IPC announces that IPC APEX EXPO®  has been recognized by the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) as one of the top 25 fastest-growing trade shows in attendance in the United States. In addition to IPC APEX EXPO, the additional winners were recognized for their overall attendance growth from 2016 to 2018 and include a diverse mix of industries, including amusement parks, baseball and boatbuilders.

According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), there are approximately 13,000 tradeshows held annually in the United States each year. “For the nineteenth consecutive year, IPC APEX EXPO has been recognized by TSNN as a top U.S. Tradeshow. In the past several years, IPC APEX EXPO has seen both attendance growth and overall net-square footage growth,” said Alicia Balonek, IPC senior director of trade shows and events. “Being ranked a top trade show out of 13,000 is a tremendous accomplishment for IPC APEX EXPO and for IPC,” she added. 

IPC APEX EXPO 2019 drew 5,292 attendees from 56 countries. The 440 exhibitors welcomed a busy three days of business development and qualified sales leads on 150,400 net square feet of show floor space. IPC APEX EXPO attracted 9,796 total visitors including attendees and exhibitor personnel.

IPC APEX EXPO 2020 will take place February 1–6, 2020, at the San Diego Convention Center. Companies interested in exhibiting should visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org or contact Balonek at +1 847-597-2898 or AliciaBalonek@ipc.org. More information on TSNN is available at www.TSNN.com.

IPC and the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association® (WHMA) have joined M-EXPO to offer more value to their supplier and manufacturing members as well as offering cutting edge educational access to the Northern Mexico Maquiladora Wire Processing Industry.

The partnership brings together IPC/WHMA international manufacturing industry leadership in cutting edge education, training, and certification on relevant industry topics and M-EXPO's access to an exclusive show for the wire and cable industries in Northern México. It will also provide attendees to M-EXPO the opportunity to take part in free IPC seminars related to IPC/WHMA-A-620 standards and Workmanship and Repair.

"I am pleased to announce that we are moving forward with IPC/WHMA to make the upcoming M-EXPO 2019 an IPC/WHMA sponsored event. What this means is that we will work to make this the flagship "Wire Harness Expo" for México right here in our border region. Said Gustavo Farell, President of M-EXPO show. M-EXPO show will take place in Cd. Juárez, Chih. México on October 9-11, 2019 at the Cuatro Siglos Convention Center.

M-EXPO is the only Wire Processing Technology show in El Paso/Cd. Juárez region despite being an area with high concentration of manufacturing activity. In Cd. Juárez alone, there are over 300,000 manufacturing jobs and more than 300 maquiladoras and over 25% of these companies are in the Wire Harness or related industry. El Paso/Juárez and the State of Chihuahua region is comprised of the largest wire processing technology centers in the world! Sometimes called the "Wiring Harness Capital of the World."

About M-EXPO
This is M-EXPO 3rd year (co-located with the 9th Annual EXPO-MRO). It was initiated as a response to the interest of exhibitors who participated in previous EXPO-MRO shows. M-EXPO's goal is to introduce large CMs and OEMs with suppliers of latest wire processing technology, equipment, tools, materials for the Aerospace, Agriculture, Appliances, Automotive, Marine, Medical, and Military markets. For more information, visit M-EXPO at www.mexpowire.com.

About IPC
IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,400 member-company sites 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 $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Brussels, Belgium; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China. www.ipc.org

About WHMA
The Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association® (WHMA) was established in 1993 to serve and dedicate their resources to the global cable and wire harness industry. WHMA is the ONLY trade association exclusively representing the cable and wire harness manufacturing industry including manufacturers, their suppliers and customers. www.whma.org

IPC, the global trade association for the electronics industry, supports the Trump administration’s efforts to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USCMA) but believes the imposition of new tariffs on Mexican imports to address immigration issues at the U.S.-Mexico border will harm U.S. electronics companies and their customers.  

“New and escalating tariffs would make it harder and more costly for electronics companies and their customers to operate in the United States and add to already-heightened economic uncertainties,” said IPC President and CEO John Mitchell.  

“Placing tariffs on Mexican imports would essentially be a new tax on U.S. companies that have invested in North American supply chains and would weaken their ability to compete globally in an industry notorious for thin margins,” Mitchell added.

According to a new report commissioned by IPC to examine the proposed U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USCMA), U.S. Electronics manufacturers and their customers have developed extensive North American supply chains over the last 25 years. These supply chains, which leverage the strengths of all three countries, have allowed U.S. manufacturers to grow domestically and better compete internationally.

Among its findings, IPC’s report noted:

• Bilateral trade between the United States and its North American counterparts is now six times larger than it was prior to NAFTA.
• The total value of U.S. electronics trade with Canada and Mexico was $155.5 billion in 2017.
• Electronics are a large share of U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada: 31 percent of all U.S. Exports of manufactured goods, natural resources and energy exports to Mexico, and 18 percent of such exports to Canada.
• Within the computer and electronics product manufacturing sector, inter-firm trade between the U.S. and Mexico is significant. Approximately 78 percent of all electronics imported from Mexico and 47 percent of all electronics exported to Mexico are between parent companies and their affiliates.
• Mexico imports 34 percent of U.S. printed circuit board production—larger than the next four largest markets combined.

