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PCBs

While the semiconductor supply chain has dominated industry attention in recent years, a parallel bottleneck has been building in PCB base materials. AI data centre expansion is absorbing large quantities of high-grade laminates, leaving less capacity available for traditional industrial and automotive applications, according to a joint market analysis by STARTEAM GLOBAL and Würth Elektronik.

2Raymond-Goh

Norwegian PCB supplier Confidee has completed its AS9120 recertification, confirming that its quality management system continues to meet the strict requirements of the aviation, space and defence industries. Confidee was originally certified in 2023.

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Kingboard-Laminate

The PCB industry's material shortage is no longer confined to advanced laminates. According to a market update from Norwegian PCB supplier Confidee, the shortage has now spread to standard FR-4 and thicker copper-clad laminates – and conditions are not expected to ease through 2026 or into 2027.

Didrik-PCB

As material shortages push lead times for advanced printed circuit boards towards 2028, four-year-old PCB supplier Confidee has built its strategy around the opposite of locking customers into rigid commitments: complete transparency and a clear policy allowing customers to cancel or rebalance production without damaging the relationship. That is according to board member Didrik Bech.

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700x300-6

Automatic quality control was once associated with costly smart cameras and elaborate vision systems. Today, the development of artificial intelligence and compact embedded platforms means that many AI Vision Inspection applications can be implemented much more simply. How does modern quality control using AI work and where is it best to start your own project?

Jurgen-Braunsteiner-KSG-PCB-FED

Why PCB procurement strategies should be reviewed?

Didrik-PCB

In an interview with Evertiq, Didrik Bech, board member of PCB supplier Confidee, described how the AI infrastructure boom is creating an unprecedented demand for materials, resulting in supply shortages that could reshape market conditions across several European industries.

Phil-Stoten

Europe's printed circuit board industry is having a moment. Defence spending is up, AI is driving demand, and policymakers are finally talking about electronics as strategic infrastructure. But as I discovered in a recent EMS@C-Level conversation with Vytautas Ilgunas, Chief Commercial Officer at TLT PCB, and Raymond Goh, Chief Operating Officer at Confidee, the comeback is running headfirst into a supply chain that we spent the last two decades hollowing out. The demand is real. The capacity to serve it, particularly in materials, is not.

Kulim-site-2026

Austrian PCB and IC substrate manufacturer AT&S is expanding its Kulim manufacturing site in Malaysia, backed by agreements with AMD and another unnamed technology company.

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PCB manufacturer Somacis Group has completed the acquisition of Group ACB, a PCB manufacturer with two sites in France and one in Belgium.

Kingboard Holdings has sold a 4.92% stake in its laminates subsidiary, Kingboard Laminates Holdings, raising net proceeds of approximately HKD 11.8 billion – roughly EUR 1.4 billion. The capital is earmarked for PCB capacity expansion and multi-layer and HDI capabilities.

German PCB manufacturer Schweizer Electronic and Indian PCB maker Ascent Circuits – part of the Amber Group – have announced plans for a strategic cooperation in PCBs. The partnership targets automotive and industrial applications and is framed around supply chain resilience for customers in Europe and the United States.

NCAB has acquired PCB solutions provider Board Shark LLC, based in Florida in the United States. The company generated USD 17 million in net sales during 2025, with profitability exceeding NCAB's own margins.

Cathie-Gridley-EVP-and-President-Aerospace-Defense

TTM Technologies has opened a new Ultra-HDI printed circuit board manufacturing facility in Syracuse, New York, in the United States. The USD 130 million investment – including USD 30 million from the US Department of War – is set to create up to 400 new jobs and bring TTM's total workforce in the region to approximately 1,000.

U.S.-based TTM Technologies has announced plans to acquire Switzerland’s Swiss Technology Group and Germany’s ILFA GmbH. Both transactions are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2026.

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Principal Mineral has acquired Isola Group, a century-old manufacturer of copper-clad laminates and dielectric prepregs, and raised approximately USD 280 million to fund its next phase of growth. The deal closed on June 16, 2026.

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Swedish PCB supplier NCAB has published a stark supply chain outlook in May 2026, describing a market under simultaneous pressure from AI demand, geopolitical disruption and raw material shortages. The company's conclusion is direct: what the industry is experiencing now is not a temporary disruption — it is a structural reset.

Freudenstadt

German electronics equipment manufacturer SCHMID Group has signed a letter of intent with local authorities in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, to establish a new manufacturing campus in the Banfu Industrial Zone. The total investment is expected to be approximately EUR 11 million.

pcb

The war in the Middle East has disrupted supplies of raw materials used in PCBs and pushed prices sharply higher, compounding cost pressures that were already building across the electronics industry, according to industry sources and executives cited by Reuters.

2Raymond-Goh

The global raw material supply continues to pressure the electronic industry and not least the PCB manufacturing sector. What initially affected a narrow range of high-frequency materials has now evolved into a broader scope, impacting both advanced laminates and standard FR-4 materials.

Chongqing

Austrian PCB and IC substrate manufacturer AT&S is expanding capacity at its Chongqing facility in China to meet growing demand for high-end IC substrates from a key customer in the AI segment.

Yvtautas-Ilgunas-CCO-Campus

Europe is investing billions in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and data centres. These investments are meant to strengthen the region’s technological position and reduce external dependencies. But the question is becoming harder to ignore: to what extent is Europe building a system on a foundation that does not physically exist?

Oulu-Factory-Finland

Finnish PCB manufacturer Aspocomp closed the first quarter of 2026 with its highest-ever order book, even as revenue and profitability declined against a strong comparison period.

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Ventec International Group is evaluating the potential establishment of a manufacturing facility in the United States as part of efforts to support its growing North American customer base.

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French PCB distributor ICAPE Group has completed the acquisition of the PCB trading activities of Italy-based TEKUBE SRL, strengthening its footprint in Southern Europe.

Vietnam-plant

Japanese PCB manufacturer Meiko Electronics has decided to establish a new wholly owned subsidiary in Vietnam, aimed at expanding its PCB manufacturing capacity in the ASEAN region.

Alex-Ippich-speaker

As performance requirements for printed circuit boards continue to rise — driven by high-speed digital as well as RF and microwave applications — the development and selection of base materials is becoming a balancing act between electrical performance, regulatory compliance and supply chain resilience. What used to be a largely engineering-driven decision is now increasingly influenced by external constraints that are harder to control and even harder to predict.

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French PCB distributor Icape Group has reported consolidated revenue of EUR 200.3 million for the full year 2025, marking a 12% increase YoY. Organic growth, excluding currency effects, reached 5.1%, as exchange rate fluctuations – particularly a weaker US dollar – continued to weigh on performance.

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PCB materials supplier Ventec International Group expects its new manufacturing facility in Thailand to come online in the second quarter of 2026, as part of efforts to diversify production and support “China plus one” supply chain strategies, the company states in a press release.

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Lead times for PCBs are increasing as shortages of key base materials and rising demand from AI infrastructure place growing pressure on the global supply chain. This is according to German PCB manufacturer ILFA GmbH.

box-of-PCBs

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is beginning to affect global logistics networks after authorities suspended flight operations at major regional hubs, according to PCB supplier NCAB Group.

Factory-Manu-Skytta-ceo-2024

Finnish PCB manufacturer Aspocomp Group reported strong revenue growth in 2025, with net sales rising 38% YoY as demand from the semiconductor and defence sectors remained robust.

2Raymond-Goh

The global shortage of glass fiber cloth is continuing to drive significant constraints in PCB laminate availability.

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