In short, 2023 has been a very interesting year for the electronics industry in the halls of government. So far this year, we have witnessed many policy developments that IPC and its members and allies have been advocating for years.

IPC welcomes Richard Cappetto, a 14-year veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, as its new senior director for North American government relations.

The Sustainability for Electronics Leadership Team is responsible for identifying the most pressing sustainability topics for the industry and building a strategic plan to address these topics, the Leadership Council will be active in an industry-wide materiality assessment to enable the creation of the plan. Action teams are currently working on supply chain communications, sustainability terminology and definitions, and greenhouse gas data and reporting obligations.

IPC, the Consumer Technology Association™ (CTA) and Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) filed a joint comment to the Environmental Protection Agency reinstating the importance of an articles exemption to proposed Significant New Use Rules (SNUR) on three flame retardants, TCEP, TBBPA, and TPP.

Despite numerous risks – higher interest rates, tight monetary policy, persistent core inflation -- the U.S. economy continues to surpass expectations this year. The narrative is a bit cloudier in Europe. While inflation remains high, the underlying economy appears weaker which will cause the European Central Bank to move more cautiously, per IPC’s July 2023 Economic Outlook report. 

Current conditions have receded with Shipments Index, Orders Index, and Capacity Utilization Index all weakening in July, but at the same time, the outlook for shipments, orders, and utilization all improved per IPC’s July 2023 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report.

IPC and the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA) are calling on the U.S. Department of Commerce to clarify its plans for bolstering the domestic development and fabrication of advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs) as a key part of the CHIPS for America program.  

IPC announced today the June 2023 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 0.98.

IPC announced today the June 2023 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.24.

Key segments of the European electronics manufacturing industry face significant challenges and require more support, considering their vital role in Europe’s strategic autonomy and the “twin transitions” to a greener, more digital economy.