On October 31, IPC announced that it has signed the President’s Pledge to the American Worker and made a commitment to create at least 1 million new training and workforce development opportunities in the electronics industry over the next five years. IPC‘s announcement coincided with an event at the White House with President Trump, White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump, Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow, and other Administration officials. IPC President and CEO John Mitchell and representatives from four IPC member companies — Calumet Electronics, Green Circuits, Summit Interconnect, and Zentech — were invited to participate in the event. In brief remarks, Ivanka Trump recognized IPC and praised our commitment to skilled workforce opportunities. View recording of the event. [caption id="attachment_4537" align="alignleft" width="300"] L to R: Joe O’Neil of Green Circuits; Meredith LaBeau of Calumet Electronics; John Mitchell of IPC; Ivanka Trump; Shane Whiteside of Summit Interconnect; Darryl Graves of Zentech[/caption]   Calumet Electronics, which is one of the largest employers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was featured in a local TV news report following the event. View the video news clip. Get Involved and Help Grow the Workforce of Tomorrow To achieve the goal of creating 1 million new training and career opportunities over the next five years, IPC is calling on IPC member companies to join our “IPC Workforce Champions” campaign. IPC Workforce Champions commit to work with IPC on three of our five education, training and workforce development programs, including participating in the IPC Job Task Analysis Committee; developing “Earn and Learn” programs; partnering with IPC on STEM programming in secondary and post-secondary schools; supporting scholarships through the IPC Education Foundation; and adopting the IPC certification framework in their companies. Some of the IPC members that have already joined the IPC Workforce Champions and are leading the way to address the skills gap include: • ALTEX • Green Circuits • Eagle Circuits • Optimum Design • STI Electronics • Summit Interconnect • TTM Technologies • VirTex MTI To learn more about IPC Workforce Champions and/or to sign up, please visit: go.ipc.org/gr-pledge. For questions about IPC Workforce Champions, please contact Ken Schramko, senior director, North American government relations at KenSchramko@ipc.org.

By John Mitchell, IPC President and CEO

Key Summary

• Counterfeit electronics pose a growing threat to manufacturing operations and supply chain integrity
• IPC is partnering with the U.S. Executive Agent for Printed Circuit and Interconnect Technologies to provide members with rare access to anti counterfeiting research
• Attendees will receive an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Crane Naval’s facilities and countermeasure technologies
• A full day symposium will cover global counterfeit trends and recommended supply chain protection protocols
• Event access is restricted to U.S. persons working for companies serving the defense market

Many IPC members have expressed to me their ongoing concern about the proliferation of counterfeit electronics. The intrusion of counterfeit electronics into the supply chain is a threat to the reputation and operations of every electronics manufacturer. Several months ago, I had the opportunity to receive a tour of the Crane Naval facility (the Executive Agent for Printed Circuit and Interconnect Technologies) and experience some of their counterfeit research and countermeasures directly. Crane is arguably the best in the world at this. I believe many of you would benefit from a similar experience and knowledge download.

To help our members better protect themselves, IPC is partnering with the Executive Agent (EA) to hold a special event next month. We have arranged for members to get a rare, behind-the-scenes tour of the EA’s facilities and the work they are doing to thwart counterfeit electronics. In a day-long symposium that follows, the experts at Crane will discuss global counterfeit trends and the protocols all manufacturers should establish to safeguard the integrity of their supply chains.

If you have concerns about counterfeit electronics in your supply chain, I strongly encourage you to register for this important and unique symposium and tour. Please note that, given the sensitive nature of the EA’s work, attendees must be U.S. persons working for companies that serve the defense market in some fashion. Participation in this event is capped, so register soon.

For more information, visit the event website or contact Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president of global government relations at ChrisMitchell@ipc.org.

