As the coronavirus pandemic has persisted, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has strengthened its worker health protections and increased the number of workplace inspections, resulting in an increase of citations for violating certain standards.
Welcome to the first edition of IPC E-Textiles Exchange Update, a monthly communication from IPC to announce the latest videos posted to IPC E-Textiles Exchange, a free and open online community for the e-textiles industry to learn and engage. Each month, IPC will post new video presentations and Deeper Dive discussions with subject matter experts from around the world. The site also includes a discussion board for you to interact with others in the IPC E-Textiles Exchange community.
If there is one takeaway from 2020, it’s that “business as usual” is in the rearview mirror. Supply chain disruptions associated with the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing global recession have illustrated the shortsightedness of longstanding U.S. policy that has prioritized the growth of global trade over the resiliency of U.S. manufacturing.
How important is it to clean printed circuit boards to avoid electrical defects? According to Mike Konrad, Aqueous, a 4 percent reduction in peak reflow temperature can increase board contamination by up to 600 percent.
This morning, the U.S. Treasury Department released its long-awaited report on the foreign currency exchange policies of U.S. trading partners. While the U.S. placed ten countries on their monitoring list for potential violations, the report determined that Vietnam and Switzerland met the criteria to be designated as currency manipulators.
Pfizer, Moderna and other companies are or are preparing to distribute their COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. states and territories. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has made recommendations on the allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine given that demand will exceed supply into mid-2021.
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released proposed updates to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Fees Rule. IPC is still reviewing the proposed updates, but it appears to meaningfully address the issues that IPC has raised with the policymakers at the EPA and the White House Office of Management and Budget.
The following op-ed on lead-free electronics used in defense equipment by IPC President and CEO John Mitchell appeared in Defense News and Military Times.
IPC applauds the U.S. Congress for approving more than $900 billion in aid to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The package provides economic support in the form of unemployment aid, direct payments, and business loans, as well as funding for vaccines and testing.
In this month’s report, you will find U.S. and European data on economic growth, employment, Manufacturer’s Sentiment (PMI) and end markets for electronics.