ICYMI: Electronics Manufacturing Is Huge in California

Mar 15, 2024

By Chris Mitchell, IPC vice president, global government relations 

When most people think of California, they think about miles of beautiful beaches, the Pacific Ocean, wineries, national parks and cities brimming with excitement. But did you know California is the #1 state in the United States for electronics manufacturing?

That’s just one of the reasons that IPC is convening IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, but it’s a pretty good reason. 

Perhaps it’s not surprising that my home state -- the nation’s largest state and the home of the integrated circuit and Silicon Valley -- is also home to the nation’s largest concentration of IPC members, 98 in all, spread across 291 sites.

Electronics Manufacturing in California

California’s EM industry is well represented across all of its sub-sectors, from PCB to EMS and OSAT. It’s found in both southern California and the Bay Area; Orange County, the site of IPC APEX EXPO, has one of the highest concentrations of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies in North America.

Several of the world’s top companies in the field are based in California, including Flex, Green Circuits, Jabil, Sanmina, Summit Interconnect, and TTM Technologies.

And California’s electronics manufacturers are key players in several of the world’s most important end-product markets, including aerospace, automotive, defense, and information technology and communications.   

Not surprisingly, the economic impacts of this industry in California are huge. According to IPC data, electronics manufacturers directly employ about 275,000 people and help support an additional 700,000 jobs in the state. Including indirect and induced output, California has over $300 billion in annual electronics manufacturing output, followed by Texas at over $110 billion.

The industry’s prominence in California means the state is also experiencing the industry’s greatest challenges:

  • A shortage of skilled workers and too few defined career paths for young EM professionals.  
  • Stiff competition from other regions of the world that have developed equal or better ecosystems for electronics manufacturing and innovation.  
  • Vulnerability to global supply chain shocks such as those that occurred during and after the COVID pandemic.

Come join us in California for IPC APEX EXPO 2024. Register today!

Bold Breakthroughs: Women Reshaping the Engineering Landscape

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IPC is shining a spotlight on the incredible women in the electronics industry who are breaking barriers, making bold breakthroughs, and paving the way for future generations. They're not just engineers – they're innovators, problem-solvers, and trailblazers who are transforming the field in ways never seen before.

Join IPC on June 24 at 10:00 am EDT for a special virtual event, "Bold Breakthroughs: Women Reshaping the Engineering Landscape," as we celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Our lineup of panelists features nine extraordinary women from nine different countries, each a leader in her own right within the electronics industry:

🔸Sylvie Bugnand, Founder and Director, Polygone CAO (France)
🔸Susann Chen, Senior Engineer, Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co. (China)
🔸Savita Ganjigatti, Vice President, Engineering, Sienna ECAD Technologies (India)
🔸Milea Kammer, Senior Engineering Manager – Materials Engineering, Honeywell Aerospace (United States)
🔸Susan Kayesar, PCBflow Product Manager, Siemens Digital Industries Software (Israel)
🔸Carol Marsh, Head of Digital Systems, Celestia Technologies (United Kingdom)
🔸Raquel Rodriguez, CEO, INSYTE SA (Spain)
🔸Outi Rusanen, Principal Interconnection Specialist, TactoTek (Finland)
🔸Corina Stocker, Senior Expert Press-fit Technology, Continental Automotive Technologies (Germany)

Emcee: IPC’s Teresa Rowe, Senior Director, Assembly & Standards Technology

Get ready to hear firsthand about:

🚀 Their inspiring engineering journey

🏆 Their proudest accomplishment

💡 One invaluable piece of advice (or a lesson learned)

Meet the faces behind the feats -- this is your chance to connect with these trailblazing women, learn from their experiences, and chart your own path to success.

Don't miss out on this empowering event and get ready to be inspired like never before! Together, let's celebrate the unstoppable force of female engineers and ignite a new era of innovation.

