Europa Clipper Harness Engineer Jacklyn Perry to Deliver Keynote at Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE)

How will a spacecraft harness connect every electrical device on the Europa Clipper, a Jupiter-orbiting spacecraft that will study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa? Jacklyn Perry, harness engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL), will provide the answer when she delivers the keynote address, “Harnessing Europa,” at the Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo (EWPTE), on May 11. 

Perry, who holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering, works at JHU APL as the lead engineer for the Propulsion Module Harness on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft and the Lander harness for NASA’s Dragonfly mission. The Europa Clipper program is a joint mission between the JHU APL and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Perry leads the team working on the Europa Clipper’s propulsion module harness. Her group is responsible for ensuring that every component gets power and sends telemetry. As she explains, “The harness does not function as an electrical box might, but it connects all the destinations, like a vast network of highways and roads.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Jacklyn Perry to EWPTE,” said David Bergman, Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) executive director. “I personally cannot wait to hear more about the importance of wiring harnesses on such an advanced spacecraft. It’s a fascinating subject and I look forward to hearing Jacklyn’s keynote.”

Produced by WHMA, EWPTE is the industry’s exclusive trade show attracting nearly 200 exhibitors and over 3,000 attendees from over 40 states and 25 countries for the electrical wire harness, wire, and cable processing industries. This exhibition connects buyers with local, national, and international manufacturers and distributors. Registration for EWPTE is free.

Electronics Industry Praises Congress for Providing $7.5 Million for Lead-Free Electronics R&D

The U.S. Senate approved an FY 2022 spending package that contains $7.5 million for further research and development on lead-free electronics in defense and high-performance applications, sending the measure to President Biden for his expected signature.

“With lead-based electronics becoming more difficult and expensive for the U.S. Defense Department to procure – and with other nations now leading the world in electronics manufacturing – greater U.S. reliance on lead-free electronics is imperative to improve military readiness and innovation,” said Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president of global government relations.

“The migration of the commercial electronics industry to lead-free technology has created supply-chain concerns for the defense and high-performance sectors that can only be overcome through public-private R&D,” he added. “These funds will support an ongoing, collaborative effort that will help ensure that mission-critical systems have full access to cutting-edge electronics from a robust global supply chain.”

“It’s also important to realize that the lead-free electronics R&D project is both consequential as a stand-alone project and as a test of American resolve to reassert leadership in electronics,” Mitchell added. “We thank the congressional leaders who understand this issue, and we call on Congress to keep funding this project to completion over the next three years,” he said.

Participants in the two-year-old R&D program include Auburn University, Binghamton University, Purdue University, the University of Maryland, BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Plexus, Raytheon Technologies, and many others. The R&D is being carried out under the auspices of the Defense Electronics Consortium of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE).

WHMA Announces 2022 Hall of Fame and Volunteer Excellence Awards

In recognition and acknowledgment of their extraordinary contributions to the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) and the cable and wire harness industry, four long-time WHMA members were presented with coveted WHMA awards. Two WHMA Hall of Fame and two WHMA Volunteer Excellence Awards were presented at WHMA’s 29th Annual Wire Harness Conference on February 16.

This WHMA Hall of Fame award recognizes extraordinary contributions with broad significance to the cable and wire harness industry and distinguished service to WHMA. Award recipients support the advancement of industry, consistent with the goals and mission of WHMA. This is the highest level of recognition WHMA can give to a member and is based on exceptional merit over the long term.

This year’s inductees are Norm Sagon, NFS, and Bud Bowen, Winchester Interconnect.                                                                    

Norm Sagon was recognized for his long-term service to WHMA as one of the association founders, Board of Directors member, and chair of the WHMA board, for many years of promoting WHMA and the programs of WHMA and for contributions to WHMA’s mission to lead, educate and connect our members globally.                                                           

Bud Bowen was recognized for his long-term service, strategic leadership as a member of WHMA’s Board of Directors, for his leadership representing WHMA’s interest in the industry’s acceptability standard, WHMA/IPC-A-620, and for contributions to WHMA’s mission to lead, educate and connect our members globally.                                                              

“The Hall of Fame winners represent the best of the best—strategic, visionary and committed—Norm Sagon and Bud Bowen have demonstrated passion, dedication and a continued commitment to propel the harness, cable and interconnect industry forward,” said Joe DeMan, chairman of the WHMA Board. “WHMA is honored to acknowledge the hard work of these exceptional leaders. They are truly the heroes and champions of our industry”

The WHMA Volunteer Excellence Award honors individuals from WHMA-member companies who have demonstrated ongoing leadership in WHMA activities and have contributed significant time and talent to the association and the cable and wire harness industry.                                

This year’s recipients are Parker Garrett, EMSCO, and Cathy Hanlin, Precision Manufacturing Company Inc.                                                    

Parker Garrett was recognized for his contributions to the WHMA Board, the Board nominating committee, and his significant contributions to the WHMA annual meeting in the role of program committee member.            

