IPC Education Foundation Announces Change in Leadership

IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces a leadership change within the IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF). At the end of the year, Colette Buscemi, senior director, IPCEF, will leave the Foundation and Charlene Gunter du Plessis, who currently serves as the Foundation’s director of strategic partnerships and programs, will transition into the role of senior director.

Since the Foundation’s inception, Buscemi has successfully built out the philanthropic arm of IPC and took the foundation from an aspiring start-up to an established and fully operational education foundation focused on building a stronger global talent pipeline for the electronics industry. Her accomplishments include the creation of a network of IPC student chapters at universities and community colleges, partnerships with industry leaders to establish and fund an internationally recognized academic scholarship program, and curriculum and credentialing pilot program development oriented to high school students and career technical education instructors.

“I am deeply grateful for the hard work, leadership and creativity that Colette has brought to her role as the Education Foundation’s leader, and the achievements she and her team have made,” said John Mitchell, IPC President and CEO. “I am also grateful to have a phenomenal talent like Charlene who has been with IPC since 2018, step into the role seamlessly.”

Added Buscemi, “I am so pleased that Charlene will be taking the leadership mantle at the Foundation. “She has been a terrific partner and has everything it takes to ensure the continued success of the Foundation in its next phase.”

For more information on the IPC Education Foundation and its mission, visit www.ipcef.org.

EMS Executives to Take Their Companies to Next Level of Excellence at IPC APEX EXPO 2020

In order to optimize processes and profitability, an effective business leader needs to carefully select the right areas for improvement and follow the best implementation path. Covering today’s most pressing challenges in manufacturing and the strategies to mitigate those challenges, senior-level decision makers from international EMS companies will engage in peer-to-peer discussion on opportunities to optimize efficiency, effectiveness and profitability at the EMS Executive Management Meeting on February 3 at IPC APEX EXPO 2020.

Attendees will learn the latest on EMS industry trends and issues, including intelligent manufacturing, tariffs, military spending, lean manufacturing, predictive maintenance, employee engagement, semi-additive processing, cybersecurity, and more.

Noted industry experts from Siemens, John Deere, Aegis Software, Tempo Automation, DOX, MRA, and more will share how they are addressing industry’s toughest challenges.

“The purpose of the EMS Executive Management meeting is to give executives and senior-level decision makers the opportunity to gain new insight and learn firsthand how peers are achieving their goals and strengthening their organizations to ensure growth,” said Mark Wolfe, IPC EMS Management Council Chair, John Deere Electronic Solutions.

To register for the EMS Executive Management meeting, or for more information on all the activities taking place at IPC APEX EXPO, including the technical conference,  standards development meetings, professional development courses, and the largest exhibition in North America for printed board design and manufacturing, electronics assembly and test, visit www.ipcapexexpo.org.

North American PCB Industry Growth Continues and Outlook is Positive

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for October 2019

IPC announced today the October 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders in October continued to outpace last year. The book-to-bill ratio rose to 1.11.

Total North American PCB shipments in October 2019 were up 6.2 percent compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of October is 6.9 percent ahead of the same period last year. Compared to the preceding month, October shipments decreased 8.9 percent.

PCB bookings in October increased 2.2 percent year-over-year. Year-to-date order growth is up to 2.9 percent. Bookings in October increased 9.6 percent from the previous month.

“Business for the North American PCB industry continues to outpace last year’s performance,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The spike in the book-to-bill ratio to a 19-month high reflects the last three months’ recovery in bookings. These results lay the groundwork for continued sales growth in the next two quarters.”


Note: The January 2019 ratio has been revised since its original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.


Note: The November 2018, January 2019 and June 2019 growth rates have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.

View Chart in PDF

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. PCB companies that are IPC members doing business in North America are invited to contact marketresearch@ipc.org for information about participating in 2020.

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 at the end of each month. Statistics for the current month are normally available in the last week of the following month.

The Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association Launches Spanish-language Website

New Spanish-language website provides an educational resource for a wider range of professionals in the cable and wire harness industry.

The Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) is now providing Spanish speakers quick and convenient language access through a new Spanish-language website at www.whma.org. With the launch of this new site, WHMA is now able to provide important industry information directly to Spanish-speaking professionals.

WHMA is the ONLY global trade association exclusively representing the cable and wire harness manufacturing industry including manufacturers, their suppliers and customers. WHMA, with IPC, has created the only industry-consensus standard for Requirements and Acceptance of Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, IPC/WHMA-A-620. This standard is used worldwide and is provided in many different languages including Spanish.

“WHMA/IPC is committed to providing our Spanish visitors with in-language content, and we are passionate on our commitment to be a global organization. Having a Spanish-language website is making this a reality,” said David Bergman, WHMA executive director.

The new Spanish website contains the exact same educational content as the English-language website and includes links to WHMA’s manufacturer and supplier members, pertinent information and events.

IPC Crowns New Hand Soldering World Champion in Munich

IPC’s Hand Soldering World Championship was held November 14 at productronica 2019 in Munich, Germany. This global event included 17 competitors representing companies in France, Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Japan, India, China and the Philippines.

