investment. There are very interesting things happening in the private sector. You probably know that JP Morgan Chase announced, you know, a one point seven five, I think it's trillion dollar domestic industrial fund. And we have met with their team to discuss how that lays across the need for expansion in the American printed circuit board space. So from a private industry perspective, from a government agency perspective, and even again on Capitol Hill, right? Where we're working now closely with the Senate, in addition to our efforts with the House of Representatives, there is still a feeling that we're not done with industrial policy, we're not done with global competition with China, we're certainly not done building out a defense industrial base that sustains the war fighter for this and future conflicts. And I think all of those things, you know, they're cross pollinated with, you know, this common sentiment of Is there another place beyond semiconductors, beyond critical minerals, where we can make investments? And of course, we're ready to say yes. The answer is printed circuit boards. Judy Warner (09:52) All right. And materials of those circuit boards, which you mentioned recently. David, here you are in DC talking to the Department of Commerce, the Department of War, ⁓ JP Morgan. I mean, this is ⁓ great news for the industry. What are some conversations that you're excited about and perhaps areas in which you're here feeling like you're loosening the logjam and the message is being delivered? David (10:22) Yeah, I think that the administration is looking for what's next, right? The CHIPS Act, which was a Biden administration priority and has been continued by President Trump and Secretary Lutnick, you know, it's just the first step. And they talk about a manufacturing renaissance in Washington. There are investments in critical minerals. There are investments in CHIPS. And I like to say that, you know, the government is buying bread factories and saying that it's in the sandwich business. Well, you got to have the meat of the sandwich, right? You got to have the circuit board. And so we are just trying to be a part of that conversation. And I'm encouraged by what we've heard out of executive agencies, as well as Capitol Hill. President's defense budget is gonna drop soon. So we'll be looking for funding as we have in the past for direct investment. And Judy, in terms of events, you know, I'm really excited about the PCB East show coming up in Worcester, Massachusetts at the end of the month. And of course the PCBAA annual meeting, June 16th through the 18th in Washington, DC. Our fifth annual meeting, our biggest and best ever with guests from the administration for candid and closed off the record conversations amongst industry executives. And of course, a day of direct lobbying on Capitol Hill where our members will meet with their representatives to tell this story. Judy Warner (11:26) Wonderful. I feel like every time I talk to you, you had mentioned before we hit the record button that it was a slow start, but you're really feeling some momentum now and building on that. So let's talk about our audience in particular, why they'd want to connect with you and... How they might participate if they really care about getting their boards as well as their chips made domestically. Sort of what's in it for them and how can they participate in sort of this grassroots movement that you've started. David (12:08) Yeah, it's a great question. So Judy, we are very much a big tent. We have not just board fabricators, but folks in the assembly, the raw and refined material space, the OEM space, testing, specialty chemicals, and the diversity of our membership is very much part of the strength of our membership, right? I'm putting dots on a congressional map, and the more dots that I put on the map, the more powerful we will be. So if you're in the business of supplying the board industry, buying from the board industry, or relying on the board industry, We wanna talk to you, find us on LinkedIn, find us at PCBAA.org, find us at one of these trade shows. We very much wanna engage you and understand how this issue matters to you, what your key care abouts are. And we wanna be your advocates in Washington. know, Judy, we say educate, advocate, legislate. And of course that is on behalf of our members. And the bigger we get, the bigger an impact we will have. Judy Warner (12:59) Well said, my friend. Well, ⁓ any last thoughts or things we may not have covered? That was a lot in a short period of time. ⁓ Anything else? mean, of course people can connect with you, hopefully get involved. ⁓ You've got these events coming up, all of which we'll put in the description below. Anything else you want to say to the engineers in our audience before I let you go today? David (13:08) Sure. keep doing great things. You when I turn on the news ⁓ and I watch Artemis flying to the moon, right, or I watch these incredible achievements in the national security space, or I watch AI really taking hold in America, I know that that's backed by microelectronics. And I know your listeners, your audience are the ones who are building and designing the future. So I'm grateful because it makes my storytelling job in Washington that much easier. And we want those folks and their organizations on our team. Judy Warner (13:53) Thank you so much, David. Well, thank you for this exciting and dynamic update. This has been one of my favorite updates for you. There's so much going on. And congratulations to you and your members and everybody that's coming together. It's been one, it's a delight to be part ⁓ of your organization as a member. And I, course, our audience to become members and get involved and pay attention to this space because it really is critical and you make a really good point about those AI data centers where where's everything coming from. ⁓ So last thoughts. David (14:32) No, it's always great to be with you, Judy. appreciate your support, spreading the word, reaching a large audience. And I look forward to our next conversation and all the exciting things we're doing. Judy Warner (14:42) Thank you, David. It's always a delight to be with you. For our audience, I'm putting loads of links for you below. If you're headed for PCB East, please look up David. He'll be there on site. You can learn more about the organization and ⁓ talk about ways that you can be involved and just be a part of this mission. ⁓ And just follow them on social media and follow their website. I think you'll really enjoy the ride as I have. We will see you next week. Until then, remember to always stay connected to the ecosystem.