IPC’s Highest Honor, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award, Presented to Leo Lambert, Long-time IPC Volunteer

In recognition and acknowledgement of his extraordinary contributions to IPC and the electronics industry, Leo Lambert, EPTAC Corporation, was presented with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at IPC APEX EXPO on Tuesday, January 29 at the San Diego Convention Center. IPC’s most prestigious award, the Hall of Fame is given to individuals who have provided exceptional service and advancement to IPC and the electronics industry.

An active IPC volunteer and leader for IPC and the electronics manufacturing industry for more than 30 years, Lambert is the vice president and technical director at EPTAC Corporation. A graduate of BSME Lowell Technological Institute, now University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Lambert is an international expert on soldering and author of the text, “Soldering for Electronics Assemblies.”

An active participant in the Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC) and active contributor to the IPC J-STD-001 and Handbook, IPC-A-610 and IPC-AJ-820 Handbooks, IPC-A-600, IPC-6012 and IPC/WHMA-A-620, Lambert developed and wrote the first IPC-A-600 training program.

A former member of the Editorial Review board for Circuits Assembly magazine, Lambert also developed, published and conducted seminars on “Deadline to Lead Free” and “Thriving in a RoHS/WEEE Environment.” He published and presented numerous papers on soldering and cleaning at various technical seminars and exhibitions worldwide. In addition to being a past IPC chairman of many committees for soldering and cleaning, Lambert is a charter member on UNEP – the United Nations Environmental Program, a member of ICOLP – Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection, and a member of the mechanical engineering advisory board at the University of Massachusetts. He is also a recipient of the IPC President’s Award in 1989, a charter member of the IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 committees, and recipient of many distinguished committee service, leadership and special recognition awards for the development of IPC training programs.

“Leo’s contributions to IPC are immense and far-reaching,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We are thrilled to present him with our highest honor to thank him for sharing his talents and expertise with IPC and the electronics industry.”

North American PCB Sales Growth Ends 2018 Up 8.7 Percent

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for December 2018

IPC announced today the December 2018 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales growth bounced back in December and remained solid for the year. The book-to-bill ratio also strengthened in December and stands at 1.05.

Total North American PCB shipments in December 2018 were up 7.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Shipment growth ended the year at 8.7 percent. Compared to the preceding month, December shipments increased 17.1 percent.

PCB bookings in December were down 3.1 percent year-over-year but bookings ended 2018 at 5.7 percent above the previous year. Bookings in December were up 26.3 percent from the previous month.

“Despite slowing PCB sales growth in North America in recent months, the industry ended the year well ahead of 2017,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Although year-on-year PCB order growth was negative in December, order growth also remained positive for 2018. Despite declining orders and a related decline in the book-to-bill ratio,” Starr added, “the ratio bounced back in December. It has now been in positive territory for almost two years, which indicates a positive outlook for continued sales growth in the first half of 2019.”


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 next edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report,containing detailed fourth-quarter 2018 data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be available in February 2019. 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.

IPC’s Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee Vote Finalizes the Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) Standard

IPC announces unanimous ballot approval of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX) by the 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee. The electronics industry now has an industry standard it can use to quickly and easily implement Industry 4.0 in its manufacturing operations. IPC plans to release the standard which includes open-source software in the weeks ahead.

IPC CFX offers tremendous value to electronics manufacturers. 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 for customers, reducing time and travel spent on customized programming for customers. OEMs can also utilize the standard 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. The standard 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. Its benefits are made possible without the need for middleware, delivering significant cost savings to the manufacturer as well as improved solution reliability.

David Bergman, vice president, IPC standards and training states, “The effect of IPC CFX on the industry 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 recognizes the strong contribution from all those involved in the creation of the standard from the beginning, drawn from a committee of many hundreds of 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 Issues Call for Participation for IPC E-TEXTILES 2019

IPC invites innovators, technologists, materials suppliers, electrical engineers and academicians to submit technical conference abstracts and educational course proposals for IPC E-TEXTILES 2019 to be held on Wednesday, September 11 in Philadelphia, Pa.

The second IPC conference for the e-textiles industry, IPC E-TEXTILES 2019 will provide a platform for presenters and their companies to promote their expertise in e-textiles to key electrical engineers, consumer product developers and fashion designers, health and medical suppliers, and managers from automotive and military/aerospace. 

Expert technical papers and presentations are being sought in the following areas:

  • Reliability
  • Test Methods
  • Connectors
  • Design
  • Innovations in Materials
  • Mass Production
  • Washability
  • Market-specific E-Textiles Technologies (Automotive, Military, Consumer Wearables, etc.)

