The U.S. has put enormous attention on chips, but chips do not operate on their own. They have to be mounted to printed circuit boards, and that makes PCB manufacturing a critical part of the secure electronics supply chain.

For Shane Whiteside, this is where the reshoring conversation has to get more specific: the U.S. invented printed circuit boards and once held a much larger share of global production, but today domestic capacity is a fraction of the market. That matters because PCBs sit inside defense platforms, AI infrastructure, banking systems, cloud storage, the electrical grid, and many of the electronic systems tied to national security.

Shane brings 30 years of PCB industry experience as the Founder and CEO of Summit Interconnect, the former Chief Operating Officer of TTM, and the Chairman of the PCBAA. In this conversation, he explains why rebuilding domestic PCB capability is not just a manufacturing issue but a secure electronics, industrial policy, and national security priority.

What You'll Discover In This Episode

• Why PCBs matter to secure electronics,

• How chips depend on PCB manufacturing,

• Why domestic PCB capacity has declined,

• What reshoring means for the PCB industry,

• How AI and defense are changing PCB demand,

• Why PCBs are now an industrial policy issue.

About the Guest

Shane Whiteside is the President and CEO of Summit Interconnect, the largest privately held printed circuit board manufacturer in North America. Summit Interconnect was founded through acquisitions in 2016 and has grown to seven North American manufacturing locations, serving customers across defense, infrastructure, consumer electronics, and electronic OEM markets. Shane brings 30 years of experience in the printed circuit board industry and previously served as Chief Operating Officer of TTM, one of the most recognized names in the PCB sector. He is also Chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, where he has helped advocate for domestic PCB manufacturing capability and greater recognition of printed circuit boards as a critical national security asset.

Alex Krutz is the Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing at the U.S. Commerce Department and the Managing Director at Patriot Industrial Partners, an Industrial Advisory firm.

Alex and his team partner with growth-oriented companies to improve their operational, quality and financial performance, drawing on decades of experience in complex problem solving, factory optimization, and supply chain optimization initiatives.

Alex has earned the nickname "The Factory Doctor" from industry executives, analysts and media due to spearheading many manufacturing and supply chain turnarounds. Alex has completed over 250+ industrial performance improvement projects and manufacturing turnarounds around the globe in USA, Mexico, Canada, UK, Italy, France, South Africa, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and India.

You can find Alex's Op-Ed articles that are featured in industry-leading publications, including Washington Times, Forbes, Aviation Week and Flight Global. He has also been cited in major media outlets, such as Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC, among others. He has contributed to prominent conferences and webinars organized by Bank of America, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and other institutions.

Resources

Have a project that can benefit from Alex's expertise?

Alex and his team at Patriot Industrial Partners work with growth-oriented organizations to raise their operational, quality and financial performance, drawing on decades of experience in complex problem solving, factory optimization, and due diligence.

Visit TheFactoryDoctor.com to learn more about private consulting and to request a Discovery Call.