Cathy Hanlin was recognized for her leadership of the WHMA/IPC-A-620 committee, member of the A-620 “A-Team,” and helping to achieve the highest rating of on-time comment resolution and on-time publication of the standard.

"The leadership shown by our Volunteer Excellence Award recipients has made a significant impact on WHMA and will do so for years to come," said DeMan. "We are privileged that Cathy and Parker have chosen to share their knowledge and expertise with us and with the entire global wire harness manufacturing industry." 

For additional information on WHMA’s annual wire harness conference, visit https://annualconference.whma.org/.

Ukraine/Russia Crisis: Electronics-Related Export Controls

REGISTER
Date
- (12:00 - 1:00pm CST)

Join IPC on Thursday, March 10 at 1 pm EST for a discussion with Mr. Gary Stanley on newly imposed export controls related to the conflict in Ukraine. IPC recommends that industry review and understand the new export controls to ensure full compliance with them.

Mr. Stanley is president of Global Legal Services, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm focusing on trade compliance and other international business issues. He represents U.S., Canadian, and European companies—including many in the electronics manufacturing sector—on defense export control issues.

Thursday’s discussion will include a brief update on newly established U.S. export control rules followed by ample time for Q&A. If you have questions you would like to have Mr. Stanley address you can ask them on the call or send them to IPC in advance.

Online Event

3000 Lakeside Dr.
Suite 105N
Bannockburn, IL 60015
United States

Online Event

Online Event
3000 Lakeside Dr.
Bannockburn, IL 60015
United States

REGISTER

Rising Material and Labor Costs Challenge Electronics Manufacturers Worldwide

Crisis in Ukraine poses several threats to global manufacturing industry

New data from IPC show that high material and labor costs are expected to continue for the foreseeable future while recruiting and retaining skilled talent continues to be a challenge.

IPC’s March economic update and global electronics manufacturing supply chain sentiment reports found that more than nine in 10 manufacturers have experienced an increase in lead times for parts and components since the start of the pandemic, with approximately half indicating an increase of one to three months. The overall global economic picture is also complicated by the emerging Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Among other conclusions, the IPC survey results show:

  • More than three-fourths of electronics manufacturers are currently experiencing rising material and labor costs, and most expect to see this trend continue for the next six months.
  • Ease of recruitment, inventory available from suppliers, and profit margins are all declining.
  • Sentiment improved slightly this month, suggesting that supply chain constraints are continuing to ease.
  • Firms operating globally are seeing a quicker rate of improvement in terms of inventory available from suppliers compared to those operated only in North America.

Per the economic report, the economy is holding up well in the western hemisphere. Economic activity in the first quarter could be negatively impacted by the lingering impact of the omicron variant, as it was by the delta variant in the third quarter. But because the spread of the virus is slowing, U.S. GDP growth looks positive over the coming months, advancing in the range of 3 to 4 percent, a notable increase from 1 percent in the second half of 2021. The picture is less clear in Europe, where the Russia-Ukraine conflict will have more direct impacts.

“Any disruption to an already stressed supply chain can have an outsized impact,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. “Until recently, there was a general feeling in Europe that the economy was set to accelerate and leave COVID in its rearview mirror. The Russia-Ukraine conflict changes this somewhat.”

IPC surveyed hundreds of companies from around the world, including a wide range of company sizes representing the full electronics manufacturing value chain.

View the full reports: 

WHMA Announces New Board Members at the WHMA Annual Wire Harness Conference 2022

At the 29th WHMA Annual Meeting on February 18, the WHMA Board of Directors welcomed three new officers and one new member. Board officers serve a three-year term and board members can serve two, three-year terms.

The newly elected Board officers are:

  • WHMA Board Chairman: Joe DeMan, president, Interconnect Dynamics – An Amphenol Global Solutions Provider
  • WHMA Board Vice Chairman/Secretary: Gustavo Farell, president, Cesar-Scott, Inc.
  • WHMA Board Immediate Past Chairman: Rick Bromm, president, ALTEX, Inc.

The newly elected Board member is:

  • Board Member: Doug Chowning, president, American Syscomptel, Inc.

"I am pleased to welcome Doug Chowning as a new WHMA Board member and congratulate Gustavo Farell on becoming Vice Chairman/Secretary,” said Rick Bromm, immediate past chair of the WHMA Board. “I’m proud to say that Joe DeMan will lead the next chapter of our work in his new role as Board Chairman. Joe has demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing WHMA’s mission, and we’re looking forward to his leadership.”

“I feel very privileged to take on this role at such an exciting time for our association — the dedication of WHMA’s Board of Directors towards their mission of Lead, Educate and Connect has brought WHMA’s membership many new growth opportunities,” stated Joe DeMan, chairman of the WHMA Board. “It's my honor to work alongside the Board to continue growing our future in the wire harness and interconnect industry.”

For the full list of WHMA’s Board of Directors, visit www.whma.org/about/board-of-directors. For information on WHMA Annual Conference, visit https://annualconference.whma.org.

