IPC Honors Summit Interconnect and Robert Bosch GmbH with Corporate Recognition Awards

IPC presented its highest corporate honors to two IPC member companies, Summit Interconnect and Robert Bosch GmbH during the IPC Annual Meeting/Awards Ceremony at IPC APEX EXPO 2024. The Peter Sarmanian Corporate Recognition Award was presented to Summit Interconnect and the Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award was presented to Robert Bosch GmbH.

The Peter Samarian Corporate Recognition Award, named for a former IPC Board Chairman, recognizes an IPC-member company in the printed board industry (PCB) that has supported IPC through participation in technical and management programs while providing leadership for the industry.

Summit Interconnect is North America's largest privately held printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer. Founded in 2017, four Summit locations are certified to the IPC-1791, Trusted Electronic Designer, Fabricator and Assembler Requirements standard, ensuring vetted and secure PCB supply to our nation's critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and medical electronics. Summit staff have been staunch supporters of IPC’s advocacy program, with staff serving on IPC’s North American Government Relations Committee, and USPAE Board of Directors, and attending numerous IPC IMPACT events in Washington, D.C.

More than 115 Summit staff members are Certified IPC Specialists (CIS), Certified IPC Trainers (CIT), or Certified IPC Designers (CID) to such standards as IPC-A-600 and IPC-6012.

Named for former IPC Board Chairman and founding member of the IPC Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry Management Council, the IPC Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award honors an IPC-member company in the electronics assembly industry (EMS) that actively contributes to the industry while supporting IPC technical and management programs.   

Robert Bosch GmbH Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services, employing approximately 428,000 associates worldwide. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Mobility is the largest Bosch Group business sector, making the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers.

More than 15 Robert Bosch GmbH staff members serve on IPC standards development committees, and 35 members have earned CID and CIT certifications.

“IPC benefits tremendously from Summit and Bosch’s leadership and expertise,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “Both organizations have consistently contributed staff resources and knowledge to standards development and other IPC programs and initiatives. Their involvement has directly contributed to IPC’s global growth in the electronics industry, and we are privileged to have them in our membership.”

For more information on IPC’s Corporate Recognition Awards and other honors presented at IPC APEX EXPO, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at SandyGentry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2871.

IPC Publishes Comprehensive Strategy to Address Electronics Industry’s Global Workforce Challenge, Calls on Leaders in Government, Business and Education for Support

One of the most difficult and urgent challenges facing the electronics industry is a chronic shortage of adequately skilled workers. Today, IPC unveiled an expansion of its strategy to address the workforce challenges of the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry and called on its more than 3,000 member companies to join in the effort.

IPC sets out a solutions-focused workforce plan in a white paper written by David Hernandez, IPC vice president of education, Carlos Plaza, IPC senior director of education and Dr. John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. The paper, “Building Electronics Better: A Plan to Address the Workforce Challenges Facing the Electronics Manufacturing Industry,” targets both immediate labor market needs and the long-term sustainability and growth of the industry by building a skilled, adaptable, and motivated workforce. IPC’s ambitious approach is focused on developing rewarding career pathways.

“IPC is the largest provider of education and workforce development in our industry,” said John W. Mitchell. “We credential more than 145,000 people per year, and we recently secured federal recognition for three registered apprenticeship programs. But we can’t do it alone – we’re calling on our partners in industry, academia, and government to join us on this critically important journey.” 

“Significant challenges, including the lack of a well-defined school-to-industry pipeline, have contributed to industry workforce shortages that constrain the industry's growth and lead to increased production costs,” said David Hernandez. “IPC is delivering a multifaceted approach to recruitment and training. This is essential if we are to turn current socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural trends into opportunities for growth.”

