European Regional Hand Soldering Competition - 2026
The Global Electronics Association has been and continues to host the IPC Hand Soldering Competitions in regional locations throughout Europe. We are proud to provide you with the results of these competitions and look forward to seeing the winners from each region compete at the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship Competition in November at electronica in Munich, Germany.
Winner of the 2026 HSC Regional Qualification in Hungary Announced
In conjunction with InnoElectro 2026 in Budapest, the Global Electronics Association hosted the 2026 HSC-Hand Soldering Competition Regional Qualification Hungary on 21–23 April 2026.
During these three days, competitors participated in intense competition sessions designed to test their knowledge of IPC-610 standards, as well as their technical expertise, precision, and ability to perform under pressure.
This regional qualification’s Hand Soldering Competition featured 30 participants from 14 Hungarian companies. Among them, 12 women and 18 men competed to assemble a very complex printed circuit board within 60 minutes, in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria. The circuit board assembly produced by the competitors was judged by IPC Master Instructors against the IPC-610 Class 3 standard, based on soldering quality, process compliance, and overall electrical functionality. Given the complexity of the circuit board, it is worth noting that only 4 competitors completed the task, and therefore only 4 were scored.
This year’s winners in Hungary were:
First Place - 2026 Hungary HSC Regional Champion: Ms Laetitia Trapani, Thales Brive (France), scoring 875 out of a maximum possible 887 points, with a completion time of 56 minutes 55 seconds
Second Place - Ms Eva Gobet, Thales Cholet (France), scoring 874 points, with a completion time of 55 minutes 27 seconds
Third Place - Ms Laure Ripert, Thales Brive (France), scoring 852 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
As the 2026 HSC-Hand Soldering Competition Regional Champion, Ms. Laetitia Trapani will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to represent Hungary at the Hand Soldering Competition World Championship taking place on 12 & 13 November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany.
In addition to the individual placings, the Best Company Team Award at the Hand Soldering Competition in Hungary was awarded to Thales Brive (France), with a combined score of 1727 and a combined completion time of 116 minutes 55 seconds, achieved by Ms. Laetitia Trapani and Ms. Laure Ripert.
The Global Electronics Association would like to thank its 2026 HSC sponsors - JBC Soldering, Weller Tools, Almit, ACB Group, Polygone CAO, Theia Instruments, Optilia, and Davum - along with its IPC-licensed training center partners in Hungary, MELT, Elas, and Microsolder, for their support.
Congratulations to all competitors, participating companies, judges, and staff for their valuable contributions to the successful Regional Qualifications in Hungary.
Following the Regional Qualifications in Hungary, the 2026 competition series continues in Italy from 13–14 May at Focus on PCB in Vicenza, as part of an expanding European program supporting excellence in electronics manufacturing skills.
For more information on the Global Electronics Association and the Hand Soldering Competition in Europe, please contact Philippe Léonard at: PhilippeLeonard@electronics.org
Winner of the 2026 HSC Regional Qualification France Announced
In conjunction with Global Industrie Paris 2026, the Global Electronics Association hosted the 2026 HSC- Hand Soldering Competition Regional Qualification France on 30 March - 2 April 2026.
During these four days, competitors participated in intense competition sessions designed to test knowledge of IPC standards, as well as technical expertise, precision, and the ability to perform under pressure.
This regional qualification’s Hand Soldering Competition featured 34 participants representing 22 companies and 22 teams from France. Among them, 22 women and 12 men competed to assemble a complex printed circuit board within 60 minutes, in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria. Entries were judged by IPC Master Instructors based on soldering quality, process compliance, and overall electrical functionality.
Taking top honors in France were:
First Place - 2026 France HSC Regional Champion: Ms Allison Guermond, SAFRAN SED (France), scoring 871 out of a maximum possible 887 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
Second Place: Ms. Laëtitia Dalifar, SAFRAN SED (France), scoring 868 points, with a completion time of 59 minutes 53 seconds
Third Place: Ms Eva Gobet, THALES SIX (France), scoring 868 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
As the 2026 HSC- Hand Soldering Competition Regional Champion, Ms. Allison Guermond will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to represent France at the Hand Soldering Competition World Championship taking place on 12 & 13 November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany.
The Global Electronics Association would like to thank its 2026 HSC sponsors - Weller Tools, JBC Soldering, Optilia, Almit, IFTEC, Polygone CAO, ACB Group, DAVUM TMC, and Theia Instruments - we appreciate their generous support.
