Electronics Industry Calls for U.S. Presidential Determination on Key Components Under Defense Production Act
September 22, 2022 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The electronics industry is calling on U.S. President Joe Biden to address urgent industrial base vulnerabilities and deliver on the promise of the CHIPS Act by prioritizing domestic development of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuit (IC) substrates under Title III of the Defense Production Act.
Three industry groups – IPC, the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), and the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA) – delivered a letter to President Biden, calling on him to issue a presidential determination on the matter.
“For more than 20 years,” the letter states, “experts in and out of government have warned that the erosion of U.S. PCB capabilities and capacity would compromise national and economic security. These warnings have proven all too accurate, as today, the U.S. share of global PCB production has fallen from 30 percent to 4 percent, making the nation precariously reliant on a global supply chain that is itself in turmoil.”
The Biden administration’s year-long assessment of the information and communications technology (ICT) supply chain highlighted the critical importance of PCB fabrication and assembly in electronics manufacturing and recommended that government programs like Title III be used to bolster the strength of U.S. PCB manufacturers.
Supporting the entire electronics ecosystem is also “critically important to the implementation of the CHIPS Act,” the letter continues. “Presently, there are no U.S. manufacturers that can produce the volume of IC substrates needed to support defense and commercial needs.”
Increasing domestic chips production without bolstering regional development and manufacture of cutting-edge PCBs and IC substrates risks lengthening and slowing the semiconductor supply chain, because many of the chips made in Arizona or Ohio will need to be sent to other countries for component packaging and assembly into finished products.
“A presidential determination on PCBs and IC substrates would be a key step toward rebuilding the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry,” Mitchell added. “The Executive Branch and Congress must continue to support – through long-term policy and funding – the entire ecosystem that drives and sustains innovative, resilient, and secure electronics manufacturing.”
For more information, visit www.IPC.org.
About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,000+ member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly, test and advanced packaging. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Washington, D.C.; Munich, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.
Suggested Items
Electronics Industry Sentiment Rose in April, Hitting New High
05/02/2024 | IPCApril 2024 marked the third consecutive month of sentiment growth among electronics manufacturers. When asked if they expected labor costs for hourly workers to rise over the next month, manufacturers in the United States, Mexico, and Europe predicted a five percent increase, while manufacturers in Asia predicted a slightly lower four percent increase.
iNEMI Names Grace O'Malley CTO
05/02/2024 | iNEMIThe Board of Directors of the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has named Grace O'Malley Chief Technical Officer (CTO).
ZESTRON Academy Launches 2024 Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics Webinar Series
05/01/2024 | ZESTRONZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, proudly announces the launch of its highly anticipated webinar series on Advanced Packaging & Power Electronics, a webinar series on the latest innovations, cleaning, and corrosion challenges.
NextFlex Convenes the Hybrid Electronics Community at Binghamton University
05/01/2024 | NextFlexBinghamton University hosted the NextFlex hybrid electronics community on April 18 for a day of expert presentations, breakout sessions on technology and manufacturing topics, and networking.
HQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics Debut on the International Stage for Electronics Manufacture at IPC APEX 2024
05/01/2024 | PRNewswireHQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics, a leading Chinese-based multilayer PCB manufacturer and assembly house showcased its industrial prowess on the international stage for the first time at the IPC APEX Expo 2024.