IPC also believes the proposed tariffs would complicate efforts to win approval for USMCA in Congress.

IPC announced today the April 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Year-over-year growth in April was positive for sales and orders, and the book-to-bill ratio strengthened to 1.02.

Total North American PCB shipments in April 2019 were up 6.6 percent compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of April was 14.0 percent. Compared to the preceding month, April shipments decreased 23.1 percent.

PCB bookings in April increased 9.4 percent year-over-year, bringing year-to-date order growth up to 4.0 percent. Bookings in April were down 14.0 percent from the previous month.

“A return to solid year-over-year order growth for the North American PCB industry in April moved the book-to-bill ratio from parity (1.00) to 1.02,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The ratio has been at or above parity for the last 28 months, which is an unusually long stretch for this leading indicator. Recent ratios indicate continued but slower growth in the coming months.” She added, “April’s negative month-to-month growth rates are not a cause for concern, as they reflect normal seasonal patterns.”

Note: The January 2019 ratio has been revised since its original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.


Note: The November 2018 and January 2019 growth rates have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.

View Chart in PDF

Detailed Data Available

The second-quarter 2019 edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report, containing detailed data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be published by mid-August. The quarterly report presents detailed findings on rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales and orders, including separate rigid and flex book-to-bill ratios, growth trends by product types and company size tiers, demand for prototypes, sales growth to military and medical markets, and other timely data. This report is available free to current participants in IPC’s PCB Statistical Program and by subscription to others. PCB companies that are IPC members doing business in North America are invited to contact marketresearch@ipc.org for information about participating. More information about this report can be found at www.ipc.org/market-research-reports.

Interpreting the Data

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid PCB and flexible circuit manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio at the end of each month. Statistics for the current month are normally available in the last week of the following month.

IPC's Validation Services Program has awarded an IPC/WHMA-A-620 Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) Class 2, to MarVac Assemblies, a value-added division of Marsh Electronics, Inc., located in Milwaukee, Wis. Following an initial audit by IPC, MarVac Assemblies becomes one of the IPC trusted sources and suppliers meeting the stringent requirements of the Qualified Manufacturing Listing (QML) based on one of IPC's foremost standards: IPC/WHMA-A-620, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.

MarVac Assemblies contacted IPC to review its manufacturing processes using the IPC Standard Gap Analysis (SGA) program in December 2018. Through the SGA program, the wire assembly manufacturer looked to improve its production methods before moving to the IPC Validation Services QML recognition program.

During the IPC Validation Services QML audit in May 2019, MarVac Assemblies met or exceeded the requirements for the electronics industry’s rigorous classification, Class 2, which is intended for dedicated service electronics products. The company is now listed and recognized as an IPC trusted source capable of manufacturing in accordance with industry best practices.

“MarVac Assemblies is excited to have achieved the QML recognition from IPC,” said Steve Banovich, MarVac Assemblies manager. “Beginning with the IPC SGA, we looked at going through the validation process not only as another way to bring value to our current customers, but that same value to our new customers. IPC Validation Services has helped us achieve the value our customers expect to see.”

IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML Program was developed to promote supply chain verification and recognition. It also provides auditing and certification of electronics companies' products, and identifies processes which conform to IPC standards.

"Different from other audit programs, IPC's Validation Services Programs uniquely provides technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes in accordance with IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to especially recognize MarVac Assemblies for becoming a member of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers."                                                                                

For more information about IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML Program, visit www.ipcvalidation.org or contact Randy Cherry at RandyCherry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2806.   

IPC's Validation Services Program has awarded an IPC-A-610 and IPC J-STD-001 Qualified Manufacturers Listings (QML) Class 3 and IPC J-STD-001 Space QML, to Tempo Automation for its location in San Francisco, Calif.

Following an initial audit by IPC, Tempo Automation becomes one of the trusted sources and suppliers meeting the stringent requirements of the Qualified Manufacturing Listing (QML) based on two of IPC's foremost standards: IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, and IPC J-STD-001, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies. Tempo Automation also obtained the QML for IPC J-STD-001GS, Space and Military Applications Electronic Hardware Addendum to IPC J-STD-001G Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies.

Tempo Automation is known for its rapid delivery and high-quality built products. During the IPC Validation Services QML audit, Tempo Automation met or exceeded the requirements for the electronics industry’s most rigorous classification, Class 3, which is intended for high-performance electronics assemblies. The company is now listed and recognized as an IPC trusted source capable of manufacturing in accordance with industry best practices.

“Tempo Automation utilizes the IPC standards as the foundation for building a world-class manufacturing company,” said Dan Radler, director of factory technology at Tempo Automation. “Those industry standards help us by framing internally a common understanding of quality requirements with our customers and vendors.  IPC Validation Services has been invaluable in that formation and to authenticate our quality excellence claims through their certification program.” 

IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML Program was developed to promote supply chain verification and recognition. It also provides auditing and certification of electronics companies' products, and identifies processes which conform to IPC standards.

"Different from other audit programs, IPC's Validation Services Programs uniquely provides technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes in accordance with IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to especially recognize Tempo Automation for becoming a member of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers." 

For more information about IPC's Validation Services QPL/QML Program, visit www.ipcvalidation.org or contact Randy Cherry at RandyCherry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2806.