Four Industry Rising Stars Recognized at IPC APEX EXPO 2022

In recognition of their leadership roles and support of IPC standards, education, advocacy, and solutions to industry challenges, four of the industry’s best and brightest were presented with an IPC Rising Star Award at IPC APEX EXPO 2022. Award recipients were Tim Burke, Francisco Fourcade, Thomas Marktscheffel, and Christina Rutherford.

Burke, CTO and co-founder, Arch Systems, was honored for his active membership on the IPC-CFX committee A-team, advancing the ability of factories to collect and analyze machine data using “big data” and machine learning techniques. Burke works on implementing CFX in the field, helping to develop equipment for manufacturing facilities.

Fourcade, a master IPC trainer, was honored for his integral role in several IPC standards development committee A-Teams. A participant in the J-STD-001 A-Team, IPC-A-610 A-Team, Shock and Awe A-Team, Team Kangaroo, Team Iron, Team Bones, and the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Training Committee A-Team, his commitment enabled all teams to fully participate in discussions.

Marktscheffel, a product manager at ASM Assembly Systems, Germany, was honored for his expertise in smart factory implementation, supporting global industry standards such as IPC-CFX and HERMES to provide plug and play connectivity for SMT smart factories. Marktscheffel currently serves on 13 IPC standards development committees.

Rutherford, a materials and process engineer at Honeywell Aerospace, was honored for her leadership of Team Bones, a sub-team developing x-ray guidelines for IPC/WHMA-A-620 for cable and harness. Rutherford, a third-year IPC emerging engineer, serves as a member of the IPC-A-610 A-Team committee, is an IPC scholarship reviewer, and was recently named vice-chair of the 5-24G Polymerics Standard Task Group developing IPC-5262, Design, Critical Process and Acceptance Requirements for Polymeric Applications.

“The leadership shown by our Rising Star recipients has made a significant impact on IPC and will do so for years to come,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We are privileged that Tim, Francisco, Thomas and Christina have chosen to share their knowledge and expertise with us and with the entire global electronics manufacturing industry.”