REGISTER FOR FREE VIRTUAL PANEL

Online Event

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

Online Event

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

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Biden’s State of the Union Address Touches on Issues of Importance to Electronics Manufacturing

Mar 12, 2024

By Chris Mitchell and Rich Cappetto, IPC Government Relations Team 

Although politics and theater may have permeated President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night, there were several points when the substantive interests of the electronics manufacturing industry were mentioned, from the CHIPS program to Buy American to the skilled workforce and corporate taxes.

On the CHIPS for America program, he said, “the United States is investing more in research and development than ever before;” private companies are investing billions of dollars” in new manufacturing capacity; and “tens of thousands” of well-paying jobs are being created, many of which won’t require a college degree. 

IPC is urging a holistic approach to the electronics supply chain, including chips but also adjacent manufacturing capabilities such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), advanced packaging, IC substrates, and electronic assemblies. We’re having to fight for our appropriate share of attention, but we do welcome the emphasis on building a more robust, resilient electronics ecosystem in the United States and around the world. 

On workforce issues, Biden recalled once speaking with a group of CEOs who told him their greatest need was “a better educated workforce.” He challenged them to do more workforce education and training themselves.

In fact, IPC has been the leading provider of education and training in the electronics industry for years, working directly with our members, with little or no support from government. We now credential more than 120,000 people per year to work in electronics manufacturing jobs, and we recently secured U.S. Department of Labor approval for two new registered apprenticeship programs.

Creating career pathways at scale is the key to addressing our industry’s workforce challenge, and IPC is doing it. Indeed, we’re a prime example of industry doing its part. That said, targeted investments from government would increase the scale and speed of these programs to meet the need to train tens of thousands of workers in the next five years.

On another front, we were concerned to hear about a proposed increase in the minimum tax on corporate income. IPC supports the current corporate income tax rate as it levels the playing field with other countries and provides greater opportunities for companies to invest in R&D and in their workforce.

You can read the script for yourself via WhiteHouse.gov or a variety of websites, and you may be interested in a White House online briefing on their economic agenda on Monday, March 11 at 10:30 am ET, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Please let us know: What did you think about the President’s policy agenda and how it will affect our industry?

Foreign Object Debris for Electronics Manufacturing Course Available in Spanish, French and German

IPC has announced the expansion of its complimentary training offerings for IPC members with the introduction of a “Foreign Object Debris (FOD) for Electronics Manufacturing” course, now available in French, Spanish and German. This initiative reinforces IPC's commitment to providing valuable resources to its members worldwide. FOD training across electronics manufacturing and assembly can mitigate risks, ensuring quality production and reliable electronics products.

The FOD course joins the training courses "ESD Control for Electronics Manufacturing" and “Safety for Electronics Manufacturing” which are also offered in English, French, and German and serves to familiarize participants with the intricacies of electrostatic discharge (ESD) and the precautions necessary for mitigating its impacts during the handling, storage, or transportation of ESD-sensitive components and common safety practices within an electronics manufacturing environment.

Available to all IPC member companies, these training resources facilitate cost reduction by offering free access to essential knowledge and enabling the seamless implementation of standardized training across multiple manufacturing sites. Since their launch in 2023, IPC member companies have trained more than 10,000 employees using IPC member courses.

With a focus on efficiency and effectiveness, IPC's training modules are designed to deliver fundamental skills in just 45 minutes, ensuring that trainees can quickly transition to the production line with confidence and proficiency. By offering consistent training in different languages, IPC empowers its members worldwide to streamline operations and enhance overall productivity.

IPC members are encouraged to take advantage of this valuable benefit to optimize their training processes, improve operational performance, and elevate their competitive edge in the industry.

For more information about IPC's complimentary training courses and membership benefits, visit https://edu.ipc.org/membercourses.

FTG Circuits Earns IPC-1791 Trusted Electronic Designer, Fabricator and Assembler QML Requalification

IPC’s Validation Services program has awarded an IPC-1791, Trusted Electronics Fabricator Qualified Manufacturer Listing (QML) requalification to FTG Circuits’ Haverhill, Mass. location.

FTG Circuits manufactures printed circuit boards for leaders in the aviation, defense, and high-technology industries.              

