# Inside PCBAA's Fight for American Circuit Board Manufacturing

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2025-07-30
- Length: 38m
- Episode: 305
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing/

## Summary

David Schild, Executive Director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), discusses the organization's advocacy for H.R. 3597, the Protecting Circuit Boards and Substrates Act, to secure tax incentives for domestic PCB manufacturing. He highlights the critical workforce shortage, the decline of US PCB production from 30% to 4% of global output, and the strategic importance of supply chain resilience for defense OEMs like RTX (Raytheon) and commercial sectors. Schild explains how PCBAA is educating lawmakers and leveraging partnerships with states like Arizona and New York to reverse the offshoring trend driven by foreign government subsidies.

## Chapters

- [0:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=47) Introduction and PCBAA's Mission
- [2:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=141) The Case for Industrial Policy and Tax Credits
- [5:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=355) Workforce Challenges and Talent Pipeline
- [11:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=710) PCBAA Membership Growth and RTX Partnership
- [14:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=878) Commercial OEMs and Supply Chain De-risking
- [18:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=1113) Domestic Manufacturing Incentives and State Roles
- [21:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=1288) Captive Manufacturing and Global Competition
- [30:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-07-30-inside-pcbaas-fight-for-american-circuit-board-manufacturing#t=1807) PCBAA Annual Meeting and Congressional Advocacy

## Topics

- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- PCBAA (company)
- H.R. 3597 (other)
- RTX (company)
- Raytheon (company)
- Chips and Science Act (other)
- Intel (company)
- SpaceX (company)
- Starlink (product)
- Northrop Grumman (company)
- Lockheed Martin (company)
- Denka (company)
- Camden Copper (company)
- Chip War (other)
- Chris Miller (other)
- Hewlett Packard (company)
- Ford (company)
- IPC (company)
- PCEA (company)
- Altium (company)
- TTM (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [PCB@C Panel: Transforming the Landscape of PCB Production in Europe, with Dieter Weiss, Dirk Stans and Michael Müller](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-11-29-pcb-c-panel-transforming-the-landscape-of-pcb-production-in-europe-with-dieter-w) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [EMS@C-Level 2022 Season, episode 10 - Greg Papandrew of PCB Buying Expert](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2022-08-29-ems-c-level-2022-season-episode-10-greg-papandrew-of-pcb-buying-expert) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [407: Boards Are Like Sandwiches](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-03-24-407-boards-are-like-sandwiches) (Embedded.fm)
- [Exploring Prototype PCB Manufacturing in Europe with Eurocircuits' Dirk Stans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-11-28-exploring-prototype-pcb-manufacturing-in-europe-with-eurocircuits-dirk-stans) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [Electronic 24: Compliance, Manufacturing Challenges, and Future of the PCB Industry with Vidar Olsen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-11-28-electronic-24-compliance-manufacturing-challenges-and-future-of-the-pcb-industry) (EMS@C-LEVEL)

## Citing this page

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