Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1221561
MARCH 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics de- sign and manufacturing.To contact Johnson, click here. business model advantages present in carbon- based processes. This conversation provides context for the technical paper on MacDermid Alpha's Blackhole process that follows later in the issue. Getting more floor-focused, Dick Crowe, Kurt Palmer, and Thomas Kunz spoke with the I-Connect007 team on how the drill depart- ment can change their thinking and reconfig- ure for improved efficiencies, which leads to more profitable operations. Over on the la- ser drilling side of the department, MKS's ESI looks at "Trends in PCB Processing: A New Set of Technologies, Materials, and Challenges." Incremental improvements don't need to end on the shop floor. In my previous life, in PCB fabricators, I saw just how much high-level la- bor time was committed to customer surveys and audits. Al Block and Naji Norde discuss the IPC PCQR 2 initiative, which could add ef- ficiencies not only for the end customer's pro- curement department but also for the fabrica- tors, releasing key management personnel to tackle other challenges. Next, Chris Wall from MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions decodes inkjettable solder mask. We also bring you an event report and interview from Tulip Wu, PCB007 China edi- tor, who recently attended an Orbotech event and secured an interview with Yair Alcobi, the president of Orbotech's PCB Division. In a roundtable-type discussion, the I-Connect007 team spoke with John Watson about "When Your Fabricator Is Late"—a look at the trick- le-down schedule and cost impacts of missing a customer commit date. Further, Joe Dickson from WUS provides an update on "The Current State of VeCS Technology." Our columnists joined the profitability party, as well. IPC's Dr. John Mitchell covers "The Future of the Electronics Industry," and Todd Kolmodin writes on "Waste Not, Want Not." Mike Hill asks "Have You Hugged Your Tech- nical Review Board Lately?" Steve Williams presents Part 1 of "Guerilla Tactics to Pass Any QMS Audit." Lastly, George Milad dives into "Eliminating Waste From Electrolytic Acid Copper Plating," and Mike Carano shares "Ma- terial Challenges for PCB Fabricators." Whether you have an appetite for major changes in your business or small incremental steps back to profitability, there's something in this issue for you to consider. As you read, you'll find—like I did—that even the tactical improvements ultimately lead to thinking dif- ferently about your business. Profitability truly is a choice. PCB007 Click for Day 1 and Day 2. 2020 EIPC Winter Conference In this two-part series, Pete Starkey recaps how the 2020 EIPC Winter Conference, held in Rotterdam in mid- February, attracted around 90 delegates from a dozen European coun-tries—as well as a few from North America —to an outstand-ing learning and networking experience for members of the PCB community. The theme of this year's event was: "The Needs for Next-Generation Electronic Devices and Changes in Fabrication Solutions for PCBs, PCBAs, Materials, and Technologies." (Source: I-Connect007)