“IPC-1791 Qualified Manufacturer Listing incorporates the NIST-SP-800 and verifies that FTG Circuits Haverhill has successfully achieved robust and stringent cyber, physical, and chain-of-custody protocols to assure the security of our customers’ products and critical IP,” commented Peter Bigelow, president of FTG East. He added, “We are proud to have achieved the distinction as an IPC Validation Services Qualified Trusted Fabricator Supplier since 2020.”

IPC's Validation Services QML program was developed to promote supply chain verification. It also provides auditing and qualification of electronics companies' products and identifies processes that conform to IPC standards.                                   

“Unlike other audit programs, IPC's Validation Services programs uniquely provide technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes following IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to recognize FTG Circuits, Haverhill on becoming members of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers and their requalification.”                   

For more information about IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML program, visit www.ipcvalidation.org or contact Randy Cherry at RandyCherry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2806.

European EMS Market Grew to a Record Level in 2023 But May Experience Challenges in 2024

Mar 06, 2024

by Sanjay Huprikar, IPC President, Europe and South Asia Operations

As revealed this week by an annual survey conducted by in4ma and sponsored by IPC Electronics Europe GmbH, the European electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry experienced a robust 11 percent growth last year. Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) production by EMS companies achieved record revenues of 57.3 billion Euros in 2023, underscoring electronics manufacturing’s vital role in the European economy and industrial base.

Dieter Weiss, founder and president of in4ma, and lead architect of the survey, stated that 306 legal entities contributed data to this year’s survey, which represented a 50 percent expansion in participants in just three years.

Key year-over-year industry takeaways from the survey data included:

  • Eighty-one percent of EMS companies had higher revenues than the previous year.
  • Employment in the EMS industry increased by approximately 14,000 to just over 254,000 total, which represented employment growth of 5.9 percent.
  • EMS production of PCBAs represented only 43 percent of the total market of European PCBA production in Europe, so long-term growth potential still exists.
  • The market remained very top heavy: Less than four percent of the total EMS companies in Europe represented over 70 percent of revenue.
  • Excessive raw materials in inventory were calculated to be 5.2 billion Euros.
  • Market consolidation will continue in 2024 as witnessed by 12 merger and acquisition (M&A) deals completed just in the first two months of the new year.
  • Overall prognosis for 2024 is that the European EMS market could contract by up to one percent.

Weiss will share his findings at several live presentations over the next six months:

  • IPC APEX EXPO – Anaheim, California, USA – April 8
  • in4ma EMS & PCB Forum – Ulm, Germany – June 6
  • IPC UK EMS Executives Meeting – London, UK – June 13
  • IPC European EMS Executives Meeting – Gdansk, Poland – September 25

The full report, “Annual Survey of the European EMS Industry 2024,” authored by Dieter Weiss and Mareike Haass can be purchased directly from in4ma for 690 Euros. Contact Weiss at weiss@in4ma.de for additional information.

IPC fully champions the Pan-European EMS industry by focusing on standards, education, advocacy, solutions, industry intelligence, and networking events. You can learn more about how to participate in these initiatives by contacting Philippe Leonard, senior director, IPC Electronics Europe GmbH, at PhilippeLeonard@ipc.org.

European EMS Market Grew to a Record Level in 2023 But May Experience Challenges in 2024

As revealed this week by an annual survey conducted by in4ma and sponsored by IPC Electronics Europe GmbH, the European electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry experienced a robust 11 percent growth last year. Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) production by EMS companies achieved record revenues of 57.3 billion Euros in 2023, underscoring electronics manufacturing’s vital role in the European economy and industrial base.

Dieter Weiss, founder and president of in4ma, and lead architect of the survey, stated that 306 legal entities contributed data to this year’s survey, which represented a 50 percent expansion in participants in just three years.

