SANTA CLARA, CA – May 28, 2025 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced the debut of the PCB Management Forum at PCB West this fall.

The new all-day executive program will feature expert-led discussions on artificial intelligence (AI), managing businesses under fast-changing market conditions, supply chain challenges, new facility introduction, and new product introductions.

Attendees will gain valuable insights into resilient business strategies, risk mitigation, and navigating supply chain complexities in an era of evolving trade policies and technological advancements.

The PCB Management Forum takes place September 30, 2025, as part of PCB West, which will be held September 30 to October 3, 2025, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.

This will be the first time PCB West, the Silicon Valley’s largest event dedicated to PCB engineers, fabricators and assemblers, offers a program focused on the needs of executives.

“This groundbreaking forum will bring together top executives, innovators, and thought leaders to discuss the future of printed circuit board (PCB) design, fabrication and assembly, with a strong focus on the shifting landscape of circuit manufacturing and supply chains for advanced electronics in today’s uncertain geopolitical climate,” said Gene Weiner, founder, Weiner International and chairman of the PCB Management Forum.

“The global electronics industry faces unprecedented challenges, from geopolitical shifts to supply chain uncertainties,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “The PCB Management Forum is designed to address these issues head-on, providing executive-level discussions and actionable strategies to help professionals maintain leadership in an increasingly competitive market.”

Key highlights of the forum:

• Executive-level discussions: Industry leaders will share insights on market trends, AI applications and business strategies for turbulent times.
• Panel sessions: Guest speakers and panel members will explore supply chain resilience, cooperative industry efforts, and facility engineering.
• Geopolitical impact analysis: Experts will discuss how shifting trade policies and international relations affect printed circuit manufacturing and electronics supply chains.
• Networking opportunities: Attendees will connect with PCB engineers, fabricators, assemblers and executives from around the world.
• Exhibition access: Participants will have the chance to explore the latest innovations from leading suppliers at the PCB West exhibition.

Registration for PCB West 2025 and the PCB Management Forum is now open at pcbwest.com/. For more details and to secure your spot, visit pcbwest.com/.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – May 27, 2025 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced the technical program for PCB West 2025, featuring more than 125 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training spread over more than 50 sessions. The program includes 30 classes new to PCB West, PCEA added.

Among the industry experts scheduled to speak this year are Rick Hartley, Susy Webb, Stephen Chavez, Chuck Corley, Karen Burnham, Tomas Chester, and Charlene McCauley. The conference will be held September 30 to October 3 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center and features classes for every level of experience, from novice to expert. 

The scope of classes ranges from designing all types of printed circuit boards to complex signal and power integrity and power delivery systems design. Foundational topics such as circuit grounding, signal integrity and PCB stackups are interspersed with advanced tutorials on switch mode power supplies, EMC, DDR5, thermal management, RF and mixed-signal design, and more. 

New courses this year include high-power PCB design, designing using preexisting schematics, supply chain resilience, application of IPC-6012F to the factory, signal integrity analysis, designing in 3-D, and bypass capacitor placement, among others.

“PCB West is the best place for designers, design engineers and their manufacturers to connect,” said Mike Buetow, conference director, PCB West. “It’s the only place you’ll learn from all the industry’s leading experts and meet legions of new peers and colleagues.” 

Registration will open shortly at pcbwest.com/. Conference registrants who sign up by September 2 can take advantage of the Early Bird Special discounts for the conference. 

An exhibition featuring more than 100 leading suppliers to the electronics design and manufacturing industry will be held Oct. 1. 

This year’s show will also introduce the PCB WEST Management Program, a special one-day symposium featuring experts on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), new product introduction, global manufacturing and new facility engineering expansion, among other topics.

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event. 

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – JANUARY 8, 2025 – The exhibition floor for PCB West 2025 is now open to any prospective exhibitor, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) announced today. The exhibition floor is expected to sell out, as it has in 10 of the past 11 years, PCEA added.

PCB West will be held September 30 to October 3, 2025, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on October 1.