Congratulations to all competitors, participating companies, judges, and staff for their valuable contributions to the successful Regional Qualifications in France.
Following the Regional Qualifications France, the 2026 competition series continues in Hungary from 21–23 April at InnoElectro, as part of an expanding European program supporting excellence in electronics manufacturing skills.
For more information on the Global Electronics Association and the Hand Soldering Competition in Europe, please contact Philippe Léonard at: PhilippeLeonard@electronics.org
NEXT Hand Soldering Competition - Hungary
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IPC Hand Soldering Competition 2026 - UK Regional Qualification Results from Southern Manufacturing & Electronics
The UK Regional Qualification winner of the IPC Hand Soldering Competition (HSC) has been crowned, marking the first Regional Qualification event of the 2026 competition season.
The UK qualification took place from 3-5 February 2026 at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2026 in Farnborough, United Kingdom, hosted at the Global Electronics Association Europe Booth. Over the course of three days, professional competitors demonstrated precision, consistency, and technical excellence while soldering a complex printed circuit board under strict IPC standards class-3 requirements.
To succeed, competitors had to perform a complex printed circuit board assembly within a maximum time of 60 minutes. Performances were evaluated by IPC-610 Master IPC Trainers (MITs) in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria, taking into account soldering quality, assembly process, overall functionality as well as production speed.
Following the conclusion of the competition, the UK HSC Regional Champion was announced.
UK IPC Hand Soldering Competition Results
First Place: UK Regional Champion: Justyna Mikolajczyk, Zettlex (United Kingdom) - scoring 882 out of 887 maximum possible points and outstanding UK Champion for 6 times in a row.
Second Place: Przemyslaw Marszalek, VTV Consultants Ltd (United Kingdom) - scoring 468 out of 887 points.
Third Place: Adam Fidura, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (United Kingdom) - scoring 421 out of 887 points.
As the 2026 UK IPC HSC Regional Champion, Justyna Mikolajczyk will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to compete in the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship, taking place in November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany, alongside other Regional Champions from around the world.
The Global Electronics Association is grateful to all Competition Partners and Sponsors: Weller Tools, JBC Soldering, Optilia, Almit, ACB Group, Polygone CAO, Davum TMC, Theia Instruments as well as IPC-licensed training Center ART-Advanced Rework Technologies and thank them all for their essential support.
Winner of the 2026 HSC Regional Qualification in Hungary Announced
In conjunction with InnoElectro 2026 in Budapest, the Global Electronics Association hosted the 2026 HSC-Hand Soldering Competition Regional Qualification Hungary on 21–23 April 2026.
During these three days, competitors participated in intense competition sessions designed to test their knowledge of IPC-610 standards, as well as their technical expertise, precision, and ability to perform under pressure.
This regional qualification’s Hand Soldering Competition featured 30 participants from 14 Hungarian companies. Among them, 12 women and 18 men competed to assemble a very complex printed circuit board within 60 minutes, in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria. The circuit board assembly produced by the competitors was judged by IPC Master Instructors against the IPC-610 Class 3 standard, based on soldering quality, process compliance, and overall electrical functionality. Given the complexity of the circuit board, it is worth noting that only 4 competitors completed the task, and therefore only 4 were scored.
This year’s winners in Hungary were:
First Place - 2026 Hungary HSC Regional Champion: Ms Laetitia Trapani, Thales Brive (France), scoring 875 out of a maximum possible 887 points, with a completion time of 56 minutes 55 seconds
Second Place - Ms Eva Gobet, Thales Cholet (France), scoring 874 points, with a completion time of 55 minutes 27 seconds
Third Place - Ms Laure Ripert, Thales Brive (France), scoring 852 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
As the 2026 HSC-Hand Soldering Competition Regional Champion, Ms. Laetitia Trapani will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to represent Hungary at the Hand Soldering Competition World Championship taking place on 12 & 13 November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany.
In addition to the individual placings, the Best Company Team Award at the Hand Soldering Competition in Hungary was awarded to Thales Brive (France), with a combined score of 1727 and a combined completion time of 116 minutes 55 seconds, achieved by Ms. Laetitia Trapani and Ms. Laure Ripert.
The Global Electronics Association would like to thank its 2026 HSC sponsors - JBC Soldering, Weller Tools, Almit, ACB Group, Polygone CAO, Theia Instruments, Optilia, and Davum - along with its IPC-licensed training center partners in Hungary, MELT, Elas, and Microsolder, for their support.
