IPC Releases IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX)

Industry standard allows for quick and easy implementation of Industry 4.0 applications

IPC announces the release of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX).The electronics industry now has an industry standard available to all companies in the industry, regardless of size or location which can be used to quickly and easily implement “Industry 4.0” and “smart factory” applications to their manufacturing operations.

IPC CFX offers tremendous value to electronics manufacturers as well as equipment vendors, solution providers, in-house IT groups and users with applications where data is transmitted and captured. EMS companies can set up seamless data communication between all equipment on their lines and track production on all the equipment from any part of the world in real time. Machine vendors have one plug-and-play data communication solution, reducing time and travel spent on customized programming for customers. OEMs can also utilize these standards to enhance real-time control of product quality, from board assembly to box build.

Because it is an industry standard, IPC CFX creates a level playing field for any company large or small to prepare for Industry 4.0 or to simply benefit from the machine-to-business data communication. IPC CFX also was developed with simplicity in mind. Rather than days or even weeks required to implement new equipment into a line, IPC CFX can be loaded and fully workable in a matter of hours.

IPC CFX defines all three critical elements required for a true plug and play industrial IoT standard: a message protocol, an encoding mechanism and a specific content creation element. The benefits are made possible without the need for middleware, delivering significant cost savings to the manufacturer as well as improved solution reliability.

The IPC CFX standard supports the concept of “big data,” including data of different types from across the factory, data on performance, materials, resources, users, quality events, product tracking and more. The types of data included in IPC CFX are used in many ways such as, a closed-loop feedback system, live production dashboards, MES control, and active quality management are just a few. Capturing all this information leads to a “big data” environment which can be used to create value opportunities to the whole operation.

David Bergman, vice president, IPC 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.”

For more information on IPC CFX, visit www.ipc-cfx.org.

IPC Launches New Certified Standards Expert Certification for Six IPC Standards

Responding to industry demand and member feedback, IPC created a new certification for company subject matter experts on IPC Standards. Companies need staff that understand IPC Standards at a deep level. The Certified Standards Expert (CSE) will possess a high level of expertise and serve as an in-house expert on IPC Standards. A CSE is not required to train, unlike a Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) who is required to train to maintain their certification.

Candidates may pursue CSE certification for six IPC Standards: IPC-J-STD-001, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, IPC-6012, IPC-7711/21 and IPC/WHMA-A-620. Upon certification, CSEs are able to navigate the IPC standard efficiently; identify relevant sections of the standard to address specific questions; act as a subject matter expert on all matters related to the standard; and apply the standard to specific company needs.  Certification is valid for two years and is available through IPC’s Licensed Training Centers.

David Hernandez, IPC vice president of education said, “After talking to IPC members and looking at internal data, we realized the need for the CSE level of certification. In the past, if you needed a higher-level of expertise than a Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) you became a Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) even if you didn’t train anyone. Now we offer a comparable certification to the CIT without the training component. A CSE is not required to train.”

IPC has also shifted the training materials to online-only delivery streamlining the registration and fulfillment processes. “The feedback we received from our beta-testing has been very positive and we continue to look for better ways to serve our customers,” added Hernandez.

For more information on the new Certified Standards Expert certification, visit  http://www.ipc.org/CSE.

IPC Hand Soldering Competition Winner Crowned at ELECTROSUB 2019 in Budapest

In conjunction with ELECTROSUB 2019, Microsolder and IPC conducted the second regional European qualification for the IPC Hand Soldering Competition in Budapest, Hungary on April 3-5, 2019. The competition in Budapest drew 33 professional hand soldering competitors for the coveted hand soldering regional competition crown. In addition to this year’s professional competition, 34 beginners from local high schools competed for first, second and third place cash prizes over the three-day period.

This year, the first and third place winners came from the same company Elektromont Kft. The first-place winner, Istvan Bidlek won a cash prize of 96000 Hungarian Forint and the opportunity to compete at the IPC World Hand Soldering Championship in November 2019, located at productronica in Munich, Germany. Coming in second place was Adam Istvan, from Eurocircuits Kft. Who received a cash prize of 64000 Hungarian Forint. The third-place winner, Imre Papp took home a cash prize of 32000 Hungarian Forint for his strong efforts.

IPC’s local training center partner Microsolder helped to organize the hand soldering competition and provided the independent judges for the competition. The competitors were evaluated on completing a finished assembly, based on workmanship, overall functionality, compliance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria and speed, with a 60-minute time limit.

Thirty-four competitors participated in the student hand soldering competition. Varga Balazs, took first place and received a cash prize of 10000 Hungarian Forint. In second place, Toszegi Mate received a cash prize of 7000 Hungarian Forint.  Balazs Markus took third place with a cash prize of price of 4000 Hungarian Forint.

