Electronics association pushes for circuit board legislation

BANNOCKBURN - The electronics manufacturing industry is welcoming a new, bipartisan proposal in the U.S. Congress that would help bring back the country's printed circuit board sector, according to an area association supporting the bill.

The Supporting American Printed Circuit Boards Act of 2022, introduced by Reps. Anna Eshoo, a Democrat from California, and Blake Moore, a Utah Republican, would incentivize purchases of domestically produced printed circuit boards, or PCBs, as well as industry investments in factories, equipment, workforce training, and research and development.

"This bipartisan bill addresses vulnerabilities in a key segment of the electronics manufacturing value chain, taking a 'silicon-to-systems' approach that prioritizes innovation, resiliency and innovation across the electronics industry," said John Mitchell, president and CEO of IPC, a global industry association based in Bannockburn dedicated to the competitive success of its 3,000 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronics industry.

Since 2000, the U.S. share of global PCB production has fallen from over 30% to just 4%, with China now dominating the sector at around 50%, IPC said.