With technology and policy support, Indian PCB manufacturing is at a turning point. Can innovation and scale match global giants? PCB Power leads the way with RF tech, flex circuits, and full-stack EMS. Khushal Panchal of PCB Power, in conversation with EFY’s Akanksha Sondhi Gaur and Nijhum Rudra, shares insights on growth, imports, and the road ahead.
Q. What advanced PCB technologies is your company working on, and how are they applied?
A. We are advancing in complex PCB technologies like 3mil (0.00762cm) and 4mil (0.01016cm) designs, which demand precision manufacturing and are used in high-density, high-performance electronic applications. We also produce flexible PCBs, previously challenging to manufacture in India, intended for applications like wearable devices and foldable electronics. Further, we are moving towards rigid-flex technology, which combines flexible and rigid board sections in a single PCB.
Q. What unique capabilities and value-added features do you offer?
A. We differentiate ourselves by producing radio frequency (RF) PCBs for wireless communication devices. Our company also integrates aluminium heat sinks with PCBs for improved heat dissipation. We provide electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) finishes with higher nickel and gold thickness, enhancing protection against oxidation and corrosion and ensuring better reliability for high-performance applications.
Q. What are the current global trends in PCB designing which you have started doing?
A. Currently, flexible PCBs are essential for IoT and medical industries, especially in wearable tech, due to their ability to support compact, complex, and customised designs. By developing flex and rigid-flex technologies, we are well-positioned to meet these sectors’ high-reliability and precision demands. Our commitment ensures we can support next-gen products, enabling manufacturers to create smaller, more efficient, high-performance devices.

Q. Do you make or import PCBs? How many units do you have?
A. Our company has expanded into providing turnkey solutions in addition to PCB manufacturing! By focusing on component sourcing, PCB assembly and positioning ourselves as a full-service electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, we are adding significant value to our customers. We have a manufacturing plant in Gujarat; unlike some EMS providers that focus exclusively on high-volume production, our company caters to customers who need mid-volume manufacturing runs (e.g., 1 to 100,00 units). This fills a crucial gap in the market where many EMS providers may not be willing or able to accommodate such orders efficiently.
Q. As a manufacturer, how do you plan to tackle the situation where 80% of PCBs are still imported from China?
A. A high volume of imports from China has left Indian manufacturers to compete for the remaining 20% of the market. This makes it challenging for Indian PCB manufacturers to scale their businesses, as low-cost imports meet the bulk of the demand. We are optimistic about the new government policies aimed at encouraging local manufacturing. These policies, such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, are designed to promote the growth of the electronics manufacturing sector in India. As more Indian companies recognise the benefits of sourcing locally—such as shorter lead times, greater flexibility, and support for domestic manufacturing—the demand for Indian-made PCBs is expected to grow.
Q. What are the strategies required to boost the country’s production scale?
A. The cost of locally manufactured PCBs is one of the main hurdles, especially compared to cheaper imports from countries like China. To remain competitive, Indian PCB manufacturers must focus on technological upgrades. Manufacturers can significantly reduce production time and labour costs by investing in multiple machines, automating processes, and streamlining manufacturing workflows. This would allow you to optimise the cost structure. Also, the limited capacity of Indian manufacturers prevents them from fully optimising production. Scaling up production is key to solving this issue. Once you can handle larger volumes, production becomes faster and more efficient.
Q. Do you think a separate PLI or additional subsidies are required to bolster PCB production in India?
A. Our company works closely with industry bodies like ELCINA as they are critical in advocating special incentives or subsidy requirements for PCB manufacturers. The industry has a broad consensus that special schemes and incentives are necessary to help PCB manufacturers scale up production. The industry is limited in capacity and resources, and growth will be slow without external support. The need for scale-up support is not just an individual concern but a standard requirement across the entire PCB manufacturing industry. By focusing on schemes tailored to the needs of the PCB industry, such as financial incentives for technology upgrades, research and development grants, and schemes for attracting foreign investments, the government can stimulate growth in the domestic sector.

Q. Do you have your own SMT lines, or do you get them assembled somewhere else?
A. We offer a complete SMT line featuring automatic printers, reflow ovens, AOI, X-ray, and BGA rework stations, and we ensure high-quality production. In-house stencil manufacturing and frameless stencil machines help cut costs, which is especially beneficial for early-stage designs, avoiding high stencil costs. With this, we also provide a flexible, optimised PCB assembly setup ideal for small production runs, prototypes, and R&D projects. Our pick-and-place machines can handle small component reels, saving customers from buying full reels.
