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CEO Steve Pudles Interview on Induction into the IPC Hall of Fame

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Fri, Feb 21, 2020 @ 08:39 AM

I-Connect007's Patty Goldman interviews Steve Pudles on his recent induction into the IPC Hall of Fame in the Show and Tell 2020 Magazine. 

With over 32 years spent working with IPC, Steve Pudles was elected to the IPC’s Hall of Fame this year. Patty Goldman spoke with Steve about how he first became involved as well as his time in the organization, including his work with the EMS Management Council.

Patty Goldman: Steve, congratulations on your election into IPC’s Hall of Fame. It’s a big deal. Let’s start with a little bit of background about you, how you got involved in the industry, and how you got involved at IPC.

Steve Pudles: I started my career working for two U.S. defense contractors, and in 1985, I made a move to a company in New Jersey that built products for other companies. There was no industry at the time; it was just a business. They had to absorb some of the fixed costs from their other declining businesses. That was my entry into the EMS industry, even though we didn’t create and enable the industry until much later. I went to my first IPC meeting in 1987. I received a call from Tony Hilvers, who, at that time, was the VP of Industry Programs for IPC. He told me about this meeting that was going to take place with a bunch of companies that were in this industry and asked me if I’d be interested in attending, so I went. As they say, the rest is history.

Then, the EMS Management Council started meeting twice a year. Some of the meetings were very moderately attended. There were companies from all over the country, but some of those companies don’t exist anymore, and others have been acquired. It always tended to be small or medium EMS companies.

At one of those meetings, two people, who had been around since the beginning, had a four-hour debate about whether the industry was going to be the electronics manufacturing services industry or the electronic manufacturing services industry. I don’t remember who won and who lost, but the name for the industry today grew out of that meeting. That’s how I became involved in the group.

Goldman: How long have you been with Zentech?

Pudles: I have been with Zentech for about eight months. I started there after being in retirement for about five and a half years. In addition to some things I did on a consulting basis while “retired,” one of the activities I maintained was my position on the IPC board the entire time.

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer

Q1 2020 Market Conditions Report

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Fri, Feb 14, 2020 @ 12:20 PM

Future Electronics recently released the Q1 2020 Market Conditions Report for the electronics industry.

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer

Zentech CEO Steve Pudles Inducted into IPC Hall of Fame

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Fri, Feb 07, 2020 @ 10:30 AM

IPC’s Highest Honor, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award, Presented to Steve Pudles, Zentech Manufacturing

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, February 6, 2020 — In recognition and acknowledgement of his extraordinary contributions to IPC and the electronics industry, Steve Pudles, president and CEO, Zentech Manufacturing, was presented with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at IPC APEX EXPO on Tuesday, February 4 at the San Diego Convention Center. IPC’s most prestigious award, the Hall of Fame award is given to individuals who have provided exceptional service and advancement to IPC and the electronics industry.                                                                                           

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer

Zentech Hires CFO Jason Glass

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Thu, Jan 23, 2020 @ 06:07 AM

Baltimore MD. January 22, 2020Zentech Manufacturing is pleased to announce that Jason Glass has joined the Zentech Manufacturing, Inc. Senior Leadership Team as Chief Financial Officer.

Jason has over twenty years of financial and operational experience in the Tier 1 EMS sector, most recently serving as VP of Finance and Corporate Director of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A).  Prior to EMS, Jason served in several financial roles with Lockheed Martin and Unisys.

His primary responsibilities will include analysis of acquisition opportunities, integration of acquired businesses, managing the financial planning and analysis for the corporation, strategic planning, annual operating plan creation, forecasting and variance analysis.

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer

Zentech Manufacturing Acquires Trilogy Circuits

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Tue, Jan 21, 2020 @ 01:16 PM

Zentech accelerates effort and strategy to build leading electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider for Defense, Aerospace, Medical and other high-reliability industries

Baltimore, MD. January 21, 2020 – Zentech Manufacturing, Inc., is pleased to announce the acquisition of Trilogy Circuits, LLC.

