The last month has demonstrated that the era of smooth globalization may be waning, and electronics manufacturers will need to learn to thrive in a world of persistent uncertainty.
The global electronics manufacturing industry finds itself at another crossroads following what the White House called "Liberation Day" - a sweeping announcement of new tariffs that has sent shockwaves through international supply chains. What began as concerns about potential tariffs on specific materials has exploded into a comprehensive restructuring of global trade relationships, with implications that reach far beyond immediate price increases.
Last week, I had the opportunity to attend Circularity 25 in Denver—an inspiring gathering of professionals working to advance circular solutions across industries. With hundreds of voices at the intersection of design, policy, technology, and business, the message was clear: Circularity is not just an environmental imperative—it’s a smart business strategy.
For businesses across the electronics industry, U.S. federal tax policy is not just about accounting. Nor are tariffs solely about suppliers and logistics. These policies are much bigger, affecting our decisions about investment, innovation, hiring, and global competition.
This morning, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced a major tax package that includes several provisions supported by IPC.
U.S. Trade Policy and Your Business | June 29, 2018 | 11:00 am EDT
As you’ve seen in the news, the Trump Administration has established an aggressive trade agenda, with significant developments occurring almost daily. Many of these developments will impact the electronics industry. For example, an additional 25 percent tariff on more than 800 Chinese products is scheduled to go into effect on July 6. Those tariffs disproportionately target the electronics supply chain. Likewise, new duties and countervailing duties on aluminum will also increase costs for U.S.
By Nicolas Robin, IPC Senior Director, Europe
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) added lead metal on its Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs), on 27 June 2018, owing to its properties as a reprotoxic substance.
What does Candidate Listing mean for IPC Members?
Companies may have legal obligations resulting from the inclusion of lead metal in the Candidate List.
IPC D-70 E-Textiles Committee vice-chair Ben Cooper is running a new video series "30 in 30" through his IoClothes Forums. The forum discussions will showcase 30 videos in 30 days on topics that are critical to the continued growth of the smart textiles industry. A new video will be released every day for 30 consecutive days. If your company is developing smart textiles or has smart textiles on its roadmap, you will want to tune in for this “30 in 30” series.
The videos series launched Monday July 23, so don’t miss another installment.
By Nicolas Robin, Senior Director, IPC Europe
On July 25, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and U.S. President Donald Trump struck an agreement on transatlantic trade during President Juncker’s visit to Washington D.C. after three and a half hours of negotiations.
Most interestingly for IPC, both parties agreed to work together on a reform of the WTO to address unfair trading practices, including intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, industrial subsidies, distortions created by state owned enterprises and overcapacity.
IPC president and CEO John Mitchell invites industry to join IPC’s Job Task Analysis Committee to help define key roles in the electronics industry and perform industry driven job task analysis for each of these roles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRBQEjVzYa4