THECA 2026 Preview: The Supply Chain Shift Behind Southeast Asia's Doubling PCB Capacity

Southeast Asia's share of global PCB capacity is shifting at a pace rarely seen over the past decade. Prismark data shows the region's share of global PCB capacity rising from 4.2% in 2020 to 6.8% in 2025, with a projected 9.5% by 2028, while mainland China's share ticked up from 53.8% to 54.2% before easing back to 51.5%. ASEAN PCB capital expenditure reached roughly USD 4.8 billion in 2025, compared with about USD 1.7 billion in 2022, nearly tripling over three years. THECA 2026, the Thailand Electronics Circuit Asia show running August 26-28 at BITEC Bangkok, offers a concentrated window for observing this migration.

According to official show information, THECA 2026 covers the full value chain from PCB and PCBA to semiconductors and advanced packaging, with a Power2Motion zone focused on automotive electronics, EVs, and energy storage; industry media report a scale of more than 300 exhibitors, over 7,000 professional visitors, and more than 40 countries. For procurement and supply chain teams evaluating Southeast Asian capacity, the show floor is a concentrated setting for checking data and meeting new suppliers.

Thailand and Vietnam: Two Growing Capacity Hubs

Thailand is Southeast Asia's largest PCB producer today. TPCA data puts Thailand's 2025 PCB output at about USD 5.06 billion, up 22.4% year over year and roughly 5.4% of the global total, while Vietnam follows closely with 2025 output of about USD 4.15 billion, up 33.9% and expected to reach USD 4.9 billion in 2026. Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) approved 222 PCB and raw-material investment projects between 2023 and 2025, with combined investment of roughly THB 320 billion, and these projects will gradually translate into actual capacity over the next two years.

Stretching the BOI project timeline out makes it easier to judge what signals might appear at the show. Investment applications clustered around 2023, and the gap from approval to equipment installation usually exceeds 18 months; the first lines approved in 2023 are now entering their ramp-up phase, while projects approved in 2025 will not form effective capacity until 2027. The production-line progress that exhibitors show at the event can be used to check exactly where this timeline stands.

Beyond the output figures, the structure of capacity is also shifting. The projects Thailand attracts center on mid- to high-end multilayer boards and automotive electronics boards, while Vietnam has gathered more consumer-electronics and communications capacity. This division of labor directly shapes procurement choices: projects requiring automotive-grade certification are more likely to land in Thailand, while fast-turn consumer-electronics projects can also be evaluated against Vietnamese capacity. Another thing to watch at the show is the concurrent technical forum, where the density of advanced-packaging and automotive-electronics topics on the official agenda reflects where the region's industrial upgrading is focused.

How Capacity Migration Flows Into Procurement Strategy

Beyond the capacity numbers, the actual cost of migration also needs to be seen clearly. Prismark notes that Southeast Asian pricing currently runs 10-25% above mainland China, with the gap expected to narrow to 5-15% by 2028 as the supporting ecosystem matures. The migration is driven mainly by supply chain resilience and tariff arrangements, with manufacturing cost only a secondary factor. For buyers, the value of Southeast Asian capacity lies in providing a second supply source, and evaluation should factor in the yield ramp, material ecosystem, and certification cycle of new lines; there is still a gap between planned capacity and deliverable capacity.

The show also offers a read on how closely materials and equipment suppliers are following the expansion. Whether copper-clad laminate, copper foil, drilling-equipment, and chemicals makers have set up local operations determines how fast new lines can ramp; in regions where the materials ecosystem lags, lead time and cost remain constrained even after the equipment arrives.

Multi-Source Positioning From a Global Supply View

KINGBROTHER serves more than 21,000 customers worldwide through five design centers and four manufacturing bases, with certifications covering ISO9001, IATF16949, and AS9100, among others. For customers with dual-sourcing needs, our approach is to keep the China base as the volume stronghold for high-speed, high-layer-count boards, while using a global delivery network to take on prototype and batch orders for overseas projects, so customers still get a consistent quality and lead-time benchmark within a regionalized footprint. For procurement teams planning to attend, it is worth shortlisting exhibitors in advance and building an evaluation table by dimension: capacity authenticity, quality certification, lead time, and material ecosystem, then checking each exhibitor on site and filing the results together. The 90 days after the show closes are the window for verifying a supplier's real level, and prototype lead time and sample yield will provide the answers during that period.

Beyond the Show, Supply Chain Restructuring Is Just Beginning

THECA 2026 is a viewing window rather than an endpoint. On the path toward a 9.5% Southeast Asian capacity share, every show milestone is worth checking against the data: whether the capacity numbers have actually landed, whether yield is ramping, and whether the supporting ecosystem is keeping pace. The show's value is that it concentrates scattered information into a single point in time, making the progress of supply chain migration legible. If you are evaluating Southeast Asian capacity or a dual-sourcing plan, you are welcome to talk with us during the show; we can offer procurement-path advice based on regional capacity data and the actual needs of your market.