How Summit Interconnect evolved into North America’s go-to PCB manufacturing partner
Striving to be a true partner to some of the world’s most innovative, high-growth companies, Summit Interconnect (Summit) provides complete printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing with speed, reliability, and flexibility. Established in 2016, Summit has grown significantly in just ten years, having secured long-term partnerships with customers across several industries, including aerospace and defense, quantum and datacom computing, automotive and transportation, medical devices, commercial space, and industrial and instrumentation.
To learn more about Summit’s evolution, as well as the company’s position within the industry, we speak with Shane Whiteside, CEO, who opens with an explanation of PCBs. “Most components in electronic appliances are procured from a catalog, with technical data sheets that tell designers how to use them, so the overall product design is centered around the functionality of each part,” Shane explains. “However, the one unique part of every electronic appliance is the printed circuit board; there’s no ‘off-the-shelf’ option, as PCBs are instead made specifically for each application.
“Our solutions include high-density rigid PCBs, RF and microwave boards, rigid-flex and flex options, prototype assembly, and thermal management. We focus on high-technology and high-compliance PCBs; our customers are lower-volume but mission-critical partners with specific application requirements. To meet these demands, we use specialized materials and innovative technologies to produce ambitious, cutting-edge PCBs.”
Turning to Summit’s heritage, Shane shares more details about how the company was founded. “I’ve spent my entire career in the PCB industry,” Shane reflects, “but in 2016, my investor partners and I assessed that the market was underserved in terms of high-technology and high-compliance providers for the most advanced applications in North America. We founded Summit in 2016, with a simple yet meaningful vision of being a great partner to many of the leading electronics manufacturing companies.
“We established Summit via the simultaneous acquisition of two companies: KCA Electronics, now Summit Anaheim, and Marcel Electronics International, now Summit Orange. This gave us a broad foundation of product offerings across both high-technology rigid PCBs and high-technology rigid flex PCBs. Although we focused on organic growth and internal investment for a while, we then made six additional acquisitions in six years, including Streamline Circuits, ITL Circuits, Eagle Electronics, and Royal Circuits.”
Today, Summit has grown to operate seven manufacturing facilities, along with its head office, and employ more than 1250 people. “Each one of our facilities has a specific focus like geographic area or specific market verticals,” Shane says. “We have sites focused on our defense customers, for instance, where we have a team of experts in the sector’s compliance requirements, as well as a high-speed facility where we can create PCBs in as little as 24 hours, offering some of the fastest turnaround services in the world! From prototype to production, our quick-turn solutions can be tailored to meet customer needs, and with consistent technology capabilities across our sites, we can split a single order between sites to leverage all available capacity.”
Employees and company culture
Elaborating on Summit’s employees and company culture, Shane continues: “We have talented engineers throughout the company, but to partner with our customers and guide them through the design and material selection phase, we have a team of dedicated field application engineers to ensure designs are manufacturable at our facilities. Our pre-production engineers work with customers as their designs evolve, optimizing them for manufacturing and checking technical aspects. This close collaboration from an early stage is key to building successful long-term relationships with our customers.
“Every single one of our employees understands our mission to be our customers’ best manufacturing partner, and I believe that every person has an equally important role to play in building these relationships. We don’t want transactional relationships with our customers, but rather genuine partnerships that optimize growth and engagement for both parties.”
As our conversation closes, talk turns to the wider PCB industry and how Summit will continue to be the most reliable manufacturing partner for its global customers. “There’s constant innovation in the PCB market, and that’s what makes it such an exciting space to work,” Shane shares. “The evolution of technology is all around us, from new materials and higher speeds to the introduction of mission assurance. Innovation is also being driven by the densification of the components assembled onto our PCBs, as our customers are trying to achieve the most functionality while navigating space constraints.
“Also, the US Department of Defense is shifting its procurement strategy to prioritize more commercial methods, so we must optimize our strategy to serve increased demand and new customers with slightly different business models. The future is about technology and capacity expansion; we’ve become market leaders in the segments we serve, particularly aerospace and defense, and we’ll look to reach the same status in new markets moving forward,” Shane concludes.
From a dual acquisition in 2016 to a portfolio of cutting-edge PCB solutions, Summit has built an industry-leading reputation as a trusted manufacturing partner across North America and beyond. With technological complexity continuing to grow, especially in the aerospace, defense, and advanced computing sectors, the need for a partner that can deliver precision, speed, and genuine collaboration has never been greater. With Shane at the helm, Summit is well-placed to replicate its success in new markets while deepening the customer relationships at its core.