According to the white paper, rising demand for electronic devices across the commercial, healthcare, automotive, and industrial sectors will see the global electronics manufacturing services (EMS) market grow from about $534 billion in 2023 to $856 billion in 2030. Key elements of IPC’s plan include:

  • Talent Pipeline: Establishing partnerships between educational institutions, businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organizations to ensure a steady flow of skilled workers into the electronics manufacturing industry.
  • Career Pathways: Developing clear and structured career pathways that outline progression from entry-level positions to advanced roles, enhancing the visibility of career advancement opportunities within the industry.
  • Training and Education: Prioritizing the development of industry-defined training programs that equip individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge, including both technical and soft skills.
  • Dispelling Myths: Launching outreach efforts to improve the perception of manufacturing careers, highlighting the innovative aspects of the industry, and addressing misconceptions about manufacturing jobs.
  • Partnerships: Encouraging collaboration between government, academia, and industry to speed the transition of students and trainees into the workforce, including internships, apprenticeships, and mentorship programs.
  • Standardized Credentials: Supporting the adoption of universally recognized, stackable credentials that validate the competencies and skills of qualified job candidates.

The electronics industry is gathering this week at IPC APEX EXPO 2024. Held in Anaheim from April 6–11, IPC APEX EXPO features a world-class trade show, a cutting-edge technical conference, and impactful keynote speakers. This year’s event boasts the largest gathering of leading electronics manufacturers, suppliers, and product innovators, a high-quality technical conference with peer-reviewed paper presentations, and professional development courses focused on innovation to build electronics better.

IPC Announces New Board Members at IPC APEX EXPO 2024

At the 67th IPC Annual Meeting on April 9, held in conjunction with IPC APEX EXPO 2024, the IPC Board of Directors announced new officers and new and second-term members. Board officers serve a two-year term, board members serve a four-year term, and the student board member serves a one-year term.

The newly elected Board officers are:

  • IPC Board Chair: Tom Edman, President and CEO, TTM Technologies
  • IPC Board Vice Chair: Jeff Timms, CEO, ASMPT SMT USA LLC
  • IPC Board Secretary/Treasurer: Peter Cleveland, Senior Vice President, TSMC

First time Board members are:

  • Gerald Eckstein, Senior Vice President, Engineering Electronic Control Units & Head of Business Unit Mechatronics, Robert Bosch GmbH
  • Parker Garrett, CEO, EMSCO
  • Greg Maxwell, Vice President, Advanced & Strategic Global Supply Chain for Operations, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems
  • Jaesang Min, Research Fellow, LG PRI (Production Engineering Research Institute)

Second term Board members are:

  • Marc Peo, President, Heller Industries
  • Hiroyuki Watanabe, Executive Vice President and Member of the Board for New Business and Sales, NEC Corporation

Student Board member is:

  • Waad Tarman, Auburn University

"IPC is privileged to have these outstanding professionals on our current slate of Board members,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We look forward to working with them as we advance the global electronics industry and build electronics better.” 

In addition to Board election announcements, IPC honored six outgoing Board Members:

  • Henry Crandall, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Utah
  • Joe DeMan, President, Interconnect Dynamics — An Amphenol Global Solutions Provider
  • Robert Feuerstein, Chief Information Security Officer, Group Sector Automotive, Continental AG
  • Steve Pudles, Board of Directors and Advisor, Zentech Manufacturing, Inc.
  • Lisa Weeks, SVP, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Investor Relations, Benchmark Electronics
  • Shane Whiteside, President and CEO, Summit Interconnect

Added Mitchell, “IPC expresses its sincere gratitude to Henry, Joe, Robert, Steve, Lisa and Shane for their dedicated service to the IPC Board. All have shared their expertise with IPC and industry – we thank them for imparting their knowledge and helping guide IPC to best serve our members and the global electronics community.”