Tasked with completing a very complex circuit board assembly with dozens of components, nearly 200 solder joints within a 60-minute time limit, and fully compliant with IPC Class 3 standards requirements, contestants faced a significant challenge.

Rising to the challenge, Indra Setiawan, PT SIIX EMS, Indonesia, completed the printed board assembly within 56 minutes, scored 321 points out of 340, and earned the title of IPC hand soldering world champion. In addition to his title, a cash prize of €1000, Setiawan received a soldering station from sponsors JBC Tools, HAKKO and Almit. Pauline Duval, Thalès DMS, France, took second place with a score of 318 points, and earned €500. Duval qualified for the championship just the day before by winning the regional competition. With a score of 316 points, third place and €300 went to Maricel Calabig Velasco, Integrated Micro-electronics Inc., Philippines.

“The competitors brought their best skills to meet the requirements of this year’s challenge,” said Philippe Léonard, director, IPC Europe. “It’s intricate work, especially as components keep getting smaller and smaller. This was a very challenging competition and we had a very talented field of competitors from around the world showcasing their skills.”

Assemblies were judged on soldering in accordance with IPC-A-610G Class 3 criteria, the speed at which the assembly was produced and overall electrical functionality of the assembly. International MIT judges from China, Estonia, France, Holland and the United States provided their expertise judging the competition, and IPC thanks Patrick Mellet, IFTEC, France; Marcin Sudomir, Renex, Poland; Thomas Ahrens, Ph.D., Trainanlytics, Germany; Stefan Walls, PIEK, The Netherlands; Jack Shi, IPC Asia/Pacific; and Johnson Stephen Muriel, IPC Asia/Pacific.

In addition, IPC thanks 2019 Hand Soldering World Championship Gold sponsors JBC Tools, HAKKO, Reeco and Thalès and Silver sponsors Optilia, The Daylight Company, Almit, NCAB and Zestron for their enthusiastic support this year.

For information on upcoming IPC Hand Soldering Competitions, visit www.ipc.org/events.

IPC APEX EXPO Takes Top Honors as Fastest-growing Association Show in the United States for Attendance at 2019 TSNN Awards

IPC APEX EXPO was recognized on November 16 by the Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) as the fastest-growing association show for attendance in the United States for years 2016-2018.

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), there are approximately 13,000 tradeshows held annually in the United States each year. “For the past several years, IPC APEX EXPO has seen both attendance growth and overall net-square footage growth,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director of trade shows and events. “Being ranked as the top association trade show is a tremendous accomplishment for IPC APEX EXPO and for IPC. Without the support of IPC’s dedicated staff, exhibitors, presenters and instructors and attendees, IPC APEX EXPO could not claim to be the largest event for electronics manufacturing in North America,” Balonek added.

From the industry’s leading technical conference and application-focused professional development courses, to the innovation-driven exhibit floor, year after year IPC APEX EXPO is packed with far-reaching ideas and insights. IPC APEX EXPO 2020 will take place February 1–6, 2020, at the San Diego Convention Center. For more information, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org or contact Balonek at AliciaBalonek@ipc.org.

IPC Welcomes Alison James as New Senior Director, Europe

IPC announces the addition of Alison James as senior director, Europe.

In this role, James will work closely with IPC’s European membership as well as European government officials, institutions and public policy stakeholders. Based in Brussels, she will represent IPC and the electronics manufacturing industry on issues including environment, health, and safety; workforce skills; and trade policy.

James comes to IPC following a more than 20-year career leading European public affairs for the Motion Picture Association and Eastman Kodak, in addition to senior roles with APCO Worldwide and the Association of Commercial Television. Prior to these roles, James served as a media and communications consultant to the European Commission.

“Alison brings strong policy, public affairs and communications skills and experience to her position at IPC,” said Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president of global government relations. “With decades of experience engaging with European government officials and institutions, Alison has successfully navigated and influenced and strengthened European policies that have impacted the manufacturing sector. We are thrilled to welcome Alison to the IPC team, and we look forward to the contributions she will make to the electronics industry.”   

James can be reached at AlisonJames@ipc.org.

IPC Launches NAM Health Care to Address Member Health Coverage Needs

IPC offers association health plan for employers in select states

IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries® today announced it will offer an association health plan to IPC/WHMA members, extending affordable health care to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in approved states. In states where the association health plan is not available, IPC will connect manufacturers with available small-group options in their states.

The plan, called NAM Health Care (www.namhealthcare.com), was developed to meet the unique health care needs of manufacturers. It will offer a portfolio of health benefits options insured by UnitedHealthcare. In states where these plans are available, businesses with 2 to 99 employees will be able to choose from a variety of PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) and HAS (Health Savings Account) health plans.

Members will also have access to UnitedHealthcare’s Choice Plus care provider network of more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. Under NAM Health Care, eligible member companies also will have access to supplemental benefits including dental, vision and life. UnitedHealthcare will work with any licensed and appointed agents who want to sell NAM Health Care.

