Minneapolis, MN - SMTA announced that the program is finalized for the 30th Annual Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium. The event will take place from February 2 to 5, 2026 at the Hapuna Westin Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. The symposium brings together leaders, researchers, and innovators from around the world to explore the technologies and strategies shaping the future of the electronics industry.

The program features ground-breaking research from experts on Reliability & Quality, Strategic Direction/Industry Roadmaps & Emerging Technologies, 3D Heterogeneous Integration & Nanotechnology, Cleaning/Cleanliness Testing & Humidity Control, Reliability & Advanced Fabrication, Thermal Solutions & AI Inspection, and more.

With participation from a dozen universities from around the globe, the Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium is the bridge between academic research and application in the electronics manufacturing industry. This year a dedicated session of research from Korean universities is the result of a partnership with the Korea Packaging Integration Association.

The final day of the event starts with a panel discussion on the topic of “AI in Action: Progress, Pitfalls, and the Future of Electronics” which will be recorded live as part of the Reliability Matters podcast.

View the complete program and register at: https://www.smta.org/panpac. Sponsorships are available for companies wishing to gain exposure for their products and services. Please contact Karlie Severinson, karlie@smta.org or +1-952-920-7682, with questions.

Throughput and yield — the metrics that define a factory’s success — hinge on a subtle, overlooked event: the splice.

Every splice is a machine interaction, a handoff between reels. It must be perfectly executed at full speed… unseen, unfelt, uninterrupted.

If the splice fails? Everything fails. Production stops. Feeder jams cascade. Schedules slip. Revenue evaporates.

TapeSplice fixes the handoff. Engineered for zero-jam, zero-scrap, 100% traceable performance in high-speed SMT environments.

Invisible Splices = Unbroken Production

Your pick-and-place equipment doesn’t care about costs — it cares about continuity.

A splice must:

• Maintain carrier tape geometry to EIA-481 precision
• Preserve cover tape peeling consistency
• Feed without tension variance
• Avoid interruptions on acceleration/deceleration ramps
• Survive >40,000 CPH impact forces (high-speed Panasonic / Fuji)
• When that integrity is broken, so is everything else. 

• An unplanned line stop costs $10,000–$40,000 per hour (Sources: IPC Production Metrics; iNEMI Cost Models)
• Each feeder jam can waste 200+ components (Source: IPC-9701 Reliability Data)
• One bad splice can create hours of cascading downtime.

The High-Speed Reality

Aerospace, medical, and automotive manufacturers operate tight margins and tighter tolerances:

99.9% uptime ≠ world-class. 100% uptime is the expectation.

A poor-quality foreign splice roll has no place in that standard.

9 times out of 10, when:

• Orders are late
• Operators are troubleshooting
• OEE collapses

“We found a cheaper tape.”

Procurement Must Decide: Hero or Saboteur

This is as blunt as operations will ever make it:

You are either:

Saving pennies on consumables… or Protecting a multi-million-dollar production system.

There is no middle ground.

“Great news — we shaved 7¢ off splice tape!” But they demand answers when:

• The SMT line is down at 2 PM
• Customer commitments are missed
• Operators sit idle
• Scrap piles up

The root cause audit always finds the same villain: a bargain-bin import splice.

Why TapeSplice Wins

Because failure is not an option in mission-critical electronics.

TapeSplice advantages:

Attribute                                                                                     Result
US-made ESD-safe materials (3M, Saint-Gobain adhesives)               Eliminates feeder static stalls
Brass shim precision alignment                                                 Maintains sprocket geometry
Zero-jam performance verified on Panasonic, Fuji, Juki, Mycronic   100% uptime protection
Full traceability + QC documentation                                         Audit-proof reliability
Strength validated under >2.0 kg peel                                         Stops separation under acceleration

Trusted across aerospace, defense, and medical OEMs because we eliminate the weakest link in high-speed automation.

ROI: The Math Procurement Can’t Ignore

Example:

• One splice failure = 8 minutes downtime
• At $500/min OEE loss = $4,000
• One shift: 2 failures = $8,000
• One week: 10 failures = $40,000
• One quarter: 100 failures = $400,000
• One year: >$1.6M burned**
• Cost of premium splice tape upgrade: < $0.002 per placement

Risk vs reward isn’t even a debate.