“The best-of-the-best hand soldering talent in Hungary came to compete at ELECTROSUB 2019,” said David Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and technology. “The competition was tough, but each competitor rose to the challenge. We look forward to hosting more hand soldering competitions across the globe.” Bergman added, “IPC would like to thank hand soldering competition gold sponsors: JBC, HAKKO, and Thales; silver sponsors: Optilia, The Daylight Company, Almit, Zestron et NCAB, Microsolder; for their support.”

IPC is planning additional regional hand soldering competitions in Europe. Watch for announcements from IPC with locations and times and on IPC’s Hand Soldering Competition web page. For more information on IPC events, visit www.ipc.org/events.

IPC Pulse Survey Shows Positive Industry Outlook Continues but Varies by Region

First-quarter 2019 results from IPC’s Pulse of the Electronics Industry global data service shows an electronics industry that is still riding the crest of the current growth cycle, despite cooling enthusiasm in some regions and industry segments.

The 167 participating companies worldwide reported average quarterly sales growth of 8.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018. Their average forecast for first-quarter 2019 sales growth was a bullish 9.8 percent worldwide.

The industry’s outlook on the current direction of the business environment worldwide rebounded in the first quarter of 2019 after scores edged downward in the last three quarters of 2018, although they remained positive all year. Most participating companies reported the current direction for sales, orders, order backlogs and profit margins as moving in a positive direction. Increasing labor and materials costs and recruiting challenges were the main factors negatively affecting the current-state score.

The companies’ outlook for the next six months also strengthened in the first quarter of 2019. Growth in sales, production, number of full-time employees, markets, capital investment and exports contributed to the strong six-month outlook. The 12-month business outlook also strengthened in the first quarter, with 88 percent of responding companies indicating a positive outlook.

The strong current-state score and six-month outlook were driven by results from companies in the Americas and global businesses. Asia and Europe had negative current-state scores. Their six-month outlook was positive, but weaker than the outlook for companies in the Americas and global businesses. Among the industry segments, the current-state score was strongest for OEMs and weakest for materials suppliers, although all industry segments indicated positive current-state scores in the first quarter of 2019.

Respondents comment every quarter on the trends or conditions that are driving or limiting their business growth. The comments reveal that component shortages have begun to ease, while there is growing concern about the shortage of qualified workers as the major factor limiting growth. Workforce issues now appear to be the biggest concern in all regions and segments of the industry, followed by tariffs and trade disruptions.

The second-quarter 2019 survey is now online with a deadline of April 19. Electronics industry executives with knowledge of their companies’ performance are eligible to participate. The confidential IPCPulseQ22019 survey is brief and easy for company management to answer, and there is no cost to participate. All eligible participants who complete the survey by April 19 will receive a report on the findings.

IPC Welcomes New Director of EHS Policy and Research

IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces the addition of Kelly Scanlon, DrPH, CIH, as director of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) policy and research to its staff at IPC’s offices in Washington, D.C.

As IPC’s EHS policy and research director, Dr. Scanlon will lead IPC’s EHS advocacy and will work with IPC’s North American Government Relations Committee, the EHS Committee and IPC’s larger membership to develop a robust environmental policy agenda and a plan to achieve that agenda. In addition, she will represent IPC before policymakers and with industry coalitions and will be responsible for providing membership updates and analyses on pertinent EHS developments through online communications, events and one-on-one engagement.

Dr. Scanlon comes to IPC with more than 20 years of experience. Most recently she worked at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) where she helped identify policy and technology solutions for improved chemical management. Her work at the Defense Department was facilitated through a relationship DoD has with The George Washington University, where she had been a senior research scientist. She previously worked as a consultant and scientist in the private sector.

“Kelly brings strong technical credentials to her position at IPC,” said Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president of global government relations. “With more than two decades as a public health scientist, Kelly has influenced and strengthened environmental and occupational health policies inside and outside of government. We are thrilled to welcome Kelly to the IPC team, and we look forward to the contributions she will make to the electronics industry.”   

Dr. Scanlon can be reached at KellyScanlon@ipc.org or + 1 202-661-8091.

IPC Issues Call for Participation for Electronics Materials Forum

Presentations sought on emerging technologies

IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries® invites engineers, researchers, academics, technical experts and industry leaders to submit presentation topics and descriptions for IPC Electronics Materials Forum, a new technical conference focusing on developments in materials and processes associated with electronics assembly and manufacturing. The conference will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., November 5-7, 2019.

The content of the IPC Electronics Materials Forum will focus on materials for board fabrication, assembly, and post-assembly protection with an emphasis on the emerging technologies that challenge our existing materials set. Developments needed for the future will be addressed, and interactive panels will extend an open forum to discuss solutions to these challenges.