Trilogy Circuits, LLC , based in Richardson, TX., is AS9100D certified and has a near twenty-year legacy of providing exemplary high-technology electronics manufacturing services (EMS), products and support to the many military primes and other high-reliability industries, both in Texas and nationwide.

Following the transaction, Trilogy Circuits, LLC. will become Zentech Dallas (TX), and joins the Zentech family of companies that also includes Zentech Baltimore (MD) and Zentech Fredericksburg (VA).

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer

Q4 2019 Market Conditions Report

Posted by Stephanie Austin on Thu, Nov 07, 2019 @ 12:30 PM

Future Electronics recently released the Q4 2019 Market Conditions Report for the electronics industry.

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Topics: Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer, electronics supply chain

The Mission Critical Components of a Contract Manufacturer

Posted by Stephanie Weaver on Thu, Sep 26, 2019 @ 10:55 AM

Are you looking for a qualified electronics manufacturing service to partner with? Being able to differentiate between the best manufacturers and those that fall short can be a challenge. If you're not exactly sure what non-negotiables to look for, we've put together these nine factors that you should insist upon before partnering with an electronics contract manufacturer.

Mission Critical No. 1: Industry Experience  

It is always in your best interest to partner with a contract manufacturing company that has an extensive history in the electronics industry. Those businesses that are well-established can be counted upon to provide high quality work, and will take pride in each board that they design and produce. Don't hesitate to ask your prospective manufacturer about how long they have been in business, who their core customers are, awards they  have received, etc.

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Topics: assembly manufacturing, American based product assembly, electronics manufacturing service

Avnet Q3 2019 Market Conditions Report

Posted by Stephanie Weaver on Tue, Sep 17, 2019 @ 10:44 AM

Avnet recently released the Q3 2019 Market Conditions Report for the electronics industry.

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Topics: SMT Assembly, Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer, electronics supply chain

Program Management - the Key to Success

Posted by Stephanie Weaver on Fri, Aug 09, 2019 @ 10:56 AM

Exceptional program management is the key to a successful relationship between customer and Contract Manufacturer.  

Zentech is qualified to ensure sustained high-quality program performance due to our experience and knowledge of planning, change management, quality management, staffing, and reporting requirements. We have an exceptional track record of applying recognized best practices that exceed our clients’ expectations.

Zentech's approach to program management is guided by our established project management process, as well as the PMI and PMBOK disciplines. The knowledge, skills, and abilities of our management team enable us to successfully oversee and track the technical performance of each program activity, including cost and schedule, in order to avoid delays and quickly resolve issues.

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Topics: SMT Assembly, Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer, electronics supply chain

IPC Invites Zentech to White House Event

Posted by Stephanie Weaver on Fri, Aug 02, 2019 @ 02:45 PM

The Trump administration is praising IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries® and several of its member companies for their efforts to expand the skilled workforce.  

On July 25, an IPC group took part in a White House event marking the first anniversary of President Trump’s Executive Order to develop a national strategy to expand the skilled workforce. The event took stock of the progress made under that executive order and the related Pledge to America’s Workers, which called on private sector companies to step up their workforce upskilling efforts.

IPC responded to the President’s challenge by reviewing its education programs and seeking ways to grow and innovate. As a result, IPC last October joined in the pledge and made a commitment to create 1 million new skilled workforce opportunities over five years. Since then, IPC has made unprecedented, multi-million-dollar investments in its already-extensive educational programs, including trainings and valuable certifications for adult workers; new university chapters and electronics courses; new curricula and outreach aimed at students in middle and high school; and establishing the IPC Education Foundation, which prepares students for rewarding careers by supplying learning opportunities focused on electronics manufacturing and improving the perception of manufacturing as a stable and well-paid sector.

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Topics: SMT Assembly, Maryland PCB assembly, electronics manufacturer, electronics supply chain