IPC Applauds Biden’s Focus on Semiconductors, Urges Passage of Competitiveness Legislation

During his State of the Union address tonight, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to urge Congress to pass much-needed funding for semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced technologies as part of a new competitiveness measure. Both the House- and Senate-passed bills include $52 billion in funding as well as additional measures to boost American R&D, which will help reestablish the United States as a global leader in building the technologies of the future. IPC applauds President Biden’s continued focus on the semiconductor shortage and his ongoing efforts with Congress to finalize the “USICA/America COMPETES” legislation.

In addition, President Biden is expected to mention the recently announced plan by Intel to invest $20 billion in semiconductor manufacturing in the state of Ohio. This investment is part of the more than $200 billion in efforts announced by several companies in the last year to produce microchips, electronic vehicles, batteries and other advanced manufacturing in the United States.

“Investments like Intel’s in Ohio will not only support the local community and create thousands of good-paying jobs; they also will help rebuild America’s entire electronics ecosystem, upon which semiconductors and all electronics products rely,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “Building a resilient domestic electronics industry is a strategic priority for the United States, and it will require a holistic approach to succeed.”

President Biden’s speech tonight comes less than a week after his administration’s release of a capstone report marking the culmination of year-long supply reviews of six industrial sectors. The Commerce Department’s review on the information and communications technology revealed structural supply chain vulnerabilities and proposed robust investment and support in the U.S. electronics manufacturing ecosystem. 

IPC will continue to work with the Biden’s Administration to strengthen America’s semiconductor supply chain and urges the swift passage of competitiveness legislation to help expand the domestic semiconductor and electronics manufacturing industries.

European EMS Market Exceeded 44 Billion Euros in 2021

The European EMS industry grew 9 percent from 2020 to 2021 to exceed 44 billion Euros according to the annual survey results collected and analyzed by in4ma, the market research arm of Weiss Engineering. IPC has partnered with Weiss Engineering since 2020 to deliver industry intelligence to the European electronics community. The 2021 result represents an all-time high for the industry beating the 2019 result by 1 percent.   

Philippe Leonard, senior director of IPC in Europe commented, “Once again Dieter Weiss has assembled and delivered the definitive, best-in-class study for the industry. He received survey data from 225 companies and his report contains vital data on revenue, order backlog, headcount, market segment share, and general outlooks.”

“in4ma’s 70-page report should be treated as a must-have document for every EMS company looking to benchmark themselves in any meaningful way,” said Sanjay Huprikar, IPC president, Europe and South Asia operations. Key takeaways from the study include the following:

  • The top 109 companies, while representing less than 6 percent of the overall companies in Europe, generated nearly 75 percent of the production value
  • Despite the overall bounce back from 2020, only 56 percent of the companies surveyed in 2021 showed higher revenue growth compared to their pre-COVID results of 2019
  • From the value added per head results, it was clear that companies were reluctant to increase prices despite rising material costs 
  • There were 36 documented M&A events in Europe during 2021
  • The Measurement-Instrumentation-Control segment of electronics exhibited strong growth, especially in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (D-A-CH)

Weiss will present his results at several public and private events throughout the first half of 2022.  On behalf of IPC, he will be a guest speaker at INNOELECTRO 2022 taking place in Budapest, Hungary on March 29-31. Companies interested in purchasing the report are encouraged to contact in4ma at weiss@in4ma.de.

Sanctions on Russia Include Electronics-Related Export Controls

Feb 28, 2022
| By Ken Schramko
export controls

By Ken Schramko, senior director, North American government relations and Alison James, senior director, European government relations

Over the last week, the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and several other countries and organizations have imposed severe and immediate sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Among these actions are new export controls covering a broad range of goods and services, including equipment and components used in electronics, telecommunications, and aerospace. The wide-ranging sanctions seek to constrain the development of Russia’s military-industrial complex and limit its access to cutting-edge technology.

IPC recommends that its members review and understand the new export controls to ensure full compliance with them. Below are links to information about the sanctions and exports controls that were imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, and the European Union, but many other countries have imposed them as well. Please let us know if you have any questions or information that shed more light on the situation.

North American PCB Industry Sales Up 7.7 Percent in January

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for January 2022

IPC announced today the January 2022 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.18.

Total North American PCB shipments in January 2022 were up 7.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, January shipments fell 22.1 percent.

PCB year-to-date bookings in January were up 6.3 percent compared to last year. Bookings in January fell 28.1 percent from the previous month.

“Supply chains are showing some early signs of improvement, which is helping fuel shipment growth at the start of the year. But backlogs remain higher as manufacturers work through strong orders,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. “We believe supply chain constraints will continue to slowly ease through the remainder of the year which should help companies improve shipment schedules.”

January 2022 PCB chart 1
January 2022 PCB chart 2

View charts in pdf format

Detailed Data Available

Companies that participate in IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program have access to detailed findings on rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales and orders, including separate rigid and flex book-to-bill ratios, growth trends by product types and company size tiers, demand for prototypes, sales growth to military and medical markets, and other timely data.

Interpreting the Data

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid PCB and flexible circuit manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio by the end of each month.

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