From the Workbench: Why Manufacturing Has Always Been Personal

As I prepare for next week's AI Data Center Summit, I've found myself reflecting on how I arrived here. Like many of the engineers, manufacturers, and innovators attending the Summit, I didn't simply choose manufacturing as a career, I grew up in it.

For four generations, my family has believed that the best way to solve difficult problems is through innovation, engineering, trusted relationships, and a willingness to ask one simple question: "How can we make this better?"  That philosophy began with my great-grandfather, Arnold Larter.

During World War II, when steel and other metals were in critically short supply, Arnold patented an ingenious plywood automobile bumper. It wasn't simply an invention, it was a practical solution to a national manufacturing challenge.

The next generation carried that same spirit forward.

My grandfather, Bob Hatch, discovered the rapidly growing electronics industry and became one of New England's most respected manufacturers' representatives, representing companies such as U.S. Capacitor and numerous American manufacturers. He taught me that great business isn't built on transactions, it's built on relationships, trust, and always doing what's right for the customer.

Then came my father, David Arnold Hatch Sr. - Go ahead... say his name.

Throughout his remarkable career, Dad became an inventor, entrepreneur, and manufacturer whose innovations quietly helped shape the electronics industry. He founded PinTek, where he invented the patented SIG (Selective Grounding) Connector System, an innovative high-density interconnect architecture that dramatically increased I/O density for the rapidly expanding computer industry. By intelligently managing common ground paths within the connector itself, the system allowed engineers to nearly double signal density while conserving valuable printed circuit board space. PinTek quickly became a respected supplier of custom high-density cable assemblies to many of New England's leading technology companies before being acquired by Augat Inc., one of the industry's premier interconnect manufacturers.

Later, while at Stewart Connector Systems, a subsidiary of Bel Fuse, Dad invented the MagJack® - the integrated magnetic RJ-45 connector. By relocating Ethernet isolation transformers and common-mode chokes from the printed circuit board into the previously unused cavity within the RJ-45 connector, he solved a significant EMI challenge while freeing valuable PCB real estate. That elegant engineering solution helped establish an entirely new product category now known throughout the industry as Integrated Connector Modules (ICMs) and remains foundational to modern Ethernet networking. His influence extended even further. As Chair of the IEEE Connector Task Group during the development of IEEE 1394 (FireWire), David Arnold Hatch Sr. worked alongside engineers from companies including Apple, Sony, Hosiden, and others, to refine and standardize the physical connector interface that became one of the world's most recognized high-speed digital interconnect standards.

Today, at 90 years old, he's still sitting with a pad of paper, doodling ideas and asking the same question he's asked for decades: "There has to be a better way." Innovation has never been something he did, it’s simply who he is.

As for me, I don't claim to have inherited all my father's inventive genius. What I did inherit was something equally valuable: a deep appreciation for great engineering, trusted relationships, and surrounding myself with extraordinary people.

Throughout my career, I've learned that customers rarely need another salesperson, they need someone who understands manufacturing well enough to assemble the right team to solve complex challenges. That belief became the foundation of Hatch Manufacturing Solutions.

Today, I'm privileged to represent a carefully selected network of world-class manufacturing partners supporting the aerospace, defense, medical device, industrial, semiconductor, robotics, and AI infrastructure markets.

Our partners provide capabilities including:

• Semiconductor lifecycle management through Retronix, a Jabil company

• Laser BGA reballing and advanced component recovery

• Component harvesting, authenticity testing, retinning, and replating

• PCB fabrication and electronic manufacturing services

• Precision CNC machining

• Large structural weldments

• Custom sheet metal fabrication

• Interconnect solutions and cable assemblies

• AI-powered quoting and estimating software that helps OEMs and EMS providers dramatically accelerate the quoting process while improving accuracy and responsiveness

Technology continues to evolve, but the way great manufacturing partnerships are built has not.

Whether it's recovering high-value semiconductor components, supporting AI infrastructure, solving supply chain challenges, shortening manufacturing lead times, or connecting customers with exceptional manufacturing expertise, my role has always been to bring together the right people, solve difficult problems, and create long-term relationships. That's why I'm attending the AI Data Center Summit.

My goal is not only to talk about our capabilities, but to meet the engineers, OEMs, hyperscalers, EMS providers, and technology leaders building the future of AI infrastructure. If our paths cross next week, I'd enjoy learning about your challenges and exploring whether our manufacturing partners can become part of your solution. After all, the best manufacturing solutions have always started with a conversation.