IPC is seeking presentations on emerging technologies challenging existing material sets, as well as the following topics of interest:

Substrate Materials:

  • Novel board laminates
  • Surface finishes
  • Solder mask advancements
  • Flexible/wearable circuits
  • HDI developments

Assembly Materials:

  • New solder alloys
  • Flux development
  • Cleaning chemistries
  • Assembly process strategies
  • Thermal interface solutions

Protective Materials:

  • Cleaning chemistries
  • Conformal coatings
  • Adhesive
  • Underfills

“While many future technologies can be envisioned, they cannot be fully developed without the materials and processes to manufacture them,” said Brook Sandy-Smith, IPC technical education program manager, “this conference is ideal for engineers and managers that procure materials or want to understand advancements in materials for the board, assembly, components, and protective layers.”

Presentation titles and short descriptions should be sent to Sandy-Smith, at BrookSandy@ipc.org by June 28, 2019. For information regarding sponsorship/exhibiting, contact Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director, tradeshows and events, at AliciaBalonek@ipc.org.

IPC Welcomes New Senior Director of Member Success

IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces the addition of Clay Ervine as senior director of member success to its staff at IPC headquarters in Bannockburn (Chicago), Ill.

As IPC’s senior director of member success, Ervine is responsible for managing the IPC member experience and customer support team as well as growing IPC’s membership globally. Essential functions of his role include planning, reporting, membership sales, customer service, member/customer data integrity, membership administration, recruiting, selection and training member success team talent.

A seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in customer service, operational improvement, change management and account development for a variety of organizations, Ervine was most recently the director of customer operations at Akorn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he was responsible for leading the customer service and inside sales departments.

“Clay has a long track record of improving the customer service experience, establishing a ‘voice of the customer’ culture and building successful teams, mentoring future leaders, and retaining key talent by creating positive work environments and career path options,” said Brian Knier, IPC vice president of member success and chief marketing officer. “IPC staff looks forward to working with Clay as we continue to enhance our customer support experience and provide exceptional membership value. We are thrilled to welcome Clay to the IPC team.”        

Ervine can be reached at ClayErvine@ipc.org or + 1 847-597-2865.

North American PCB Business Growth Continues, January Results Revised

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for February 2019

IPC announced today the February 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders both experienced solid year-over-year growth in February and the book-to-bill ratio strengthened to 1.06. Based on revised data from the industry, January business results made a much stronger showing than originally reported.

Total North American PCB shipments in February 2019 were up 13.9 percent, following a 15.5 percent rise in January, compared to the same months last year. Year-to-date sales growth in February was 14.7 percent. Compared to the preceding month, February shipments decreased 5.2 percent.

PCB bookings in February increased 10.7 percent year-over-year, after decreasing 1.7 percent in January. Year-to-date order growth in February was up 4.4 percent. Bookings in February were up 8.8 percent from the previous month.

“Revised January data from the North American PCB industry brought welcome changes to the 2019 business results to date,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “After slowing growth in the latter part of 2018, strong growth has returned in 2019. The book-to-bill ratio rebounded from a corrected level of 1.02 in January to 1.06 in February, indicating the likelihood of continued sales growth in the coming months.”


Note: The January 2018-March 2018 ratios have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.


Note: The January 2018-March 2018 growth rates have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.

View Chart in PDF

Detailed Data Available

The first-quarter 2019 edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report, containing detailed data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be published in May. The quarterly report presents 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. This report is available free to current participants in IPC’s PCB Statistical Program and by subscription to others. PCB companies that are IPC members doing business in North America are invited to contact marketresearch@ipc.org for information about participating. More information about this report can be found at www.ipc.org/market-research-reports.

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.

New Opportunity for Managers Announced

Special Attention to ‘Emerging Managers’
Jun 18, 2020

By Tracy Riggan, senior director, Business Development

In times like these, effective management skills to navigate uncertainty and fast-paced shifts are critical. Coupled with talent shortages which overburden existing teams, it can be challenging for businesses to build internal mentorship and management training from within.

Our members tell us that one of the key areas they need help with is leadership training. At the same time, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Council recognized a gap in management content for engineering managers at the beginning of their careers.

With this in mind, the council is proud to announce a new offering at IPC APEX EXPO 2021. The Managers’ Forum, presented by the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Council will take place on Monday, January 25. The theme in 2021 will be Managing Challenges in Periods of Transition and will cover pandemic, trade, economic, and political impacts.

“Our purpose with this event is to provide information, experiences, advice, training and exposure for emerging and rising managers in the electronics supply chain while at the same time, engaging existing managers. We hope to share the wisdom of current industry leaders with future leaders,” said Denny Fritz, Hall of Fame Council Chair.