An approximate 300-word technical conference abstract summarizing original and previously unpublished work covering case histories, research and discoveries must be submitted. The submission should describe significant results from experiments and case studies, emphasize new techniques, discuss trends of interest and contain appropriate technical test results.

In addition, course proposals are solicited from individuals interested in presenting half-day (three-hour) professional development courses on e-textiles design, manufacturing processes and materials.

Technical conference paper abstracts and course proposals are due April 10, 2019. To submit an abstract or course proposal, e-mail Chris Jorgensen, IPC’s director of technology transfer, at ChrisJorgensen@ipc.org.

IPC North American EMS and PCB Statistical Programs Open

IPC’s statistical programs for the rigid printed circuit board (PCB), flexible circuit and contract electronics manufacturing (EMS) industries in North America are now open to new participants for 2018. The deadline for IPC members to sign up is February 2. Participation is free to IPC-member companies as a benefit of membership.

The statistical programs give participating IPC members access to timely market and management data that would be impossible for them to collect themselves and prohibitively expensive for individual companies to obtain from research firms. As a neutral and trusted third party, IPC collects sales, orders and other business data from the participating companies using a secure and confidential online survey system. In exchange, these companies receive the aggregate data monthly and comprehensive quarterly reports that reveal the latest market and management trends for the industry.

Participating companies use the data in their marketing, sales, planning and financial activities. It helps them to track changes in their market shares, compare their business performance against industry averages in their size tiers and product segments, and identify growing and declining markets.

These statistical programs have been running for decades. Participants are both public and private companies of all sizes, including many of the region’s leading PCB and EMS companies. IPC members interested in participating this year can sign up by contacting IPC at marketresearch@ipc.org or by phone at +1 847-597-2868, by February 2.

IPC EMS and PCB Statistical Programs for Members Now Open for 2019

IPC’s statistical programs for the printed circuit board (PCB) and contract electronics manufacturing (EMS) industries in North America are now open to new participants for 2019. The deadline for IPC members to sign up is February 1. Participation is free to IPC-member companies as a benefit of membership.

The statistical programs give participating companies access to timely market and management data that would be impossible for them to collect themselves and prohibitively expensive for individual companies to obtain from research firms. As a neutral and trusted third party, IPC collects sales, orders and other business data from the participating companies using a secure and confidential online survey system. In exchange, these companies receive the aggregate data monthly and comprehensive quarterly reports that reveal the latest market trends for the industry, as well as financial and operational benchmarking data.

Participating companies use the data in their marketing, sales, planning and financial activities. It helps them to track changes in their market shares, compare their business performance to industry averages within their size tiers and product segments, and identify growing and declining markets.

These statistical programs have been running for decades. Participants are both public and private companies of all sizes, including many of the region’s leading PCB and EMS companies. Details about these and other IPC statistical programs is at www.ipc.org/StatPrograms.

IPC members interested in participating this year can sign up by contacting IPC at marketresearch@ipc.org or by phone at +1 847-597-2868, by February 1.

IPC Welcomes New Technical Education Program Manager

IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announces the addition of Brook Sandy-Smith as technical education program manager, to its staff at IPC headquarters in Bannockburn (Chicago), Ill.

As manager of IPC’s technical educational program, Sandy-Smith will be responsible for content development and successful execution of IPC’s educational programs and technical proceedings for conferences, webinars, workshops, tutorials and professional development offerings for the electronics industry. She will lead the development and execution of the technical program and professional development curriculum components of the organization’s trade show events, specialty conferences and professional development events.

An experienced materials, process and applications engineer, Sandy-Smith has expertise in solving complex technical challenges, managing projects with multidisciplinary teams, and is an award-winning participant in electronics industry organizations, including three IPC distinguished committee service awards.

Prior to joining IPC, Sandy-Smith served as a senior technical support engineer and PCB assembly materials specialist at Indium Corporation, where she provided customer support of process and application development, was the preferred SMT expert for line audits and implementation of new designs and materials, and cultivated industry partnerships with equipment companies to understand new technologies in the industry. She also developed and standardized solder past test protocol and participated in training new engineers and engineering teams across the globe. An experienced presenter and author of many technical papers, Sandy-Smith won Indium Corporations’ best paper of 2016 and 2017. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island and Wilhemina Technical University in Braunschweig, Germany, Sandy-Smith is also an SMTA certified process engineer.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brook to IPC,” said Alicia Balonek, senior director, tradeshows and events. “With her extensive knowledge of the electronics manufacturing industry and IPC, she is a perfect fit as we work to create more relevant technical education programs for our membership.”

