2021 Mid-Year PCB/EMS M&A Update
M&A activity is booming in the U.S. as the nation emerges from the COVID pandemic. Thanks to video conferencing and adjustments in procedures, M&A was also pretty busy in 2020. Now that the economy has opened and everyone is traveling,... Read More →
Keep Your Saw Sharp
My hobby is prairie restoration, which means that most weekends you will find me in the Cook County Forest Preserves near Chicago with a chainsaw or some other power tool. My favorite activity is to cut non-native invasive trees to... Read More →
How to Stand Out Among Other Sellers
It is a very busy time in the M&A world. Many owners in the electronics industry, especially in the PCB and EMS sectors, are of retirement age. Meanwhile, there is a lot of interest from both competitors and private equity... Read More →
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 →
The ‘Dream’ Business Exit
Almost all business owners have a “dream exit”: a well-financed buyer flies in, offers up a suitcase full of cash with no strings over a steak and lobster dinner, and the next day the owner is sitting on a beach... 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 →