“We’ve brought together an exciting list of industry icons and senior managers to tell what they learned from the recent unexpected disruptions, the changes they have made to survive, and how they now plan to thrive going forward,” said event chair Gene Weiner, Weiner International Associates. Weiner shared the following sneak peak of the agenda:

• A supply chain panel, composed of a material supplier, fabricator, EMS company, component supplier, and OEM will field questions regarding their experiences, actions taken, and plans for the future.
• Presentations by senior executives of fabricators and their supply chain will highlight how they have weathered the storm, plan to go forward, and will evaluate new products and processes.
• Norman Weiss, enabler of international alliances and advisor for digitized manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and the Chairman of German Robotics, will speak on digitizing in the new world.
• Harald Ahnert, president of Atotech Electronics, will tell how his global operations have supported its fabrication, packaging, and IC customers around the world and what the company’s plans are going forward for future development during a period of rapid change.

“This is a step by the Hall of Fame Council in the direction of providing and organizing industry mentorship specifically for its managers and future leaders,” added Sanjay Huprikar, IPC vice president, Solutions.

We invite all managers of technology businesses in the electronics supply chain to attend on January 25 and especially welcome emerging and rising managers.

For more information, visit www.ipcapexexpo.org.

IPC and ITI Convene Experts and Members to Examine Critical Environmental Requirements for Electronics

Jun 17, 2020
Kelly Scanlon, IPC director of environment, health and safety policy and research Last Tuesday, June 9, IPC partnered with the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) to offer an educational conference for the electronics sector on critical environmental requirements. Previous conferences entailed a cross-country roadshow including stops in multiple cities from the East to West coasts. Due to the pandemic, this year’s event was held via webinar, and the participation level was strong! In all, we hosted 90 attendees, 12 speakers, and four sponsors from 25 states and 10 countries, who learned about: • The “Circular Economy” strategy; • The U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); • The European Commission’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive; • The Substances of Concern in Products (SCIP) database; • IPC and other industry standards for electronics and the environment; and • Novel approaches for product sustainability and COVID-19 response. The conference speakers represented government and industry experience, including: • William Neale, from the Directorate-General for Environment within the European Commission; • Susanna Blair and Ryan Schmit from the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; • Steve Andrews, currently with a global solutions provider in supply chain management and the former Deputy Head of the Resources & Waste Team in the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra); and • Walter Jager, an environmental compliance provider and leader in standards development for IEC, ISO, IPC, IEEE, NSF, UL, and CSA. Attendees also had the chance to engage with the event sponsors: Anthesis/The Compliance Map; Gensuite; GreenSoft Technology; and iPoint. This year, the sponsors doubled as speakers during five-minute “sponsor takeovers” during which subject matter experts from the sponsoring companies engaged directly with the audience in short, informative presentations – kind of like high-intensity intervals that kept attendees engaged and pumped. Kudos to Marc Church, Anne Barr, Brian Ahlers, Randy Flinders, and Donavan Hornsby for their creative presentations. This year, we also increased our social media presence. IPC, ITI, event sponsors, and speakers used Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to advertise and share news about the event with a large, global audience. The key takeaways included policy themes that reflect our daily work to engage with industry and government colleagues on critical environmental requirements for electronics. These themes include: • Consideration of the product life cycle. The chemicals and materials that are critical at each stage of an electronic product’s life-cycle require industry to have end-to-end data and information throughout the supply chain. The TSCA risk evaluations for high-priority substances and the requirements for the SCIP database are real-time examples of how we need to frame our understanding of conditions of use and the risks to human health and the environment in each stage. • Data. Data and information about the chemicals and materials that make up electronic products are more important than ever to sound decision making and policy creation. We need to consider how to improve our abilities to collect, manage, present, and communicate data within industry and to policy makers. • Standards can help industry and government. Ecodesign, ecolabel, and materials declaration standards enable industry to identify the data and information that are useful in design choices, circularity objectives, and end-of-life management options. These standards can be used to meet reporting requirements that will enable the circular economy goals. • Policies as instruments for change. RoHS continues to evolve even as we see new policies and requirements emerging, such as the various chemical and product strategies under the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan. We need to stay engaged. • Communication. We are remiss if we do not work together to nurture partnerships among supply chain members and between industry and government. Industry and government can engage through public comments, stakeholder meetings, site visits, and/or less formal meetings that aim to build trust and shared goals. While it is the responsibility of every company to understand the environmental requirements that apply to them, IPC will continue to be your educational resource and your advocate. To learn more about IPC’s policy and research work in the area of environment, health, and sustainability, please e-mail me at KellyScanlon@ipc.org or subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.
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