Sandy-Smith can be reached at BrookSandy@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2829.

Five IPC APEX EXPO Exhibiting Companies Earn 2019 Innovation Awards

Winners push boundaries of technology with innovative product submissions

IPC announces the winners of the IPC APEX EXPO 2019 Innovation Awards, a celebration of the innovators and forward thinkers who are changing the technological landscape of the electronics industry.

A panel of industry experts rated and scored each product and assigned a numerical value to each submitted product based on the following criteria: How is this product innovative?  How is this product changing the manufacturing industry?  What value will customers experience with this new product?

The IPC APEX EXPO Best of Innovation Awards will be presented on Tuesday, January 29 during the opening keynote to the following companies:

  • GreenSource Fabrication LLC for their printed circuit board fabrication facility, the only fully automated and "green" PCB fabricator of its kind. All chemicals and water are reclaimed and reused, and the facility’s daily water consumption is 500 gallons regardless of factory load.
  • Meyer Burger (Netherlands) BV for an inkjet printer for PCB soldermask. This novel inkjet-printed solder mask solution for PCBs, combines a dedicated production inkjet printing system based on Meyer Burger’s PiXDRO product line, Agfa’s unique DiPaMat solder mask ink, and advanced printing strategies for optimized layer deposition.
  • Nordson DAGE for Explorer one, an entry level, operator controlled, manual X-ray inspection (MXI) system for checking manufacturing quality in electronics assemblies. Common manufacturing defects such as open or bridged solder connections, BGA reflow quality and voiding can be checked quickly and easily on a high mix of product types across a PCB.
  • Henkel Corporation for its LOCTITE ECCOBOND UF 1173, a novel underfill that can withstand harsh environments and the elevated operating temperatures inherent with smaller, higher-functioning devices. In addition to its performance benefits, the product prioritizes health and safety.
  • Vayo (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd. for its DFM Expert v5, a unique 3D DFA/DFM solution for electronics manufacturing.

“The IPC APEX EXPO Innovation Awards allow us to celebrate the innovators and forward thinkers who are changing the technological landscape of the electronics industry,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “This year, product and service submissions were certainly innovative and the companies did an exceptional job in identifying their product’s unique value in the industry. The innovative submissions directly indicate the strength of the electronics industry and its ability to respond to new challenges resulting from emerging technologies in the electronics marketplace,” Mitchell added.

Members of the award review board include: Dave Geiger, Flex; Don Dupriest, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Carsten Salewski, Viscom Inc.; Martin Goetz, Northrop Grumman Corporation; and Terry Kocour, Lockheed Martin Corporation.

For more information on all IPC APEX EXPO activities, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

IPC and WHMA Sign Affiliation Agreement

WHMA members to receive all IPC-member benefits

On January 1, 2019, the Wire Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA), a trade association representing the cable assembly and wire harness manufacturing industry supply chain, and IPC  entered into an affiliation agreement. WHMA’s Board of Directors and membership determined that WHMA’s mission would more effectively be served by an affiliation with IPC which serves the global electronics industry supply chain, including the wire and cable industry vertical.

The IPC Board of Directors also supported the alliance. Per the affiliation agreement, IPC and the WHMA Board will work to grow the involvement of the cable assembly and wire harness industry globally. All current WHMA members become part of IPC’s membership and receive all IPC member benefits including educational, standards development, leadership, advocacy and solutions to industry challenges opportunities.

WHMA will have one voting representative on IPC’s Board of Directors with the WHMA Board of Directors structure remaining. In alignment with IPC’s structures, this group will be known as the WHMA Board. David Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and training, will support the WHMA Board as WHMA’s executive director. 

“As a global electronics industry association, IPC is honored to be able to bring the strength of its global brand and member services to WHMA,” said IPC president and CEO John Mitchell. “WHMA’s mission is very similar to IPC’s – the two associations exist to help their membership innovate, compete and succeed within the marketplace. We are knowledge providers and we connect our industries with a multitude of networking opportunities. We’re already hard at work to expand the involvement of the wire and cable industry globally in all IPC activities.”

“WHMA is thrilled to have signed the affiliation agreement with IPC,” notes Rick Bromm, president of Altex and chairman of the WHMA Board. “Our organizations have been working together for years and now with the agreement in place, WHMA will be able to access the resources of IPC to help WHMA meet our goals to ‘lead, educate and connect’ with companies in the cable and wire harness industry.”

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