Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1181966
NOVEMBER 2019 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 across the Channel to Dover again. But that's not really "seeing the world," is it? Certainly not by today's standards. And yet, I can't be too judgmental. Had I not been hired right out of college into the particular engineering job I landed, I might not have toured the world as a young man at all. For example, I took my first airplane flight when I was 21 years old. I was tasked with delivering a magtape reel full of bug fixes to a major military customer (the internet was still mostly a university thing, and 8" floppy disks didn't have enough storage capacity, so mag- tape it was). It wasn't until after I returned to the office that my boss learned I'd never flown before. After that late start, however, I've visited nearly every U.S. State, and the three "eas- iest" continents to reach from my home in North America. These trips have been incred- ibly valuable to me. I have grown profession- ally and personally through exposure to varied cultures and developed a wider, more encom- passing perspective of the world and the peo- ple in it. Such was the case with the Grand Tour. As a Wikipedia contributor puts it, "The primary value of the Grand Tour lay in its exposure to the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European con- tinent. In addition, it provided the only oppor- tunity to view specific works of art, and pos- sibly the only chance to hear certain music." At least these young men (and sometimes women) took the time to complement their classroom academics with a real-world, face- to-face experience to complete their education. Though the tour may have lacked much cre- ativity in its route, it also served the purpose of standardizing the broad cut of their experi- ences, while leaving plenty of room for indi- vidual perspective. This month, we embark on a similar journey for a related purpose: a tour of the industry, capturing different perspectives and bringing them to the fore. Sometimes, the best view of an industry or a community is through individ- ual experiences. In this issue, we talk to mem- Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electron- ics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here. bers of our business community, gathering and sharing their voices and points of view. Our first stop is a follow-up interview with Vexos' Stephanie Martin in "Supply Chain Update and the Impact of 5G," where she updates us on our global parts availability con - versation from earlier in 2019. Next, we drop in on David Meyers to get a perspective on digital twin, "co-bots," PLM, and activities at Siemens. Then, Eric Camden gets "meta" with his per - spective on perspectives in "Voices Carry." Jumping continents for a moment, Pete Star- key, I-Connect007 technical editor, and André Bodegom from Adeon Technologies discuss current European market challenges, espe- cially in automotive and automation. Alfred Macha's column follows, asking the question, "Are CMs Ready to Embrace Project Manage- ment?" Next, NexLogic Technologies' Zulki Khan sits for an interview with me, looking at what's current and upcoming regarding "The Digital Medical Revolution." It's a special treat to bring you a very dif- ferent perspective in this issue. Barry Matties introduces us to Dylan Nguyen, a teenage kite flyer, student, and inventor, in his interview, "The Future of the World Is Truly in the Hands of Our Youth." And even though Dylan Nguyen is a hard act to follow, Bob Wettermann holds his own, presenting the "Electronics Assembly Industry Outlook." We conclude with a technical paper from Alfredo Garcia, Domingo Vazquez, Ricardo Macias, Rodrigo Ibarra, Joe Smetana, Mulugeta Abtew, and Iulia Muntele, titled "Practical Ver- ification of Void Reduction Method for BTC Using Exposed Via-in-pad." We hope you enjoy this tour of the industry. SMT007 Reference 1. Richard Franks, "What Was the Grand Tour and Where Didi People Go?" The Culture Trip Ltd., December 4, 2017.