IPC Releases “J” Revisions to Two Leading Standards for Electronics Assembly

IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 cover printed board assembly process controls, materials, and post-assembly acceptance criteria for the electronics industry

IPC announces the release of revisions for two leading standards for the electronics assembly industry. IPC J-STD-001J, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies is recognized as the sole industry-consensus standard for soldering processes and materials. IPC-A-610J, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, is a post-assembly acceptance standard used to ensure electronic assemblies meet acceptance requirements for the electronics industry. These two documents are often used together for the manufacture of electronic assemblies.

Revisions to these standards are completed every three years, with significant changes made to each one. Clear guidance on the use of the standard can be found in the first chapter of each document. Committee leaders addressed more than 1,350 comments for revision “J.” Some of the significant changes found in the standards are as follows:

Global changes implemented in both documents:

  • Removed redundant minimum electrical clearance references – covered in Chapter 1 of documents
  • Clarified the use and definition of wire, lead and conductor

Changes to IPC J-STD-001J (Representatives from 27 countries worked on the standard):

  • Added hardware installation requirements
  • Added graphics to address bubbles in X-ray images

Changes to IPC-A-610J (Representatives from 29 countries worked on the standard):

  • Chapter 10 has new images
  • Conformal coating – clarified voiding/bubbles

In addition to the new revisions for IPC J-STD-001J and IPC-A-610J, redline documents are also available. A white paper is available IPC-WP-028, Guidance on Objective Evidence for Validating the Acceptability of Bubbles in Conformal Coatings.

Canon Taiwan Earns IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Qualified Manufacturer’s Listing

IPC’s Validation Services Program has awarded an IPC Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) to Canon Taiwan, a leader in the optical industry, producing single-lens reflex/mirrorless digital cameras, camera lenses, accessories and network surveillance monitors.

Canon Taiwan met or exceeded the requirements for the electronics industry's most rigorous classification, Class 3, which is intended for dedicated service electronics products. As a result of successfully completing an intensive audit, based on two of IPC's foremost standards: IPC J-STD-001, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies and IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, Canon Taiwan is now among a trusted source of electronics suppliers found on IPC's QML/QPL database at www.ipcvalidation.org.

“Through IPC training, we strengthened our capabilities in SMT processes, practiced KPI, and further developed our differential analysis abilities,” said Keita Sanada, president, Canon Taiwan. “After implementing internal education and training to reinforce quality management, we pursued QML recognition. With guidance from IPC auditors, Canon Taiwan had the opportunity for self-reflection and improvement based on IPC standards, ultimately achieving QML Class 3 validation.”

“Passing this audit demonstrates Canon Taiwan’s standards in quality control, process control, and production technology,” said Randy Cherry, director, IPC Validation Services. “It also upholds Canon’s tenets of ‘jihatsu’ (proactivity), ‘jichi’ (self-management) and ‘jigaku’ (self-awareness). By earning the QML, Canon Taiwan has shown its commitment to delivering the highest level of quality in electronics manufacturing.”

For more information about IPC’s Validation Services program in Asia, contact marketingchina@ipc.org.

Onshoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly 2024

Date
-

The International Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging Society (IMAPS) and IPC will host a three-day workshop to discuss and promote strategies to improve On-Shoring Advanced Packaging and Assembly, April 29 - May 1, 2024, at The Westin Arlington in Arlington, Va.  This workshop will bring Government agencies, the DIB (Defense Industrial Base) and advanced packaging and assembly providers together to discuss their efforts to onshore advanced packaging.  The mission of this workshop is to engage our workforce community to identify the newly created advanced packaging programs which address U.S. Government and Defense requirements critical to the onshoring of the microelectronic assembly and packaging supply chain.  Government agencies including the Department of Commerce/NIST, DoD (SHIP/IBAS/Title III/Printed Circuit Board Executive Agent), DARPA and SRC will be briefing on their advanced packaging programs.

The workshop will feature two days of focused sessions, keynote presentations, a panel discussion, and a variety of networking opportunities. The event will kick-off on Monday with a pre-program day filled with 2-hour professional development courses and/or additional working groups addressing a variety of topics relevant to the onshoring of advanced packaging.  The 2024 Workshop will also feature networking opportunities with sponsors and tabletop exhibitors. 