Mercer will provide IPC/WHMA employer groups that elect Mercer as their agent of record with consulting services regarding health benefit offerings and contribution strategies, marketing support to sign up and enroll their employees, plan administration and compliance consulting services.

The Mercer Affinity 365+SM platform will provide members technology for obtaining quotes for employee benefits, facilitating enrollment and providing ongoing benefit administration to help drive cost efficiencies and employee engagement. Member employer groups may continue to work with their current agents and consultants to obtain quotes through the NAM Health Care offering.

“IPC is committed to the success of our members and together, IPC, the National Association of Manufacturers and Mercer are offering an easy and convenient benefits and buying enrollment experience,” said David Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and training. “With this health care program, IPC and WHMA members will have access to medical, dental, vision and life insurance built specifically for them and offered through an easy-to-navigate web-based platform.”

IPC is quoting these plans for eligible member groups for a December 1, 2019 enrollment date. To request a quote for these plans, where available, interested businesses may visit www.IPC.NAMHealthcare.com.

Investing in Industry 4.0: IPC Launches IPC CFX Industry Support Programs

IPC announces industry programs to support implementation and full utilization of IPC Connected Factory Exchange–IPC CFX. IPC CFX enables any manufacturing facility, large or small, to achieve Industry 4.0, IIoT and smart factory objectives. IPC CFX is a single-source, plug-and-play system supported by IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), an open international standard developed by industry for industry. IPC CFX uses a secure license-free communication protocol that can reduce/eliminate reliance on middleware -- a constant source of headaches in smart factory implementation.

Unlike other standards which either establish the equipment messaging protocols or just the equipment messaging, IPC CFX builds all of these into one system. This enables direct communication between equipment and shop management systems, making it the first true IIoT standard.

To speed up implementation of IPC CFX in factories, industry asked for resources for successful utilization of IPC CFX. IPC is providing several industry solutions through education, equipment validation and technical support to meet these needs.

  • Education – IPC is providing a comprehensive range of on-demand education webinars and training videos that enable any manufacturing facility, IT team and equipment supplier to quickly, easily and successfully understand, implement and utilize CFX.
  • Equipment Validation – Manufacturing facilities will need assurances that the equipment they are buying is CFX-ready. IPC is addressing this by providing a portal for the electronics industry to verify if equipment has been validated to CFX message sets. Equipment will be third-party verified.
  • Self-Evaluation – IPC is providing a cloud-based application for equipment vendors and manufacturing facilities to self-evaluate their equipment to CFX. The self-evaluation service will confirm network identification, subscription and relevant CFX messages are supported; ensure CFX messages are sent and responded to and confirm CFX message content data format integrity.
  • Technical Support – IPC technical support services will assist manufacturing operations looking to implement CFX-based solutions. The consultation services will cover project management, engineering-level guidance for the shop floor, application coding when getting started and support for machine vendor implementation.

IPC plans to roll out these programs in Q1 2020. Companies interested in getting information when programs are launched should send their contact information to IPCCFX@ipc.org.

David Bergman, IPC’s vice president of standards and technology states, “The goal of CFX is to bring technology-based optimization for all aspects of manufacturing operations, making the adoption of automation easier and more effective, as well as bringing enhancement of flexibility. IPC would like to recognize the strong contribution of the hundreds of volunteers from industry equipment and technology vendors who have been instrumental in this revolutionary step towards digital factory standards.”

Live demos of IPC CFX in action can be seen at productronica 2019 (Hall A1, Booth 305) and at IPC APEX EXPO 2020. Participants can follow the thousands of messages being sent from equipment live on their laptops or mobile device sat www.connectedfactoryexchange.com. For more information on IPC CFX, CFX supporters and other CFX resources, visit www.ipc-cfx.org.

WHMA 27th Annual Wire Harness Conference to Offer Workshop on the Evolution of IPC’s Cable and Wire Harness Document

Electronics Industry SME, Robert Cooke to present

Robert Cooke, NASA aerospace engineer and electronics industry subject matter expert, will deliver a technical education workshop, “The Evolution of IPC’s Cable & Wire Harness Documents: IPC-D-620, IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-HDBK-620 at the WHMA 27th Annual Wire Harness Conference, February 18, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

During the workshop, Cooke will cover how IPC’s cable and harness assembly documents were created – from the submission of comments and technical content covering acceptance requirements for cable and wire harness assemblies in IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC/WHMA-A-620x-S, to the evolution of companion documents IPC-D-620, IPC-HDBK-620, and separate design and acceptance documents for optical fiber, optical cable, and hybrid wiring harness assemblies.

In addition, Cooke will address how the documents can be used and what the acceptance code means; how the design and acceptance documents and handbooks work together; what a handbook does and doesn’t do; and hot topics included in each of the documents.

“High-quality cables and wiring harnesses are often the most overlooked or ignored component in a design,” said Cooke, “and this workshop provides important information on why design is critical in the development of standards such as IPC/WHMA A-620 and IPC-A-610.”

The technical education workshop is $150.00 for IPC/WHMA members and $185.00 for nonmembers. For more information on the conference including schedule, speaker profiles or to register for the workshop or other conference activities, visit http://annualconference.whma.org.

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