Booth sales opened in mid-October to returning exhibitors, and the exhibition floor is currently more than 50% sold out.

“PCB West has sold out 10 of the past 11 years, and we fully expect it to do so again,” said Frances Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing at PCEA. “Attendance at the show was up 4% year-over-year in 2024, and attendees have noted the access to vendors and each other as the primary reasons why they come to PCB West.”

Companies interested in exhibiting should contact Frances Stewart at frances@pcea.net for details.

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Magazine are media partners for the event. 

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – NOVEMBER 21, 2024 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today issued a call for abstracts for the PCB West 2025 technical conference. The conference, the largest of its kind in Silicon Valley, focuses on training and best practices for printed circuit board designers and design engineers, electronics hardware engineers, fabricators and assemblers.

The four-day technical conference will take place September 30 – October 3 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on October 1.

Papers and presentations of the following durations are sought for the technical conference: one-hour lectures and presentations; two-hour workshops; and half-day (3.5-hour) and full-day seminars.

Preference is given to presentations of two hours in length or more, and no presentations of less than one hour will be considered.

Abstracts of 150-750 words and speaker biographies should be submitted to PCEA. Papers and presentations must be noncommercial in nature and should focus on technology, techniques or methodologies related to printed circuit board design, fabrication, assembly, test, components or packaging, and additive manufacturing. 

Submit abstracts at pcbwest.com/ by January 24, 2025. No emailed abstracts will be accepted. Submitters will be notified by early April if their abstract has been accepted. Presentations are due September 5, 2025.

Speaker Benefits: Presenters of accepted abstract(s) for the 2025 program receive the following event benefits.

• Complimentary access to the online proceedings
• Complimentary pass to the technical conference
• Invitation to the Speaker Reception

For more information about PCB West, visit pcbwest.com/ or contact Conference Director Mike Buetow at 617-327-4702; mike@pcea.net. 

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – OCTOBER 16, 2024 – Registration for the technical program of PCB West held last week grew 9.6% year-over-year, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) announced today. Overall exhibition and conference registration rose nearly 4% for the annual event, which is held in the Silicon Valley each fall.

It was the highest registration mark since before the Covid pandemic.

Exhibitors for the sold-out exhibition shared positive reports from the busy show floor. 

“The show was a great experience for AdvancedPCB,” said Tony Harris, chief commercial officer of AdvancedPCB. “Great to see a strong turnout.”

“Thank you, PCEA, for your energy and amazing partnership,” added Kenneth Chang, chief of staff at JITX. “It was reflected in the attendee enthusiasm and bustle. We truly appreciate the focus on customer and exhibitor experience!” 

“A special shout-out to PCB West for hosting such a fantastic event, bringing together innovators and thought leaders in the industry,” said John Andresakis, director of business development, Quantic Ohmega. “We’re proud to be part of such an inspiring community.” 

“We are thrilled with this year’s response to PCB West, which was the busiest we’ve experienced since 2019,” said Mike Buetow, president, PCEA. “It really is a testament to the direction and efforts of our board of directors and Conference task group, who put together the leading event for training design engineers, designers, and manufacturers. 

“A special thank you to all those who attended the first PCB Design Community Meetup, which we hosted with JITX during the show,” he added.

The exhibition featured more than 100 leading suppliers to the electronics design and manufacturing industry. PCB West 2025 takes place September 30 – October 3, 2025, with the one-day exhibition on October 1.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – OCTOBER 8, 2024  – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced Stephan Schmidt as recipient of the third annual PCEA Membership Award. 

The award recognizes individuals for standout contributions to their local chapter. The announcement came at the PCEA annual meeting in conjunction with the PCB West conference and exhibition.

Schmidt is the leader for the Portland (OR) chapter, which meets each month and is now embarking on a review of intelligent data transfer processes. He is a global technology executive with over 20 years of experience in the laser and electronics industry, most recently as the North American President of LPKF Laser & Electronics, a leading provider of laser-based solutions.

“Stephan Schmidt has completely revitalized the Portland chapter, and it is now functioning as perhaps the most active group within PCEA,” said Stephen Chavez, chairman, PCEA, in announcing the award. 

