New Opportunity for Managers Announced

Special Attention to ‘Emerging Managers’

By Tracy Riggan, senior director, Business Development

In times like these, effective management skills to navigate uncertainty and fast-paced shifts are critical. Coupled with talent shortages which overburden existing teams, it can be challenging for businesses to build internal mentorship and management training from within.

Our members tell us that one of the key areas they need help with is leadership training. At the same time, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Council recognized a gap in management content for engineering managers at the beginning of their careers.

With this in mind, the council is proud to announce a new offering at IPC APEX EXPO 2021. The Managers’ Forum, presented by the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Council will take place on Monday, January 25. The theme in 2021 will be Managing Challenges in Periods of Transition and will cover pandemic, trade, economic, and political impacts.

“Our purpose with this event is to provide information, experiences, advice, training and exposure for emerging and rising managers in the electronics supply chain while at the same time, engaging existing managers. We hope to share the wisdom of current industry leaders with future leaders,” said Denny Fritz, Hall of Fame Council Chair.

“We’ve brought together an exciting list of industry icons and senior managers to tell what they learned from the recent unexpected disruptions, the changes they have made to survive, and how they now plan to thrive going forward,” said event chair Gene Weiner, Weiner International Associates. Weiner shared the following sneak peak of the agenda:

• A supply chain panel, composed of a material supplier, fabricator, EMS company, component supplier, and OEM will field questions regarding their experiences, actions taken, and plans for the future.
• Presentations by senior executives of fabricators and their supply chain will highlight how they have weathered the storm, plan to go forward, and will evaluate new products and processes.
• Norman Weiss, enabler of international alliances and advisor for digitized manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and the Chairman of German Robotics, will speak on digitizing in the new world.
• Harald Ahnert, president of Atotech Electronics, will tell how his global operations have supported its fabrication, packaging, and IC customers around the world and what the company’s plans are going forward for future development during a period of rapid change.

“This is a step by the Hall of Fame Council in the direction of providing and organizing industry mentorship specifically for its managers and future leaders,” added Sanjay Huprikar, IPC vice president, Solutions.

We invite all managers of technology businesses in the electronics supply chain to attend on January 25 and especially welcome emerging and rising managers.

For more information, visit www.ipcapexexpo.org.