Key Summary

• EU policy is pushing a circular economy focused on reparability, reusability and recycling
• The European Commission is assessing how chemical, product and waste laws interact
• Key issues include tracking substances of concern and managing recycled materials
• Electronics manufacturers face challenges with end of waste criteria and EU waste classification
• IPC is preparing a coordinated response for industry members to influence the consultation

The European Union promotes a “circular economy” with closed-loop production based as much as possible on reparability, reusability and recycling. But in order for more products to be recycled or reused, it is crucial to tackle the challenges at the source, by ensuring that the product design facilitates recycling, and by substituting, whenever feasible, hazardous substances with suitable alternatives. In this context, the European Commission recently asked stakeholders their opinions on the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation. The questionnaire drafted by the European Commission covers some key issues for the electronics industry, including the definition of ‘substances of concern’ and the tracking of these substances. Based on Commission’s communication on this subject, the aim of the questionnaire is to get stakeholders’ views on four issues posing obstacles to ‘the safe uptake of secondary raw materials’ and a number of related challenges: lack of information on substances of concern in products and waste; presence of substances of concern in recycled materials; difficulties in applying end-of-waste criteria; and unclear application of EU waste classification methodologies. This is one of the priority issues for the electronics industry in Europe, and IPC’s Senior Director of Europe, Nicolas Robin, is currently working with IPC members on a common response to the consultation. Please don’t hesitate to share your views and concerns. The deadline has been set for October 29, 2018. The European Commission’s key Policy Officer responsible for the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation, Enrique Garcia-John, will be one of the speakers at this year’s IPC IMPACT Europe on November 28-29 in Brussels. Register now to speak directly with high level EU decision-makers, make your voice heard, and better understand future EU legislative plans.

Key Summary

• The United States, Mexico and Canada finalized a new USMCA agreement to replace NAFTA after extensive negotiations.
• The agreement addresses topics including dairy imports, dispute settlement, online shopping rules and automotive rules of origin.
• Congressional approval is uncertain and may depend on outcomes of the upcoming midterm elections.
• IPC’s initial view is that USMCA modernizes NAFTA and supports North American economic integration.

Late last night, just hours before the Trump Administration’s self-imposed deadline, the United States, Canada and Mexico came to agreement on a new trade accord to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new deal is being referred to as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The leaders of the three countries expect to formally sign the USMCA on November 29, although it will not come before Congress for a vote until spring 2019. The Administration has released the full text of the agreement, and they are beginning to issue fact sheets to explain its benefits to the American economy. In striking the deal, trade negotiators tackled thorny issues including dairy import restrictions, dispute settlement procedures, tax-free online shopping, and automotive rules of origin. Trade experts warn that passage by Congress is not guaranteed, and the results of November’s midterm elections could determine its future. Lawmakers from both parties are expected to scrutinize the agreement’s provisions related to dispute settlement procedures, intellectual property protections, and labor and environmental standards. They will also seek to understand how stricter automotive rules of origin could constrain and complicate North American manufacturing. We are continuing to review the agreement to evaluate its impact on the electronics industry, but our initial estimation is that this agreement appropriately modernizes NAFTA, allowing for greater integration and growth of the North American marketplace. Please watch for our more in-depth analysis soon. The fast-track negotiation procedures utilized by the President include strict requirements and timelines. For more information about the timeline, please reference this informative blog post produced by Prime Policy Group, our Washington, D.C. lobbying firm. Statement – John Mitchell On behalf of the electronics industry, I want to extend my congratulations and appreciation to the governments of the U.S., Mexico and Canada for their many months of tireless negotiations on a new trilateral trade agreement. The North American electronics supply chain has grown steadily over the last 25 years. In striking an agreement that modernizes NAFTA to address the current trade concerns of all three countries, USMCA promises to deliver another 25 years of sustainable, mutually beneficial trade. The USMCA promises to spur even greater integration among the North American economies and strengthen the entire region’s stature as a formidable global manufacturing base. Improving the manufacturing competitiveness of North America, in turn, will unlock more economic growth and job creation, benefiting communities across the continent. As always, IPC will be working to assess the deal’s likely impacts on our industry, and we will continue to advocate for our members’ interests as the debate goes forward.