Electronics Industry Mourns Loss of Visionary and Long-time IPC Leader and Volunteer Michael Ford

Jan 31, 2024
Michael Ford

It is with deep sadness that IPC reports the recent news of the death of industry visionary and long-time IPC leader and volunteer Michael Ford, who passed away on January 27.

Working most recently for Aegis Software provided Michael the opportunity to apply his software for electronics assembly manufacturing experience to further drive technology solution innovation, satisfying evolving business needs in modern digital manufacturing.

Throughout his career, including eight years working in Japan, Michael was instrumental in creating and evolving revolutionary software solutions for assembly manufacturing.

An established thought leader for Industry 4.0 data-driven manufacturing, and an active contributor to IPC’s standards development activities, Michael has been recognized by IPC with the Hillman-Lambert, the IPC President’s and Dieter Bergman IPC Fellowship awards. These awards recognized his contributions to IPC standards including connected factory exchange (CFX), cybersecurity, traceability, secure supply-chain and digital twin standards, and his service on IPC’s Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC).

“IPC staff, Michael’s fellow standards committee members and his colleagues at Aegis are better for having known and worked alongside him as we’ve benefited from his knowledge and his passion for the industry,” said IPC President and CEO John Mitchell.

“An active participant on more than a dozen IPC technical committees and a sought-after speaker on software solutions for assembly manufacturing, Michael helped promote and position IPC’s factory of the future initiative by contributing articles, columns and blogs to several leading industry publications, presenting at several IPC events and serving as a thought leader on the subject. He will be greatly missed, but always remembered as an industry expert, leader and friend,” added Mitchell.

“IPC extends its sincere condolences to Michael’s family, work colleagues and friends during this difficult time.”

IPC Standards Task Group Meeting - Japan regional F2F meeting

Date
- (Oct 30, 2024 | 11:30pm - Oct 31, 2024 | 3:00am CDT)

This face-to-face opportunity intends for regional task group members in Japan such as 7-31BV-JP. With the guests from IPC Global, we discuss and make proposals to the original task group.

For more information or event sponsorship, please contact Mr. Yusaku Kono at YusakuKono@ipc.org

IPC Works ASIA 2024 IPC Seminar in Japan

Date
- (Oct 30, 2024 | 8:00 - 10:00pm CDT)

This annual seminar is held mainly for IPC members, regional TG participants and its standards users in Japan with the collaboration of IPC Asia. In the morning of the day, we have guest speakers from IPC global such as TG chair and liaison to update on IPC standards and activities for them. Following this, in the afternoon, Japan regional task group meeting(s) will be held.

For more information or event sponsorship, please contact Mr. Yusaku Kono at YusakuKono@ipc.org

NEPCON NAGOYA / IPC HSC 2024 Japan Final

Learn More
Date
- (Oct 22, 2024 | 8:00pm - Oct 25, 2024 | 3:00am CDT)

NEPCON NAGOYA is the exhibition held in the center of the manufacturing industry of Japan. Nagoya is a capital city of Aichi prefecture which has Japan's largest automotive-related manufacturing industry cluster. IPC Japan will have its booth and have Japan regional final of IPC hand soldering competition 2024.

For more information or event sponsorship, please contact Mr. Yusaku Kono at YusakuKono@ipc.org

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan

2-2, Kinjofuto
Nagoya Minato-ku, Aichi
455-0848
Japan

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan
2-2, Kinjofuto
Nagoya Minato-ku, 23 455-0848
Japan

Learn More

IPC Hand Soldering Competition (HSC) 2024 in Japan

Learn More
Date
-

This competition is for choosing the Japanese champion to dispatch the world final 2024 with the cooperation of Japan Unix Co., Ltd. Preliminary details (mid-July & August) will be announced around June in their website. And then, only who pass the preliminary is invited to the final at NEPCON NAGOYA (Oct. 23 - 25).

For more information or event sponsorship, please contact Mr. Yusaku Kono at YusakuKono@ipc.org

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan

2-2, Kinjofuto
Nagoya Minato-ku, Aichi
455-0848
Japan

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan

Port Messe Nagoya, Japan
2-2, Kinjofuto
Nagoya Minato-ku, 23 455-0848
Japan

Learn More

Advanced Technology Symposium in Tokyo by KEIDANREN

Learn More
Date

This event will be held in Tokyo, Japan sponsored by KEIDANREN, a comprehensive economic organization with a membership comprised of 1,512 representative companies of Japan, 107 nationwide industrial associations and the regional economic organizations for all 47 prefectures. IPC is involved this symposium as its panelist/guest speaker(s) to update the scene of global standardization. The details are to be announced in their website.

For more information or event sponsorship, please contact Mr. Yusaku Kono at YusakuKono@ipc.org

Learn More

U.S. Budget Stalemate Crimps Defense Electronics

Jan 30, 2024

By Chris Mitchell, IPC Vice President of Global Government Relations

The latest political stalemate over the federal budget is creating headaches for programs of importance to the electronics industry.

