2021 COVID and Post-COVID M&A Outlook
The first quarter of 2021 was the busiest opening quarter ever for global M&A (since records started being kept in 1980), according to financial data company Refinitiv. The total global deal value was $1.3 trillion, a 94% increase over the... Read More →
If I Were 20 Years Younger
We hear a lot of owners say, “If I were 20 years younger, I would…,” meaning they would make major investments or strategic changes if they had the time to realize the return on investment. Other reasons for not making... Read More →
The ROI of M&A
The common stigma surrounding M&A is that 80% of deals do not reach expectations. Still, deals grab headlines, and many companies use M&A as their primary growth strategy. Is there a disconnect between reality and the headlines, or is the... Read More →
2020 M&A Wrap Up
2020 turned out to be a strong year for M&A in the PCB and EMS/PCB Assembly markets. That is surprising considering the pandemic, US election uncertainty, and restrictions on travel. Although many people were traveling within the US, at least... Read More →
Dealing With Burnout
The year 2020 has certainly been interesting. Owners of companies in the PCB and PCBA industries are used to ups and downs, but yeesh, 2020 has been tough. The good news is most owners have survived all kinds of stressful... Read More →
Bringing PCB and PCBA Industries Back to the U.S.
Although U.S. PCB companies have been waving the flag for years, the COVID-19 crisis has shined a spotlight on the U.S. dependency on overseas suppliers for many electronics products. It was kind of a “Sputnik moment” for the U.S. that... Read More →
Pivot Like MJ
Most successful businesses have pivoted at least 4–5 times during their history. Even the largest companies—such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google—need to keep changing and innovating, or they will drop off. As a smaller, nimbler business, it should be... Read More →
199
According to my firm’s database, the number of PCB companies in North America is now down to 199. This is a psychologically significant number for the industry. To clarify how we count companies, we are counting only PCB fabricators (excluding... Read More →
Preparing for Life Post-transaction
Congratulations! You have punched out! Now what? Hopefully, you have thought about this subject sometime before the day after closing. Most owners have at least a vague idea of what they want to do, and many have a second life... Read More →
Why buy a North American Manufacturer such as a PCB/PCBA Shop?
Last month, the IPC (PCB Industry group) came out with very positive statistics about the North American PCB market, including sales growth, a healthy book-to-bill ratio, and other indicators. Overall, the US economy is strong, and manufacturing has seen a... Read More →