Editorial
Editorial Offices
Trevor Galbraith
Europe Editor-in-Chief, Global Solar Technology
Global SMT & Packaging
Trafalgar Publications Ltd
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Bournemouth
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United States
Global SMT & Packaging Is the “Faster,
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Smaller, Cheaper”
China
Global SMT & Packaging
Electronics Second
Research Institute
No.159, Hepin South Road model broken?
Taiyuan City, PO Box 115, Shanxi,
Province 030024, China
Tel: +86 (351) 652 3813
Fax: +86 (351) 652 0409 As long as I can remember, the mantra of government of Indonesia to restrict the
the electronics manufacturing industry has supply of tin. Indonesia is home to the
Editor-in-Chief
Trevor Galbraith
been “faster, smaller, cheaper”—arguably a world’s largest tin mines. On the day they
Tel: +44 (0)20 8123 6704 (Europe)
recipe for disaster in any business. Till now, announced this last week, the price rose 6%
Tel: +1 239 567 9736 (US)
the downward curve it generates has always in one day on the London Metals Exchange.
E-mail: editor@globalsmt.net
been outstripped by innovation and the Another contributor to cost is increas-
Managing Editor
ability of the chip fabricators and others to ing legislation such as WEEE, RoHS and
Heather Lackey
meet the challenges of ‘Moores’s Law’. But now REACH. While some of this environ-
Tel: +1 (828) 231 9434
E-mail: hglackey@globalsmt.net
recent events and legislation are putting a mental legislation is welcome, there is no
severe strain on electronics manufacturers doubt that it is adding to the cost of our
China Regional Editor and limiting their ability to innovate their finished goods.
Lu Shuzhen
Tel: +86 (351) 652 3813
way out of trouble and avoid the commod- So, is the ‘faster, smaller, cheaper’ model
E-mail: lsz6401@163.com
itization trap. past its ‘sell-by’ date? Legislation on our ma-
The raw materials market has been terials and chemistries is certainly limiting
China Regional Editor -
spiraling out of control in recent months, our ability to increasing conductivity and
Website & Newsletters
Christine Zhang
fueled mostly by the rising demand in speed. The physical size of components and
Tel:+86 13311021565 emerging countries—principally China. packages has driven the industry beyond the
E-mail: czhang@globalsmt.net
Added to this, energy prices have had a limits of human inspection to increasingly
Hungary Regional Editor
severe effect on factory operating costs and expensive AOI and x-ray solutions. Add
Miklós Lambert logistics. all these barriers to profit together and it
Tel: +36 (30) 3 113 123
The OPEC countries have been holding becomes almost impossible to make the next
E-mail: lambert.jr@elektro-net.hu
the world to ransom and leveraging the widget ‘cheaper.’
India Regional Editor
maximum dollar value out of every barrel of But then someone comes along with a
Debasish Choudhury
oil. Russia is also joining in on the act with camera module (widget) that uses less real
Tel: +91 120 6453260
E-mail: dchoudhury@globalsmt.net
its threat to restrict European oil supplies estate, reduces materials and increases per-
in a crude (pun intended) attempt to garnish formance and of course, we lower the price!
Japan Regional Editor
support for its political objectives.
Yoshinobu Anbe
Tel: +81 (0) 45-937-6023
This political bullying has now reached Trevor Galbraith
E-mail: anbe@anbesmt.co.jp
a new level with the announcement by the
Korea Regional Editor
Amy Kim
Tel: +82 (505) 374 2526
E-mail: akim@globalsmt.net
UK/Ireland Regional Editor
Jade Po Kellard
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 388997
E-mail: jkellard@globalsmt.net
Circulation and Subscriptions
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2 – Global SMT & Packaging – September 2008 www.globalsmt.net
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