OnTrack: The PCB Design Podcast

COVID-19 has impacted daily life and supply chains. Here we bring to you the latest information to help you prepare the best possible response during this unprecedented time. As an electronics industry veteran, Mike Buetow, Vice President and Editor in Chief at PCD&F Circuits Assembly, is uniquely qualified to provide context on the COVID-19 crisis─because he also studied epidemiology. Learn how the electronics industry and supply chains are responding to the coronavirus quarantine, and how this will affect the electronics industry at large in this global industry update.

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Show Highlights

• An Electronics Industry ‘State of the Union’: Mike analyzes emerging trends over the last four weeks, and offers his best forecast for how the industry will be affected by COVID-19.
• A quick breakdown of coronavirus mitigation techniques major companies are using.
• Trade Associations (e.g., IPC, SMTA, TCPA, IEEE) and their strategies for buffering against the effects of COVID-19.
• The impact of the COVID-19 travel restrictions and shut-downs on designers and OEMs.
• When some work can’t be done remotely: CDC recommendations against gatherings, and how EMS companies and fabricators are handling it.
• Mike responds to questions and comments from industry insiders.
• How will the coronavirus impact the industry’s dependence on China? 
• Have we gotten better at weathering supply shortages? Comparative responses to electronics shortages and what we can expect from ripples in the supply chain due to COVID-19. 
• ”You can’t close your borders to a disease...” Mike speaks from his background as a former student of epidemiology. 
• Stress test! How 2020 will prove or disprove the effectiveness of the EMS industry’s supply chain. 
• Will the COVID-19 quarantine amplify trends toward telecommuting? 

Links and Resources

Twitter @mikeBuetow 
Mike Buetow on Linkedin
Printed Circuit Design and Fab
Circuits Assembly website
OnTrack Podcast: Mike Buetow on PCB West