Congratulations to all competitors, participating companies, judges, and staff for their valuable contributions to the successful Regional Qualifications in Hungary.
Following the Regional Qualifications in Hungary, the 2026 competition series continues in Italy from 13–14 May at Focus on PCB in Vicenza, as part of an expanding European program supporting excellence in electronics manufacturing skills.
For more information on the Global Electronics Association and the Hand Soldering Competition in Europe, please contact Philippe Léonard at: PhilippeLeonard@electronics.org
Winner of the 2026 HSC Regional Qualification France Announced
In conjunction with Global Industrie Paris 2026, the Global Electronics Association hosted the 2026 HSC- Hand Soldering Competition Regional Qualification France on 30 March - 2 April 2026.
During these four days, competitors participated in intense competition sessions designed to test knowledge of IPC standards, as well as technical expertise, precision, and the ability to perform under pressure.
This regional qualification’s Hand Soldering Competition featured 34 participants representing 22 companies and 22 teams from France. Among them, 22 women and 12 men competed to assemble a complex printed circuit board within 60 minutes, in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria. Entries were judged by IPC Master Instructors based on soldering quality, process compliance, and overall electrical functionality.
Taking top honors in France were:
First Place - 2026 France HSC Regional Champion: Ms Allison Guermond, SAFRAN SED (France), scoring 871 out of a maximum possible 887 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
Second Place: Ms. Laëtitia Dalifar, SAFRAN SED (France), scoring 868 points, with a completion time of 59 minutes 53 seconds
Third Place: Ms Eva Gobet, THALES SIX (France), scoring 868 points, with a completion time of 60 minutes
As the 2026 HSC- Hand Soldering Competition Regional Champion, Ms. Allison Guermond will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to represent France at the Hand Soldering Competition World Championship taking place on 12 & 13 November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany.
The Global Electronics Association would like to thank its 2026 HSC sponsors - Weller Tools, JBC Soldering, Optilia, Almit, IFTEC, Polygone CAO, ACB Group, DAVUM TMC, and Theia Instruments - we appreciate their generous support.
Congratulations to all competitors, participating companies, judges, and staff for their valuable contributions to the successful Regional Qualifications in France.
Following the Regional Qualifications France, the 2026 competition series continues in Hungary from 21–23 April at InnoElectro, as part of an expanding European program supporting excellence in electronics manufacturing skills.
For more information on the Global Electronics Association and the Hand Soldering Competition in Europe, please contact Philippe Léonard at: PhilippeLeonard@electronics.org
NEXT Hand Soldering Competition - Hungary
EVENT INFORMATION
Register Now
IPC Hand Soldering Competition 2026 - UK Regional Qualification Results from Southern Manufacturing & Electronics
The UK Regional Qualification winner of the IPC Hand Soldering Competition (HSC) has been crowned, marking the first Regional Qualification event of the 2026 competition season.
The UK qualification took place from 3-5 February 2026 at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2026 in Farnborough, United Kingdom, hosted at the Global Electronics Association Europe Booth. Over the course of three days, professional competitors demonstrated precision, consistency, and technical excellence while soldering a complex printed circuit board under strict IPC standards class-3 requirements.
To succeed, competitors had to perform a complex printed circuit board assembly within a maximum time of 60 minutes. Performances were evaluated by IPC-610 Master IPC Trainers (MITs) in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria, taking into account soldering quality, assembly process, overall functionality as well as production speed.
Following the conclusion of the competition, the UK HSC Regional Champion was announced.
UK IPC Hand Soldering Competition Results
First Place: UK Regional Champion: Justyna Mikolajczyk, Zettlex (United Kingdom) - scoring 882 out of 887 maximum possible points and outstanding UK Champion for 6 times in a row.
Second Place: Przemyslaw Marszalek, VTV Consultants Ltd (United Kingdom) - scoring 468 out of 887 points.
Third Place: Adam Fidura, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (United Kingdom) - scoring 421 out of 887 points.
As the 2026 UK IPC HSC Regional Champion, Justyna Mikolajczyk will be invited by the Global Electronics Association, with all expenses covered, to compete in the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship, taking place in November 2026 at electronica in Munich, Germany, alongside other Regional Champions from around the world.
The Global Electronics Association is grateful to all Competition Partners and Sponsors: Weller Tools, JBC Soldering, Optilia, Almit, ACB Group, Polygone CAO, Davum TMC, Theia Instruments as well as IPC-licensed training Center ART-Advanced Rework Technologies and thank them all for their essential support.