IPC reports APEX EXPO registrations on par with last year.
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Press Release Summary:
More than 80 standards development meetings will take place at IPC APEX EXPO, in Las Vegas, from March 28 - April 2. Representatives will cover issues from printed board design; plating and acceptance; assembly and joining processes; to environment, health, and safety; and product reliability and testing. Doug Pauls of Rockwell Collins notes benefits of having in-depth knowledge of standards and also stresses importance of networking opportunities as primary advantage of attending IPC.
Original Press Release:
Standards Development Activities at IPC Apex Expo Running at Full Capacity
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, February 26, 2009 - From March 28 through April 2, the business and future of the electronic interconnect industry will be at the top of the agenda for hundreds of industry experts as they convene for more than 80 standards development meetings at IPC APEX EXPO, in Las Vegas. Representatives from companies across the supply chain and around the world will tackle and debate issues in areas from printed board design, plating and acceptance to assembly and joining processes to environment, health and safety to product reliability and testing. Five weeks out, committee registrations are keeping pace with last year's record turnout.
"Industry standards give companies power to negotiate commerce," said Dave Torp, IPC vice president of standards and technology. "For more than 50 years, our members have acknowledged the importance of standards to the success of their companies and our industry ... they understand how critical it is to have a voice in the development of standards that ultimately will impact their company and shape the industry."
Doug Pauls, principal materials and process engineer, Rockwell Collins, agrees with Torp's assessment. In advice to a colleague through IPC's Technet e-mail forum, Pauls noted, "an in-depth knowledge of the standards can help you avoid the land mines that the salesmen and contracts people keep throwing out. You can quickly determine what parts of the specs really affect your portion of the market."
For Pauls, the networking opportunities at the standards meetings at IPC APEX EXPO are a primary advantage, "As I have often told my leadership, I may not have the answers, but I generally know people who do, and I met most of them at IPC. You get to know who your counterparts are in the industry, where their strong points are, and what they can contribute. Then, when you have a production line shut down and your company starts to hemorrhage cash, you know which colleagues to turn to in order to solve the situation quickly. The cost savings from a few of those alone would be enough to fully fund my IPC involvement 'til I am as old as I care to think about."
For more information on IPC APEX EXPO and its standards development activities, or to register, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org. For more information on all IPC standards development activities, visit www.ipc.org/standards.
About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.7 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai and Shenzhen, China.
