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 →
Lessons From Recent PCB/PCBA Buyers
I’ve reached out to several of our buy-side clients as well as others who have recently made acquisitions in the PCB and PCBA sectors. Here are some of their thoughts on what went right, what went wrong, and what they... Read More →
Why Can’t You Sell Your Business on eBay?
Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we could buy and sell companies online? Owners could avoid a lot of trouble and fees as well as get deals done quicker. Imagine going to a 55-year high school anniversary and finally... Read More →
What’s Special About Your Business?
Before selling a business, it is important to understand why someone would want to buy it. The concept is similar to why customers buy your products or services, but a little different. A plain vanilla, me-too business or product is... Read More →
Getting to a Signed Letter of Intent
The letter of intent (LOI) is an important milestone in the sale of a business. It shows that both the buyer and seller have agreed in general to the valuation, terms, and conditions of a deal and that closing should... Read More →
Creating PCB Industry Giants and Mid-majors Through Acquisitions
In December, 2018, Summit Interconnect announced the acquisition of Streamline Circuits. Summit itself was created in 2016 through the merger of KCA and Marcel, and is backed by a private equity firm. In the PCB and PCBA industry, TTM Technologies... Read More →