Key year-over-year industry takeaways from the survey data included:

  • Eighty-one percent of EMS companies had higher revenues than the previous year.
  • Employment in the EMS industry increased by approximately 14,000 to just over 254,000 total, which represented employment growth of 5.9 percent.
  • EMS production of PCBAs represented only 43 percent of the total market of European PCBA production in Europe, so long-term growth potential still exists.
  • The market remained very top heavy: Less than four percent of the total EMS companies in Europe represented over 70 percent of revenue.
  • Excessive raw materials in inventory were calculated to be 5.2 billion Euros.
  • Market consolidation will continue in 2024 as witnessed by 12 merger and acquisition (M&A) deals completed just in the first two months of the new year.
  • Overall prognosis for 2024 is that the European EMS market could contract by up to one percent.

Weiss will share his findings at several live presentations over the next six months:

  • IPC APEX EXPO – Anaheim, California, USA – April 8
  • in4ma EMS & PCB Forum – Ulm, Germany – June 6
  • IPC UK EMS Executives Meeting – London, UK – June 13
  • IPC European EMS Executives Meeting – Gdansk, Poland – September 25

The full report, “Annual Survey of the European EMS Industry 2024,” authored by Dieter Weiss and Mareike Haass can be purchased directly from in4ma for 690 Euros. Contact Weiss at weiss@in4ma.de for additional information.

IPC fully champions the Pan-European EMS industry by focusing on standards, education, advocacy, solutions, industry intelligence, and networking events. You can learn more about how to participate in these initiatives by contacting Philippe Leonard, senior director, IPC Electronics Europe GmbH, at PhilippeLeonard@ipc.org.

Best Technical Conference Papers at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Selected

New this year, student scholarship awarded by IPC Education Foundation

The best technical conference papers of the ECWC16 Technical Conference at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 have been selected. Voted on through a ballot process by members of the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Conference Program Committee (TPC), the paper authors will be recognized during show opening remarks on Tuesday, April 9.

“All of the papers making up the ECWC16 Technical Conference at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 represent the highest quality technical content from authors around the world,” said Stan Rak, co-chair of the TPC. “The global diversity of the presenting authors increased this year because of the large Asian cohort affiliated with the World Electronic Circuits Council (WECC). A Conference high 28 abstracts were received in total from next generation authors as well as seven student contributions, thus demonstrating the Conference’s ability to reach early career professionals. However, there is still a vast amount of experience taking stage with more than 25 percent of the presenting authors holding doctoral degrees. The commitment to quality is reflected in this year's selection of Best of Conference, NextGen, and Best Student papers. We extend our congratulations to all the award winners!"

         Taking top honors in the Best of Conference category, the winning papers are:

  • “Innerlayer Copper Balancing to Reduce PCB Surface Topography Under Large Form Factor BGAs” by Gary Brist, Intel and HDP User Group. His co-author is Neil Hubble, MBA, Akrometrix. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S07: PCB Fab 2: Laminate Materials 1 on Tuesday, April 9.
  • “Humidity Robustness of Electronic Control Units – The Hidden Factor Solder Resist” by Lothar Henneken, Ph.D., Robert Bosch GmbH. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S06: High Reliability for Extreme Requirements, on Tuesday, April 9.
  • “A Parametric Approach to Quantifying the Environmental Impact of PCB Manufacturing” by Maarten Cauwe, Ph.D., imec. His co-authors are Geert Willems, Ph.D., imec, and Eddy Geerinckx, ACB. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S08: Sustainability for Electronics 2: Life Cycle Assessment, on Tuesday, April 9.

The NextGen best paper is awarded to:

  • “Crack Formation in Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Printed Circuit Boards after Thermal Storage” by Mandy Krott, M.Sc., Robert Bosch GmbH. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S07: PCB Fab 2: Laminate Materials 1, on Tuesday, April 9.

The Best Student paper is awarded to:

  • “High-frequency Signal Characteristics of Differential Striplines with Different Cu-Foil Roughness” by Ying-Chih Chiang, Master’s Student, Yuan Ze University, Taiwan, R.O.C. Her co-authors are Cheng-Yu Lee, Yu-Hsun Chang, Yu-Xuan Wen, Chun-Jou Yu, Wei-Ling Chou, and Cheng-En Ho, all of Yuan Ze University. This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S13: PCB Fab 4: RF Materials, Low Loss Materials, on Wednesday, April 10.

