-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
A Conversation with Laurent Nicolet, Schmid Group
December 7, 2014 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
007: There have been a lot of changes here in China both in business and also culturally with the middle class rising, what sort of changes have you seen?
LN: I would say the big difference in the last five years is the change of the mentality of the young people, I would say 25-35 years old. Before people wanted to work and earn the money, perhaps for the purpose of leaving the country. Now they will have fun: They will have a car, an apartment, they will go travelling, so now they have more demands than before.
007: So the demands on the employers have increased to bring in better workers' rights.
LN: Yes, the workers want to have more money to have more things.
007: And they can demand it now, because there are other jobs and they know that they can leave.
LN: We are used to seeing on the television every time a bad example of China where people are working 14 hours or something like that. Now the salaries are going up with a salary increase between 10-15% every year which will make China less attractive from a certain point of view. So the government should be balanced a little bit better.
007: Are you actually manufacturing product in China on your lines?
LN: The lines manufactured here in China are all PCB lines, with some PV lines.
007: How has that been manufacturing in China? Because some people have said supply lines aren't stable and have had issues with quality and consistency, do you run into those issues?
LN: No we've had no problem. We manufacture the same line in Germany and the same line in China because some people do not see the difference. The only difference was the packing: it was paper packing here and in Germany it was wood. That is the only difference. We have a good supply chain system in China with good suppliers, but what we have done is just to make the same parts and we do see a constant increase in the quality from our suppliers here.
007: Where do you see the largest growth for your business at? You said automation earlier but is there something specific?
LN: I think the big gross can be with two new products we have: the automation intralogistic and our product called CYKLOS. CYKLOS is an anodizing system that is very compact, you don't need any waste water treatment system, and everything is inside the machine. This can be very interesting for the people with small parts to anodize.
007: How is the European market for you guys?
LN: Very good this year. The German market is growing and we see a lot of changing of the old machine installations. The thing that we have to be careful is that we have two types of lines and one is a little bigger than the other, so when the people want to change to a new line we are coming with 1 meter more line and it can make some trouble. That is one of the concerns but Europe has been good for us this year.
007: And what about America?
LN: We are present in America for the use of substrates, and other than that it's been good but quiet.
007: Great, thanks for sharing your thoughts today.
Page 2 of 2
Suggested Items
HQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics Debut on the International Stage for Electronics Manufacture at IPC APEX 2024
05/01/2024 | PRNewswireHQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics, a leading Chinese-based multilayer PCB manufacturer and assembly house showcased its industrial prowess on the international stage for the first time at the IPC APEX Expo 2024.
IPC's Vision for Empowering PCB Design Engineers
04/30/2024 | Robert Erickson, IPCAs architects of innovation, printed circuit board designers are tasked with translating increasingly complex concepts into tangible designs that power our modern world. IPC provides the necessary community, standards framework, and education to prepare these pioneers as they explore the boundaries of what’s possible, equipping engineers with the knowledge, skills, and resources required to thrive in an increasingly dynamic field.
On the Line With… Talks With Cadence Expert on SI/PI for PCB Designers
05/02/2024 | I-Connect007In “PCB 3.0: A New Design Methodology—SI/PI for PCB Designers,” subject matter expert Brad Griffin, Cadence Design Systems, discusses how an intelligent system design methodology can move some signal and power integrity decision-making into the physical design space, offering real-time feedback.
USPAE to Springboard U.S. Technology Forward
04/30/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineThe U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) was launched as a nonprofit subsidiary of IPC in 2020, specifically to manage the DoD relationship and access to funding, and to develop a cooperative facility to develop UHDI capabilities in the U.S., not only for the defense sector, but for the whole of the U.S. electronics industry. It is a tall order, but industry veteran Joe O'Neil believes it will happen. Having been tasked with making the UHDI Capable Cooperative Production Facility (UCCPF) a reality, he provides an update on this important project for U.S. electronics manufacturing.
North American PCB Industry Sales Down 23.8% in March
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC announced the March 2024 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.13.