Electronics Industry Champion | Standards | Workforce Advocate | Speaker | Author | CEO
Alpharetta, Georgia, United States
16K followers
500+ connections
16K followers
500+ connections
About
Dr. John W. Mitchell is reshaping how we think about education, nonprofit leadership, and electronics manufacturing. As President and CEO of the Global Electronics Association, he’s led initiatives that support industry standards, improve member engagement, and create modern solutions for workforce needs.
With roots as a founding member at Alpine Electronics and leadership roles at Bose Corporation, Dr. Mitchell brings a wealth of experience to his role. He also holds a patent in GPS navigation and balances it all with a passion for triathlons and Ironman competitions, living near Atlanta with his family.
Articles by John W
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16K followers
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John W Mitchell shared thisThe debate about AI and jobs has focused on whether roles disappear. A new PwC analysis of more than a billion job postings suggests we're asking the wrong question. Entry-level work isn't disappearing. It's being quietly promoted up the skills ladder without notifying the people trying to get their foot in the door. PwC calls it "seniorization." Entry-level roles in highly AI-exposed occupations are now seven times more likely to require capabilities that have historically appeared much later in a career, strategic decision-making, stakeholder management, judgment. The bar has moved. The pathways to clear it haven't. Across the electronics industry, I see this playing out in ways that concern me. Raising expectations without redesigning how people develop those capabilities just shifts who gets locked out, it doesn't solve anything. What is your organization doing to make sure early-career talent can actually reach the new bar? https://lnkd.in/eEuk_e29
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John W Mitchell shared thisThe New York Times has a sharp piece this week on advanced chip packaging, and it deserves attention from anyone thinking seriously about AI supply chain risk. The U.S. share of chip packaging sits at around 3%. TSMC handles roughly 95% of all advanced packaging and is already running about 30% short of demand. Chips made in Arizona today still have to travel to Taiwan for packaging before they can be used. That is not a future vulnerability. It is a present one. The semiconductor conversation in the U.S. has focused heavily on fabrication. Packaging has been treated as an afterthought for decades, offshored to lower-cost countries with little thought to what that dependency would look like under pressure. Now we are seeing what it looks like. The good news is that investment is moving. Intel, Applied Materials, and Amkor are building capacity. The harder question is whether the pace matches the urgency. For those of us tracking the full electronics stack, this is a reminder that resilience requires attention to every layer, not just the parts that generate headlines. https://lnkd.in/eMjvZqrq
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John W Mitchell shared thisOne of my favorite recent reads is this CNBC piece from Beijing on humanoid robots, and it gets at a question I keep coming back to. Supply is accelerating. Where is the demand? The report highlights Lingyi iTech, a longtime Apple and Samsung supplier now aggressively pushing into humanoids, building 300 robots within weeks of opening and targeting 500,000 units annually by 2030. Morgan Stanley flagged an important caveat, though. Production is running ahead of sales, with many manufacturers building robots to generate AI training data rather than fulfill actual orders, most of which are still just one or two units. China has effectively made humanoid robotics a politically favored industry, and that creates both momentum and risk. The bubble question is fair. But the underlying technology is real, and when demand does catch up, the electronics content behind it will be substantial. https://lnkd.in/eEd33NvX
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John W Mitchell shared thisThis issue is personal because it goes to the heart of our advocacy work. Europe is investing billions in semiconductor capacity, and the strategy is sound. Sovereign silicon matters. But without PCB capacity, chips do not become systems. That is the gap that does not get enough attention. Europe's share of global bare-board PCB production has fallen from 16% in 2000 to roughly 2% today. The number of European PCB manufacturers has dropped from 555 to fewer than 180, and about 65% of EU PCB imports now come from China. In spring 2026, a disruption in PPE resin supply drove premium PCB prices up 30 to 40% almost overnight. This is not a hypothetical vulnerability. It is a live one. The EU Chips Act is reinforcing the top of the electronics stack while the base continues to weaken. I have long argued for a "Chips Act Plus" approach that supports the full stack, not just semiconductors. This piece makes that case exceptionally well. A resilient electronics industry is built from the board up, not the chip down. https://lnkd.in/efWhP55a
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John W Mitchell shared thisSomething about this data stopped me. A new Cangrade report found that younger workers scored 14% above average on communication but 18% below average on critical thinking and 17% below on attention to detail. The ability to express ideas is there. The ability to critically evaluate those ideas is where the gap opens up. In an AI-powered workplace, that distinction matters more than it ever has. When a tool generates confident output, the human in the loop needs to be the skeptic. That requires exactly the reasoning the data says is underdeveloped. Building judgment alongside AI fluency isn't optional anymore. The question is whether our organizations are actually structured to develop it. https://lnkd.in/eFRcGrfa
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John W Mitchell shared thisA new survey from the We Mean Business Coalition found that 4 out of 5 business executives are prioritizing electrification, and 90% expect their operations to be largely electrified within the next decade. Those are significant numbers, and they reflect something I'm hearing consistently across the industry. The business case is driving this more than anything else. Corporate leaders in the survey cited cost savings as the primary motivation, and that makes sense. Rising energy prices and increased volatility in fossil fuel markets are making electrification a financial decision as much as a sustainability one. What often gets overlooked in this conversation is what electrification actually depends on. Industrial heat pumps, electric vehicles, and commercial solar installations can't work without advanced circuitry, electric components, and the raw materials our industry produces. As electrification scales, electronics manufacturing sits at the center of that transition, not on the sidelines. How are you seeing this shift take shape in your own operations? https://lnkd.in/e9A9gqBv (Paywall)
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John W Mitchell shared thisOne year ago, the Global Electronics Association launched, and what a year it has been. Many of you knew us as IPC, a name that carried nearly seven decades of standards, certification, and industry trust. That foundation didn't go anywhere. What changed is the scope of our ambition and the scale of what we're building together. The Global Electronics Association serves as the voice of the entire electronics industry. More advocacy, deeper industry intelligence, and stronger connections between electronics and the sectors that depend on it. We've spent this past year building toward all of that, and the momentum behind it is real and growing. None of it happens without the companies, partners, and people across this industry who believed in what we were building before it was fully built. That kind of trust means everything, and I don't take it lightly. The best is still ahead of us. Here's to many more decades of building better electronics for a better world.