Q. Are you using your new technology to reduce customer costs?
A. By producing stencils in-house and explicitly using frame-based stencils, we significantly lower the cost for our customers. This particularly benefits small batch production or R&D, where cost efficiency is crucial. Our assembly process can handle tiny components, including those not visible to the naked eye. This means our company can assemble the smallest available components on the market. While we are moving towards handling high-density interconnect (HDI) technology, essential for more complex and compact PCB designs, you recognise that there are still challenges in this area.
Q. What challenges do you face in delivering PCB solutions?
A. High-density interconnect (HDI) technology requires specialised equipment like laser drilling units, sequential lamination processes, and copper via filling. Such advanced capabilities are not yet fully established in India and are being gradually adopted in your facility. Therefore, implementing HDI demands significant investment, so ensuring sufficient demand to justify the costs is crucial.
Q. What are the current challenges you face while producing large-scale PCBs?
A. We haven’t faced significant challenges yet, even with the increasing complexity of customer designs. We update our production capabilities to meet the demands of more advanced materials and designs. As customers push the boundaries with more complex PCB designs, we continuously upgrade our printing and board manufacturing capabilities to stay ahead. This includes being ready to handle materials like Rogers for high-frequency boards or higher TgG FR4 for enhanced reliability.
Q. Why are designers increasingly selecting highly complex but compact components in PCB design?
A. Designers are choosing smaller, more complex components to meet the growing demand for compact and powerful electronic devices like wearables, smartphones, and IoT products. These smaller components allow for intricate and space-efficient designs essential for modern technology.
Q. What limitations do designers face when selecting components for PCB design?
A. Designers are constrained by the availability of components from standard manufacturers and the pace of innovation in component development. Additionally, for applications requiring high current or power, designers may not have the option to use smaller components, limiting their design choices.
Q. For heat dissipation, how do you manage to do size reduction?
A. Customers in applications like LED lighting address heat dissipation by using specific design techniques, such as metal core PCBs (metal-clad laminates) with aluminium on one side and copper on the other. They also implement multilayer PCB designs to make boards more compact without reducing functionality, using additional layers to fit the same components in less space. Your role is limited to manufacturing the PCBs according to the provided designs; the customers’ design teams make all decisions regarding heat management, materials, and layout.
Q. Are GaN and SiC used for heat dissipation? If not, what materials are?
A. Rogers (RT) Neuroid is becoming popular for high-frequency applications due to its superior electrical properties. This material offers better performance at higher frequencies compared to traditional materials. Then, FR4 (flame retardant) with higher Tg (glass transition temperature) materials are being used by customers who prioritise reliability. Higher Tg materials provide better thermal stability, meaning they can withstand higher temperatures without degrading.
Q. What advanced technologies do you offer for electronics manufacturing?
A. PCB Power utilises state-of-the-art machinery capable of high-precision handling the smallest components. It also employs X-ray and Ball Grid Array (BGA) inspection technologies to ensure that even complex components are correctly assembled and functioning as expected. Additionally, there is no minimum order quantity, providing flexibility for customers.
Q. How does PCB Power’s service differ from that of other EMS providers?
A. Unlike other EMS providers that may offer only partial solutions like PCB manufacturing or assembly, PCB Power provides a complete, end-to-end electronics manufacturing service. This includes PCB manufacturing, assembly, component sourcing, product testing, and complete box-build solutions. Customers can also benefit from customised product testing directly at PCB Power’s facility, ensuring the quality of their assembled products before delivery.
Q. What customisation options and prototype tools are offered?
A. Customers can design and customise enclosures using a visualiser tool on the Mech Power Tech website, making the process interactive and user-friendly. For those in the prototype or pilot stages, 3D printing is a cost-effective and flexible option, ideal for testing before committing to large-scale production. Advanced machinery for metal enclosures supports precise punching, bending, CNC, VMC, and other specialised processes to ensure high-quality enclosure manufacturing, these machines give us an edge in offering complete sheet metal fabrication service
Q. What new service is offered by Mech Power, and how does it benefit customers?
A. Mech Power now offers complete turnkey solutions by providing enclosure manufacturing. This allows customers to seamlessly fit their electronics into customised plastic or metal enclosures through a single provider, streamlining the process and enhancing convenience.