New in 2024, a scholarship from the IPC Education Foundation is awarded to:

  • Emily Lamport, Ph.D. Student, University of Massachusetts, for her paper “Implementation of 3D Printed Near Chip-Scale Interposers into X-Band Dual Channel MMIC Assembly.” This paper will be presented during Technical Conference Session S14: Factory of the Future 2: Additive Manufacturing, on Wednesday, April 10.

All technical conference papers were evaluated on their technical content, originality, test procedures and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry.

To register for the ECWC16 Technical Conference at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 or for more information on all the activities taking place, including professional development courses, exhibition, keynote presentations, networking activities and more, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

IPC Welcomes EU R&I Focus on Advanced Materials for the Future of Electronics

Mar 04, 2024

The European Commission published on 27 February its Communication on advanced materials. The Communication sets out the proposed approach to develop industrial leadership from Research and Innovation (R&I) through deployment. Electronics is one of the preliminary priority sectors in terms of potential use.

The intent of the strategy is to enhance the EU's long-term competitiveness by ensuring the EU remains at the forefront of new material technologies, supporting development, testing and deployment capacities. The actions are also intended to strengthen the EU’s open strategic autonomy by reducing dependencies on critical materials. IPC recently provided key insights to the European Commission in expert consultations preceding the Communication. Our contributions stressed the essential "silicon-to-systems" framework, to ensure the electronics sector's needs are fully addressed. See Jan 25 blog.  

Advanced materials are intentionally designed and engineered materials to display superior performance or special functions. The demand for advanced materials is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, for instance for the production of renewable energy, batteries, zero-emission buildings, semiconductors, medicines and medical devices, satellites, space launchers, planes or for other dual-use applications as well as defence equipment.

IPC welcomes the reflection on the needs of performance in harsh environments, heightened reflection on new requirements for packaging technologies and substrates and the intent to up-date regularly the priority areas to take into account socio-economic, scientific or technological developments. IPC and our members look forward to continuing dialogue on industrial needs.

IPC invites you to let us know what your company needs to ensure availability of advanced materials in electronics manufacturing processes and products. We welcome additional input from our European members to ensure a research and innovation focus on advanced materials needed for industrial production in Europe.

For further information, contact IPC’s technical expert PeterTranitz@ipc.org or for policy, contact me at AlisonJames@ipc.org.

 

 

Top of the Class: IPC APEX EXPO Named One of Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50, Class of 2023

IPC APEX EXPO 2023 was recognized as one of the top 50 fastest-growing trade shows in the United States for the number of exhibiting companies and attendance by Trade Show Executive, the foremost magazine for the trade show industry.

IPC APEX EXPO, the largest trade show for electronics manufacturing in North America, welcomed a 50 percent increase in event participants and a 33 percent increase in exhibitors in 2023.

“With more than 13,000 tradeshows held annually each year in the United States, this is such an honor for IPC APEX EXPO to be named as one of the Top 50 tradeshows, and we couldn’t be prouder,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director, trade shows and events. “This year’s event, just weeks away is also seeing positive growth, proving IPC APEX EXPO is the industry’s premier event to make new connections and to build relationships. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to Anaheim next month.”

According to Trade Show Executive, the Fastest 50 are ranked in three categories: By Net Square Feet, By Exhibiting Companies, and By Total Attendance. The Class of 2023 represents more than 15 million net square feet of paid exhibit space, 48,517 exhibiting companies, and more than 1.4 million attendees.

This year, IPC APEX EXPO will feature more than 400 exhibitors from every step in the electronics manufacturing supply chain including the industry’s leading equipment manufacturers, suppliers and product innovators who provide services to help attendees gain greater efficiency while improving their bottom lines.

To view a complete list of companies exhibiting at IPC APEX EXPO, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/exhibitors. For more information about the show or to register, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org. Event essentials registration is free to individuals who pre-register online ($50 on-site). To maximize event experience, individuals can take advantage of the All-Access Package which includes all technical conference sessions; five half-day professional development courses; the EMS Leadership Summit, IPC luncheons, and more.

 

 

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