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John W Mitchell shared thisThis is the kind of convening that moves the needle. When policymakers and industry leaders get in the same room and reach shared conclusions about what European competitiveness actually requires, that's meaningful progress. Well done to the entire Global Electronics Association team in Brussels. Global Electronics Association EuropeJohn W Mitchell shared thisEurope’s Electronics Industrial Strategy: Leadership or Dependence? has concluded in Brussels. Today, approximately 80 industry leaders, policymakers, technical experts, and stakeholders from across the electronics value chain came together to discuss Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and industrial future. Alison James, Senior Director, European Government Relations, Global Electronics Association and Matthias Pirs, Authorized Officer and Head of Corporate Affairs, AT&S kick-started the Summit. Following a keynote with a strategic vision for the future of the industry from Eva Maydell (Paunova), Member of the European Parliament, several common themes emerged throughout the day: ● EU Chips Act 2.0 Discussions highlighted the growing shift from a semiconductor-focused approach toward a broader ecosystem perspective, recognizing that competitiveness and resiliency increasingly depend on a holistic approach from silicon to systems. ● Defence & Space Panelists emphasized the importance of maintaining critical industrial capabilities, creating predictable demand signals, and ensuring Europe preserves the manufacturing expertise needed to support strategic sectors and secure supply chains. ● AI, Cloud & Data Centres A joint analysis from DECISION Études & Conseils and Global Electronics Association explored how global leaders increasingly compete across entire value chains. Participants discussed the opportunities and gaps in the European ecosystem from chips to infrastructure, AI, manufacturing, and systems integration. ● Automotive The panel discussed the critical importance of the Industrial Accelerator Act in driving and maintaining manufacturing in Europe for the automotive supply chain faced with global competition. ● OECD Perspective The closing discussion highlighted the work of the OECD - OCDE on semi-conductors. How policymakers increasingly recognize that resilience requires a full-stack approach. extending beyond semiconductors to include PCB manufacturing, EMS, packaging, systems integration, and end-user industries. A recurring conclusion throughout the summit was clear: Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and technology sovereignty depend on the strength of the entire electronics ecosystem. The full-house event brought together representatives from the European Commission, European Parliament, European Defence Agency, OECD - OCDE, industry leaders, manufacturers, suppliers, designers, and technology experts. Thoughtful discussions continued throughout the networking sessions and reception, creating valuable opportunities to exchange perspectives and strengthen collaboration across the value chain. Thank you to all speakers, panelists, attendees, and event partners TLT Manufacturing and CalcuQuote for contributing to an engaging and productive day. #GlobalElectronicsAssociation #BetterElectronicsForABetterWorld #ElectronicsIndustry #IndustrialStrategy #EuropeanManufacturing #SupplyChainResilience #IndustrialPolicy
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John W Mitchell shared thisWe've spent decades treating career-focused education and college preparation as separate tracks. New research out of La Unified School suggests that framing has been costing students. Students who completed a pathway combining technical training with real workplace experience were 24% more likely to enroll in college than peers who took no CTE courses. The integration is what drives the outcome, not either path. This reflects something I see consistently. Young people engage differently when they can see how what they're learning connects to real work. That sense of direction changes everything, including how seriously they take the academic side. The challenge is scale and early awareness. Too many students don't learn about these options in time to complete them, and that's where employers and educators both have a role to play. How is your organization helping build that kind of pipeline? https://lnkd.in/eKjRzpJz
John W Mitchell replied to a comment
4w
Eva Maydell (Paunova) We look forward to continued good work together.
John W Mitchell replied to a comment
1mo
A. L. Upskilling needs to be part of every role from the moment you join your workplace. If not…your skills erode and you become less valuable to the company as well.
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John W Mitchell liked thisJohn W Mitchell liked thisYesterday marked one year for the Global Electronics Association, and we held off posting because, honestly, there was too much good work happening around the world to pause for a moment of reflection. One year in and I'm proud to be part of this. When the Global Electronics Association launched, there was real energy behind it. Watching that energy turn into actual work over the past 12 months, with new standards, policy wins, and global connections, has been something to see. This industry matters, the people in it matter, and I am glad to be building something alongside them. Happy first anniversary, Global Electronics Association. #GlobalElectronicsAssociation #ElectronicsManufacturing
Experience
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Board Member
IPC Education Foundation (ipcef.org)
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CEO
Golden Key Foundation
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Education
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Brigham Young University
BS Electrical & Computer Engineering
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Activities and Societies: Golden Key - President, Treasurer
Minors: English, Math
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Skills
Languages
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Japanese
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