Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1083315
30 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2019 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE by Happy Holden I-CONNECT007 It's IPC APEX EXPO time again! This is one of my most favorite events. I get to see old friends again, listen to technical talks, and see what the industry has created. But, alas, I spent most of my time in committee meet- ings or doing I-Connect007 activities. I'm not complaining. Attending the Executive Forum on Advancing Automotive Electronics was very informative, and the keynote speaker was sensational. I also got to interview the Best Technical Paper awardee. All the while, I was missing record cold weather (the Polar Vortex) at home in Michigan. Activities started on Sunday with CES train- ing, committee meetings, and professional development courses. This is the one place to get necessary training on PCB fabrication, assembly, materials, and reliability, and it is a bargain! The best technologists in our industry come here to help us all. The only problem was that the premier design conference, DesignCon, was the same week up in Santa Clara, Califor - nia. I'm sure this created a lot of conflicts for many IPC members. Other conflicts were that the CES show in Las Vegas had just ended and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit started on January 30. Monday was the executive forum along with more committee meetings and professional development courses. There were eight speak- ers at the automotive forum starting with Alex Stepinski as the keynote speaker, VP and offi- cer of GreenSource Fabrication. GreenSource's automated PCB fabrication has been the sub- ject of substantial coverage by I-Connect007 in the last two years and was a great way to get all of us to start thinking about smart factories and CFX (you can find more about this and more within this magazine). Tuesday started us off with an inspiring key- note by JB Straubel, CTO and co-founder of Happy's Highlights