IPC

Citation

(1999), "IPC", Circuit World, Vol. 25 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.1999.21725bab.003

IPC

IPC

IPC assumes new-old identity

Keyword IPC

IPC, known around the world by these three initials, announced today that it is formally dropping the name, "Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits" and adopting IPC as its name. Accompanying the IPC name and logo will be a new positioning statement, Association Connecting Electronics Industries.

"When IPC changed its name from the Institute for Printed Circuits to the Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits in the late 1970s, we were trying to be inclusive of our members in both electronics assembly and the printed board industries", says IPC president Thom Dammrich. "Unfortunately, the new name never clearly identified IPC or its members. And, it was difficult to remember and to explain to people we met in government and elsewhere."

During 1998, IPC worked with Monigle Associates, a Denver consulting firm, surveying more than 100 industry members to see how IPC's name could be improved. A clearer, more intuitive name was sought, one that could better position IPC as an association that brought together many key elements of the electronics industry supply chain but which would not affect its current strong identity and prominence. This led to the recommendation of adopting IPC as the association's formal name, "Association Connecting Electronics Industries" as a positioning identifier.

For more information, contact Kim Sterling, IPC director of marketing and communications, at +1 (847) 790-5305, or e-mail KimSterling@ipc.org.

IPC names new market research director

IPC ­ Association Connecting Electronics Industries has announced that Carla Wehrspann has been named its new market research director. Wehrspann joined IPC in 1997 as a market research analyst.

In her new role, Wehrspann supervises all industry statistic and market research activities. She is also responsible for all activities associated with IPC's Assembly Market Research Council (AMRC) and Technology Market Research Council (TMRC) programs.

Before coming to IPC, Carla was in the health care industry, working at Crawford Health and Rehabilitation Services, later serving as territory representative with the Illinois Hospital Association.

In 1992, she joined Custom Syndicated Research as both a project director responsible for all phases of qualitative and quantitative market research projects and as a sales associate.

Wehrspann has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Lawrence University and a Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

IPC celebrates industry legend's 25th anniversary

For some in the printed wiring board industry, the name Dieter means "a 45-minute answer to the one-minute question", for others, it's a "hectic travel schedule", and to all he's considered a friend. IPC hired Dieter Bergman 25 years ago, and since then, his commitment and passion for his work have made him a legend in the PWB industry. Now it is time to honor the legend. IPC is inviting members of the industry to share a special dinner with Dieter to celebrate and toast his 25 years at IPC. The anniversary party is being held Tuesday, March 16, 1999, at the IPC Printed Circuits Expo in Long Beach, California.

In his 25 years at IPC, Dieter's contributions are almost too many to enumerate. Prior to his work at IPC, Dieter was a volunteer while he worked at Philco Ford. He chaired a number of IPC committees, including the Technical Activities Executive Committee.

Past IPC president Marv Larson will MC the party and toast for Dieter. He has proposed that a definition be added to the IPC-T-50 to explain exactly "What is a Dieter?" Suggestions for the definition will be made during the toast and celebration, and at the conclusion, a vote will be held, and the definition that is the most popular choice will be added to industry lore.

Tickets to attend the dinner are $40. IPC Printed Circuits Expo '99 takes place March 14-18, 1999. For more information, contact the IPC registration department at +1 (847) 790 5361, visit www.ipc.org, or e-mail registration@ipc.org.

Mehul Davé named chairman of IPC's information technology committee

Mehul Davé, president and CEO of Cimnet Systems, Inc., has been named chairman of the IPC Information Technology Committee.

Explaining the creation of the committee and Mehul Davé's role of chairman, Anthony Hilvers, IPC's vice-president of industry programs, said, "The IPC is dedicated to furthering the competitive excellence and financial success of its members around the world. We recognize the strategic importance of information technology in accomplishing these goals. We are pleased that Mehul has accepted the position of chairman for our newly created Information Technology Committee."

Commenting on his new assignment, Mehul Davé said, "I am delighted to have this opportunity to help the IPC advance the competitiveness of our industry. The creation of this committee will help the IPC break through the information bottleneck, which is one of the key strategic challenges facing our industry. I look forward to working closely with Tony and members of the committee to help our fellow IPC members have best-in-class products."

ABCs of HDI on IPC Website

Keywords Internet, IPC, Microvias

Microvia printed wiring board (PWB) production is expected to increase tenfold by 2001. IPC is helping PWB companies to get a head start by introducing a new Website that will educate the industry about the manufacture, assembly and design of microvia boards.

More than 25 technical papers on high density interconnect structures (HDIS) are included on this newly developed site. PWB manufacturers author some of the papers on this site. These papers present a variety of methods and the associated equipment for forming microvias. Others, authored by OEMs, explore the need for HDI, their various applications, and what the market future looks like.

In addition, assembly-oriented papers share some success stories and learning experiences to highlight the processes and materials needed to assemble microvia boards. Some specific topics addressed on this site include:

• •

  Testing and evaluation of HDIS materials.

• •

  Applications of microvia technology.

• •

  High density laser blind vias in production.

"HDI is a new technology and standards and specifications usually take years to develop", says IPC project manager Lisa Williams. "With this Website, people have all the information they need on HDI right at their fingertips."

To check out all the information IPC has made available on microvia technology, log on to www.ipc.org/html/hdi.htm.

For more information on the IPC HDI Website, contact Lisa Williams at +1 (847) 790 5379, or e-mail LisaWilliams@ipc.org.

IPC members say they are ready for Y2K

Keywords Compliance, IPC, Millennium

Ninety-seven per cent of reporting companies in a recent IPC survey say they will be Y2K compliant by December 31, 1999. That is according to a White Paper, Y2K Compliance in the Electronic Interconnection Industry, recently released by IPC ­ Association Connecting Electronics Industries.

The survey was distributed to 874 IPC members (PWB companies, EMS companies and industry suppliers) in October 1998 to evaluate member awareness of the Y2K problem. Respondents also answered questions on the steps they are taking to deal with Y2K compliance issues. By November 6, 141 companies had responded to the survey; a 16 percent response rate.

The study found that the vast majority of IPC members are aware of the Y2K problem, and that 95 percent of those companies have a Y2K project in place, with most projects in place for less than one year.

The IPC survey asked respondents whether they had a specific budget allocation for such projects. A total of 41 percent of those who had Y2K projects indicated that they had budgets to support them. "Given that less than half of those members who have Y2K projects have actually dedicated funds to these projects, it seems possible that some companies may be underestimating the task ahead", says IPC market research director Carla Wehrspann.

Wehrspann says that many of the companies indicated they do not know if their suppliers and customers are Y2K compliant. Of the respondents, 61 per cent had investigated the Y2K status of their suppliers. Over one-third (38 per cent) of those reporting indicated that they were not aware what percentage of their key suppliers claimed to be Y2K compliant. A little more than half (52 per cent) of all respondents reported that they expected all of their suppliers to be Y2K compliant by the end of 1999.

A total of 94 per cent of responding companies say they expect no disruption in services they provide as a result of Y2K problems, but Wehrspann says this view may not accurately portray the situation since so many companies did not know if their suppliers are compliant. Various Y2K experts have suggested that even those companies that have resolved their own internal compliance issues may experience serious business disruptions due to non-compliant vendors and customers.

For more information on the IPC White Paper, Y2K Compliance in the Electronic Interconnection Industry, contact Carla Wehrspann at +1 (847) 790 5317, or e-mail CarlaWehrspann@ipc.org