“Moreover, his energy and thoughtfulness about ensuring local members have a range of presentations – from design to fabrication to assembly – make him an invaluable leader in our organization. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Stephan Schmidt with the 2024 PCEA Membership Award.”

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – OCTOBER 8, 2024  – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced Susy Webb as recipient of the third annual PCEA Leadership Award. 

PCEA gives the award to recognize members who have made significant, long-term contributions to the association and the industry. The announcement came at the PCEA annual meeting in conjunction with the PCB West conference and exhibition.

Susy Webb is vice chairman of the PCEA Executive Board and a member of the Education Committee and Conferences Task Group. She co-authored PCEA’s Certified Printed Circuit Professional training and certification curriculum, and is a regular speaker at PCB East and PCB West, and international design conferences, and consults for individual companies and PCEA chapters. She is a former writer/columnist for PCD&F, a chapter writer for Clyde Coombs’ Printed Circuits Handbook, and one of the judges for the annual Siemens TLA competition. A senior PCB designer with 40 years of experience, her career includes experience in coastal and oceanographic oil exploration and monitoring equipment, point-to-point microwave network systems, and CPCI and ATX computer motherboards. 

“Name the job in the printed circuit industry, and Susy Webb has done it,” said Stephen Chavez, chairman, PCEA, in announcing the award. “She has been one of the most popular presenters in the history of the PCB East and PCB West technical conferences, a significant contributor to the PCEA Training Design Certification curriculum, and a strong leadership voice and mentor across the organization. 

“We can think of no one more deserving than Susy Webb for the 2024 PCEA Leadership Award,” he added.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – SEPTEMBER 23, 2024 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association and JITX today announced the printed circuit board design industry’s first meetup will take place October 9, 2024, at the PCB West exhibition.

The event will feature networking and a special panel on generative AI and will be held at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center following the close of the exhibition on October 9.

 

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 – The Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) today announced a special free panel session on AI in Electronics will take place at the PCB West technical conference next month at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.

The discussion will give a snapshot of the current industry status regarding the use of artificial intelligence, what’s feasible, and the expected timeline for implementation, offered straight from companies that are driving the technology. The panel will be moderated by Phil Marcoux, an electronics industry expert with over 50 years of experience, and will take place October 9 at 4 p.m.

Panelists include: Tomide Adesanmi of Circuit Mind, Matthew Leary of Newgrange Design, AI expert Reddy Mallidi, Kyle Miller, Ph.D. of Zuken, and Timon Ruban of Luminovo.

“AI is coming to a design or assembly tool near you,” said Marcoux. “Will it take your job OR make you a superstar?” Join us in a free session on October 9 with experts who can shed light on what’s happening in AI for electronics.” 

The panel will also discuss the new PCEA Roadmap for AI for Electronics. 

PCB West is the leading technical conference and exhibition in North America for electronics design, fabrication, assembly, and test engineers. It will take place October 8 – 11, 2024, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on October 9.

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event. 

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – AUGUST 7, 2024 – The exhibition floor space is sold out for PCB West, the largest exhibition and conference for printed circuit board design, fabrication and assembly in the Silicon Valley, Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) said today. It is the tenth time in 11 years all booths have been sold for the popular exhibition, PCEA added.

“Coming off an outstanding PCB West 2023, booth sales for our 2024 event have been strong,” said Frances Stewart, vice president of sales and marketing at PCEA. “We’re looking forward to another great event.” 

PCB West will be held October 8 – 11, 2024, at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center. The event includes a one-day exhibition on October 9.

This year’s show will feature more than 100 exhibitors showcasing the leading companies in the PCB industry, including the top CAD and CAM vendors and top names in printed circuit fabrication and electronics assembly. Attendees will be treated to a free lunch on the show floor during the exhibition on October 9. 

PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazines are media partners for the event.

For more information about PCB West, visit pcbwest.com/ or contact Conference Director Mike Buetow at 617-327-4702; mike@pcea.net.