Workshop registration restricted to U.S. Passport Holders Only

The Westin Arlington

801 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22203
United States

The Westin Arlington

The Westin Arlington
801 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22203
United States

Creep Corrosion in Electronics – A Panel Discussion

Date
- (12:00 - 1:00pm CDT)

A group of industry experts will discuss the evidence of the root causes of creep corrosion, relevant testing, and effective mitigation strategies available to prevent creep corrosion failures in electronics. Fundamentally, creep corrosion is the product of the reaction of copper with sulfur, which may be mitigated with manufacturing processes, such as the printed circuit board solder mask and surface finish, conformal coating, and enclosure levels, as well as during end-use operation, such as filtration. Several types of harsh environmental test methods that are used to evaluate for product susceptibility to creep corrosion will also be reviewed.

Panelists include:
 • Randy Schueller, Ph.D., Dell, Director, Client Reliability & Durability
 • Christopher Genthe, Rockwell Automation, Senior Principal Engineer
 • Paul Leone, Rockwell Automation, Principal Engineer

Sean Clancy, Ph.D.

Lead Panelist Bio

Sean Clancy Ph.D. is the Director of Materials Science at HZO and an Adjunct Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Utah. Sean has been associated with HZO for over ten years and is responsible for ALD and Parylene coating process development for advanced applications and assisting marketing and sales with new customer development. 

Before joining HZO, Sean led the electronics failure analysis group and managed projects at the US Navy’s Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility, administered by ACI Technologies. He has also worked in research fields involving carbon nanotubes, polymer supercapacitors, light-emitting materials, and medicinal chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Southern California and his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Florida.

Panelist Bios

Randy Schueller, Ph.D., Dell, Director, Client Reliability & Durability
Randy has returned to Dell in 2021 to run the Reliability & Durability groups.  Before this, he was Director of Reliability at Osram/Vixar and before that he was a consultant for DfR Solutions.  He has also held product development and leadership roles at 3M, Extreme Devices and Dell Technologies.  Randy received his B.S. in physics from St. John’s U and his Ph.D. in Materials Science Engineering from the University of Virginia.

Christopher Genthe, Rockwell Automation, Senior Principal Engineer
Chris Genthe is a Senior Principal Engineer with Rockwell Automation’s Chemistry and Materials Engineering Group.  He has over 35 years of experience in materials, including metallurgy, corrosion identification, and control, material selection, failure analysis, processing, and accelerated testing, with 25 years at Rockwell. Chris has co-authored several publications, has three patents pertaining to corrosion control of electronic assemblies, received seven Rockwell innovation awards, and was a member of the 2018 Rockwell Team of the Year.  Chris was awarded the Rockwell Engineer of the Year in 2020 for his work on the development of gas phase accelerated corrosion test methods that target specific corrosion mechanisms in electronics. He earned a BS and MS in Materials Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and is an adjunct professor teaching Environmental Degradation of Materials at the same institution.  

Paul Leone, Rockwell Automation, Principal Engineer, Quality & Reliability
Paul Leone is a Principal Engineer in Quality & Reliability at Rockwell Automation. He has over 25 years of industrial and manufacturing experience ranging from product design to end-user control system integration. He is the first to achieve the Principal Engineer title in Quality at Rockwell Automation. Paul is recognized as a subject matter expert in corrosion of electronics, failure analysis, and design for reliability (DfR). He has consulted with component manufacturers to develop corrosion-resistant components. He has been featured in multiple webinars and publications focused on the impact of corrosion in electronics and design for reliability in corrosive environments. He received his BS in EET from Penn State University.

Electronics Industry Sentiment Rises in March

IPC releases March 2024 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report

Sentiment among electronics manufacturers remains positive, with demand reaching the highest level in a year, according to IPC’s March Sentiment of the Global Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Report.