Put It On Your Feeders. Watch What Happens.

Our promise is simple:

✔ Uptime stays at 100%
✔ Yields rise
✔ Schedules stay on track
✔ Revenue protection becomes automatic

Then decide what actually saves money.

High-Visibility Event – Zero Tolerance

A splice failure is not small. It’s not private. It’s not harmless.

It is a facility-wide problem triggered by a bad decision at the purchasing desk.

Conclusion

SMT throughput and yields depend on the splice.
That 2-inch moment makes or breaks millions in product.

If you cannot trace it…

If you cannot test it…

If you cannot trust it…

It has no place in a high-speed feeder.

TapeSplice.

Where the handoff never fails. Made in the USA. Trusted worldwide.

PHOENIX, AZ, December 8, 2025 — Entrepix, Inc., a globally recognized expert in CMP and wafer cleaning, and a subsidiary of Amtech Systems, Inc., is pleased to announce today that it has entered into a representative's agreement with Legatech, appointing them as the exclusive sales representatives for the United Kingdom and Nordic region for all products including CMP replacement parts and upgrades and wafer cleaning systems, parts and upgrades.

“We are excited to partner with Legatech, their expertise and network in the semiconductor industry within the UK and Nordic countries align perfectly with our strategic growth objectives in Europe,” said Yann Visintainer, Director of Business Development for Europe. “This agreement allows us to bring our expertise in wafer cleaning and CMP parts and upgrades closer to customers and accelerate our expansion in Europe,” added Visintainer.

Legatech brings 30 years of experience in expert refurbishment, upgrades, and repair of semiconductor capital assets and has established themselves as a trusted representative for top-tier brands. The partnership is expected to deliver increased visibility, improved customer engagement, and sustainable growth for both organizations.

“Legatech is honored to represent Entrepix,” said Owen Tangney, Director of Sales for Legatech. “Entrepix is industry recognized expert in CMP they will be a tremendous asset to our customers as they look to increase the reliability and performance of their CMP processes,” added Tangney.
The representative’s agreement took effect on November 7, with initial activities focusing on Customer outreach, new Product launch support, training, and spare parts management.

Tokyo, Japan – December 2025 – SAKI Corporation, an innovator in the field of automated optical and X-ray inspection equipment, is pleased to announce that Shun Nakai has joined the company as of September 1, 2025.

Mr. Nakai brings more than 30 years of experience in global electronics manufacturing and factory automation to his new role. He will support SAKI’s continued growth in North America by strengthening strategic relationships with key customers and channel partners and advancing SAKI’s smart-factory and AI-driven inspection initiatives.

Prior to joining SAKI, Mr. Nakai built an accomplished career at a robot solutions company, where he gained extensive expertise in surface-mount technology, robotics, and global account management. Over his tenure, he managed some of the world’s largest EMS and OEM accounts and led regional sales operations for its U.S. subsidiary, overseeing a network of independent sales agencies across the country.

Mr. Nakai also held key management and planning positions at headquarters in Japan. As Section Manager and Department Head of Overseas Sales, he played a pivotal role in strengthening global sales strategy. Later, as part of the Corporate Planning Department, he helped develop and execute the company’s mid-term business plan for the business units, contributing to a 1.4-fold increase in standalone divisional sales.

Most recently, Mr. Nakai led a 60-member team focused on digital marketing, exhibitions, and sales enablement. His initiatives modernized sales tool workflows and created cross-functional promotion teams that unified engineering and sales. He also served on the Robot Association’s Planning Subcommittee and Executive Committee, and from January 2024 chaired the SEMI EMI ELS Standards Promotion Working Group, helping drive adoption of new industry standards.

“I’m honored to join SAKI at such an exciting time,” said Mr. Nakai. “Inspection technology is at the heart of smart manufacturing, and I look forward to building on SAKI’s reputation for precision, innovation, and customer collaboration throughout North America.”

“In this new role, my priority is to help advance SAKI’s market leadership across the Americas,” Nakai continued. “Drawing on decades of experience in automation and global manufacturing, I’m committed to expanding our customer partnerships and strengthening our presence in this critical region.”