One of the very few constants this time of year is Girl Scout Cookies. While many of us have peered over our shoulders and stared down declines in markets that would have been unheard of just two years ago, one simple constant remains. My eight-year daughter will achieve her quota in selling Girl Scout cookies this year, as will many other little girls. After a holiday season that was surely filled with all the cookies you could wink an eye at, it would seem almost obvious that there was a serious problem of overcapacity in the cookie market.

Since the issue of equipment overcapacity in the semiconductor and microelectronics packaging market is still looming, buying on looks and speed of throughput is simply not the only ingredient in the dough. Over the past year, we have seen strides in manufacturers that have improved yields by enhancing systems.

Have we put the worst and most challenging times behind us? By most accounts, the answer seems to be “Yes.” Recently, while attending the Package Systems Symposium in Sunnyvale, it was mentioned that recovery is only recognized once you have gone through it. Plain and simple, as we continue to lament over the glory days of 2000, we may be sitting smack dab in the middle of a market recovery, and ironically we will not know it until things are rolling along.

At Advanced Packaging Magazine, we want to continue to help you stay abreast of the business, technology and news that impact your ability to perform your job. We will continue to do this through our monthly issues, our comprehensive Web site that carries daily news items about your industry, an e-newsletter that is delivered to your inbox twice a month, an annual Buyer's Directory to help guide you in product evaluation and purchasing, and finally through a network of products carrying the Advanced Packaging brand throughout the globe, including Advanced Packaging Taiwan and Advanced Packaging China. We are the only publication in the semiconductor packaging market delivering that breadth of information globally.

To our loyal readers, I want to personally thank each of you as you continue to support our publication. Also, to the vendors of our industry that make the equipment, materials and products that have kept our market vibrant and for supporting Advanced Packaging Magazine in challenging times, we thank you. This is your magazine, and we are committed to constantly improving and evolving as your needs change. If the time comes for an evaluation of a new wire bonder, let us know and we'll point you in the right direction. If you need a box of thin mint cookies, call me. But hurry, they're selling like … cookies!

Thanks for the support and thanks for reading,

John Bubello
Publisher
[email protected]