When asked about how the current interest rate environment impacts their businesses, firms that rely on borrowed capital indicated they are seeing an impact on material costs, inventories, and orders as a result of higher interest rates, which then filters down to reduced CAPEX spend and ability to grow and invest in other areas of the business.  Among firms operating in markets outside of the United States exchange rates can also be negatively impacted by higher U.S. interest rates.

In regards to outlook for next six months, electronics manufacturers expect labor costs to come down slightly, with material costs holding steady.  While profit margins and backlogs are expected to improve, ease of recruitment is likely to remain challenging. 

Additional survey data show:

  • Cost pressures remain consistent: The Material Cost Index rose three points but was offset by a three-point decline in the Labor Costs Index.
  • The New Orders Index rose to the highest level since July 2022.
  • Industry Outlook improves: The Demand Outlook Index approached an all-time high while the outlook for Profit Margin also hit an all-time high.
  • Orders, shipments and capacity utilization are all expected to rise significantly in the near-term.

These results are based upon the findings of IPC’s Current State of Electronics Manufacturing Survey, fielded between February 14 and February 29, 2024.

Read the full report here.

iNEMI/IPC White Paper on Complex Integrated Systems Highlights Future Technology and Manufacturing Ecosystem Needs

Today’s system solutions combine more varied functionality, such as digital, analog, optical, micro-mechanical, etc., packed into smaller form factors. As a result, electronics manufacturing has to deliver increasingly complex integration of diverse technologies with system designs that blur the distinction between chip, package, board, and assembly.

As the industry evolves with new applications and architectures, complexity in design and manufacturing and the supporting infrastructures (e.g., metrology, standards, etc.) will be challenging.  iNEMI and IPC have recently published a white paper, “Complex Integrated Systems: The Future of Electronics Manufacturing,” intended to guide and focus cross-industry efforts and partnerships in the necessary research and development, as well as the manufacturing capability scale-up that will be critical to success.

The paper explores several issues, including:

  • Sample use-case applications needing CIS, such as:
    • Massive wireless broadband with 5G mmWave systems
    • High-performance computing applications in mobile equipment and data centers
    • XR (extended reality) devices, including augmented reality (AR) virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR)
    • Advanced driver assistance systems for passenger vehicles
    • Integrated photonics
  • The CIS manufacturing ecosystem and the challenges of shifting roles within that ecosystem
  • The impact on the complete product life cycle, including design, test, manufacturing and end of life
  • Roadmap of technical needs along with gaps, challenges and potential solutions
  • Recommendations and calls to action

“CIS is driven by fast-growing market segments such as 5G mmWave communications, advanced assisted driving systems, and virtual and augmented reality,” said Grace O’Malley, iNEMI chief technology officer. “Electronics manufacturing is already investing tens of billions of dollars annually into manufacturing capabilities for CIS. This white paper grapples with the big technology issues that the industry should collectively address to ensure an adaptive, profitable CIS manufacturing ecosystem.”

“It’s great that INEMI and IPC were able to collaborate on such an important topic as complex integrated systems,” said Matt Kelly, IPC chief technology officer and vice president, technology solutions. “The concept of CIS is important to understand. It is an integral part of a 'silicon to systems’ approach that is needed for next-generation electronic products spanning HPC, AI, 5G/6G wireless, and EV automotive electronic applications.”

Download the White Paper

"Complex Integrated Systems: The Future of Electronics Manufacturing is now available. Visit https://go.electronics.org/complexintegratedsystems to download white paper.

Get Involved

The immediate cross-industry task is to define in detail the key technical issues and develop approaches to solve these issues in a precompetitive space. Follow-on activities will include creating tailored project-based learning programs, identifying and addressing standardization needs, and leveraging collaboration opportunities across different government-funded initiatives. If you are interested in getting involved in this effort, please sign up at https://forms.office.com/r/LRUnKDaxn0.