Changes in North American PWB Materials Infrastructure

摘要

This paper will compare the current capabilities of raw material suppliers to the PWB industry to those same capabilities 10 and 20 years ago. Key raw materials such as resin, glass fabric, copper foil, laminates and prepregs will be discussed. Supplier profitability, consolidation and globalization have all had some influence on these changes. Globalization of the supply base and changes in telecommunications has also driven the trend Market segments especially affected by the migration of intellectual investment to Asia are computers, telecommunications and consumer electronics. More recently automotive electronics, internet infrastructure, test equipment and even some military electronics have found the need to search outside of the US for advanced raw materials. High Speed materials and RF products have traditionally been the most innovative and performance driven materials. Current trends have pushed even those materials into the realm of cost control and reduction. The paper will also discuss how these changes affect the long-term viability of the PWB industry in North America. What markets can prosper under these conditions and what markets have suffered. Current and future business plans and investments of these key suppliers have shifted the US from a leader to follower in all but the most specialized raw materials. The shift from innovation driven business models to efficiency driven models in the supply base is also a major reason for the shift to lower cost manufacturing. Is this trend going to continue unabated is it irreversible or is there a place for companies with manufacturing in North America to survive? This paper will also describe how some suppliers are restructuring to deal with these changes while continuing operations in North America.