The federal government is now almost four months into Fiscal Year 2024 without Congress having passed any full-year FY24 spending bills. In this situation, Congress enacts temporary continuing resolutions (CR) to keep government programs running at prior-year levels until the final spending bills are worked out. It’s practically routine; Congress has used CRs in all but three of the last 46 fiscal years.

However, it is unusual for the annual appropriations process to drag out this long. Last week, Congress passed two CRs to fund two batches of government agencies—one expiring on March 1 and the other on March 8. Appropriations for the Department of Defense (DOD) were included in the March 8 CR.

Colleagues have asked me if the delay in appropriations has any real impact… Yes! The U.S. Government Accountability Office has concluded that CRs lead to increased administrative burdens and delayed implementation of federal programs, even those related to strategically important priorities. 

For example, in March 2023, President Biden issued a “presidential determination” declaring printed circuit boards and IC substrates as critical to national security, and as such, the DOD was directed to leverage Defense Production Act authority to strengthen the nation’s industrial base. To date, the DOD has used prior-year funding to make two awards to meritorious projects, but it is in a holding pattern on other worthy projects as it awaits enactment of the FY24 defense appropriations bill. The DOD can’t spend money it doesn’t have, so it must pause its efforts to tackle matters of critical importance to national security and industrial resiliency. 

What many in Washington may not realize is that for more than two decades, U.S. domestic PCB fabrication capabilities have atrophied. In recent years, a confluence of factors has set the stage for the industry’s revitalization, but the government isn’t doing its part. To achieve that renaissance and mitigate those national security threats, the Pentagon needs timely and robust funding under the Defense Production Act to ensure that the much-needed investments are made. 

On behalf of electronics manufacturers, IPC urges Congress to act soon and with great ambition to strengthen the domestic PCB industry. The industry’s strength is directly tied to U.S. innovation, security, and economic competitiveness, and the U.S. can’t risk falling further behind in global competition.

 

 

 

North American EMS Industry Up 1.3 Percent in December

IPC releases EMS industry results for December 2023

IPC announced today the December 2023 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.20.

Total North American EMS shipments in December 2023 were up 1.3 percent compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, December shipments increased 6.2 percent.

EMS bookings in December decreased 7.0 percent year-over-year and increased 2.3 percent from the previous month.

“The EMS Book-to-Bill held steady to close out 2023,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “Despite a down year for orders, shipments remained positive as manufacturers trimmed backlogs.”

December 2023 EMS book to bill ratio chart

Detailed Data Available

Companies that participate in IPC’s North American EMS Statistical Program have access to detailed findings on EMS sales growth by type of production and company size tier, order growth and backlogs by company size tier, vertical market growth, the EMS book-to-bill ratio, 3-month and 12-month sales outlooks, and other timely data.

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 EMS industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of assembly equipment manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the EMS book-to-bill ratio by the end of each month.

North American PCB Industry Shipments Down 18.3 Percent in December

IPC releases PCB industry results for December 2023

IPC announced today the December 2023 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 0.90.

Total North American PCB shipments in December 2023 were down 18.3 percent compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, December shipments were up 1.0 percent.

PCB bookings in December were down 28.7 percent compared to the same month last year. December bookings were down 14.1 percent compared to the preceding month.

“PCB orders fell in the final month of 2023, dropping the Book-to-Bill to the lowest level since May 2023. Orders were down 10 percent in 2023,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist.

December 2023 book to bill ratio chart 1
December 2023 book to bill ratio chart 2

Detailed Data Available

Companies that participate in IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program have access to 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.

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 by the end of each month.

IPC WinterCom 2024: Elevating Global Standards in the Heart of Barcelona

Jan 26, 2024

By Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations

A quick congratulations to the IPC team and industry participants that made IPC WinterCom in Barcelona a huge success! The IPC event this week brought together close to 300 industry leaders from approximately 40 countries to participate in standards development activities on topics related to materials, design, PCB fabrication, PCB assembly, Factory of the Future and e-textiles to name just a few.  

Although I could not be there, I enjoyed living vicariously through the social media posts of my colleagues (John Mitchell, Sanjay Huprikar, IPC India, Patrick Crawford) and industry leaders (Raquel Rodriguez, Xavier Xampeny, David Graham, Jan Pedersen, and José Becerra González).

Wonderful to see that the industry’s favorite gnomes, Clumpy and Kloumpios, made an appearance as well!

The event’s European location and global participation, once again, affirms IPC’s commitment to facilitating industry collaboration on international standards—even in a climate of increased geopolitical competition and tension.    

The electronics industry is at the vanguard of technological innovation. The standards development activities at IPC WinterCom and that take place in IPC committees throughout the year help to accelerate innovation across the industry by creating a strong foundation of widely accepted design and manufacturing standards that reflect the collective insights of the smartest and most dedicated professionals in electronics manufacturing. They truly are the unsung heroes of the industry and of the global marketplace.

IPC WinterCom exemplifies how standards not only meet the needs of today but also pave the way for the evolving landscape of tomorrow.  

To learn more about IPC standards development committee activities and how to join a committee, visit www.ipc.org/committee-page.

 

 

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