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104 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2019 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Spartronics Vietnam Co. Ltd., Vietnam, claim- ing third place; Wenji Zhang, Jiangsu Jinling Mechanism Manufacture Factory, China, who took second place; and Ryosuke Matsunami, PWB Corporation, Japan, with a perfect score of 634, earning first place. Complete results can be found in Table 1. Click here to watch the award ceremony. Hand soldering has become even more skillful and challenging as parts technologies and dimensions have evolved. As a result, the IPC hand soldering competition is a growing competitive program around the globe. Each year, the competition uses a different board design and parts lists and includes a variety of unexpected twists that reflect real-world situ - ations. This year, the competitive twist was a rework requirement in addition to standard assembly. The board presented to the competitors was fully assembled and functional. Competitors were required to remove specific components and prepare the assembly to receive new components. This process simulates a real-life situation where an assembly has been tested, and nonfunctional components have been identified. The removed components must not be damaged. In an actual assembly, those components would need to be returned to the lab for failure analysis. The board is required to be functional at the end of the assembly process. Competitors' work was judged first on quality. Points were deducted for flaws and problems with workmanship, work practices, and safety. In the case of a tie in points, the competitor with the fastest overall time takes the nod. American Hakko Products Inc. and