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Article: Technology erosion. (Between the Conductors).(North American PCB production sector)(Industry Overview)
- Article from:
- CircuiTree
- Article date:
- March 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 BNP Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For many years, the North American PCB manufacturing community had maintained a technological advantage over their competitors in Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world. In recent years, however, we have seen an erosion of that superiority--to the point that many fabricators are fighting for their very survival. In this column, some of the causes of technology erosion are examined, and possible solutions are explored.
Factors Leading to Technology Erosion: A Brief History
During the 1970s and much of the 1980s, large vertically-integrated OEMs owned much of the North American PCB manufacturing capacity, and supported that business by applying ...