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MAY 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 13 and existing standards as a grouped offering (Table 1). Mitchell: We hear so much about standards and education addressing reliability and quality. From your vantage point, what are the similar- ities and differences between those two terms? Kelly: Reliability and quality are related; how- ever, there are important differences. The terms are similar in the fact that they are used to mea- sure the "goodness" of a product (or service). Both are linked; we can ensure reliability by controlling quality. Both need to be assessed— not one instead of the other. The reason for this is that quality and reliability measure product "goodness" at different periods in time. Qual- ity is measured as-built before initial use. How- ever, reliability is measured during/after use. Think of quality as present-day and reliability as later in the future. Quality is a static measure of a product meet- ing its specification as manufactured, whereas reliability is a dynamic measure of product performance. Quality is observed, whereas re- liability is experienced. As a consumer, you buy based on quality. You come back and buy again based upon reliability. PCB007 Dr. John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC. To read past columns or contact him, click here. Mitchell: Part of your role will entail industry intel- ligence and the launch of an industry Chief Technol- ogist Council (CTC). Can you explain what each of those initiatives will cov- er and how they will af- fect the industry and IPC members in particular? Kelly: The CTC is a collec- tion of the electronic industry's top technol- ogy leadership spanning OEM, EMS, and PCB companies. Members consist of CTOs, engi- neering VPs, directors, fellows, distinguished engineers, senior technical staff, and chief engineers. Quarterly meetings will be held throughout the year, discussing various tech- nology and "factory of the future" topics. The intent of the Council is to obtain VOC input, keep a pulse on the industry, and continuous- ly monitor IPC member key plans regarding electronics manufacturing technology needs. Insights will be gathered and reported periodi- cally to various IPC bodies. Council contribu- tions will help shape IPC strategic direction and external communications to the industry moving forward. The CTC will hold its first kick-off meeting in Q2 of 2020, pending CO- VID-19 recovery. Mitchell: You've been deeply involved in IPC standards development, serving on several committees and earning a Rising Star Award for your efforts. What will your role be with committees now that you are on staff at IPC? Kelly: As I've just come from industry, I'll leverage my network built over the past 20 years to obtain industry feedback and drive adoption of key technology standards mov- ing forward. I will continue to be involved in IPC standards and council development, with a shift in focus toward new "factory of the fu- ture" technology standards. We are currently working on defining a new "factory of the fu- ture" standards category, which will include the following areas. It's a mix of brand new Table 1: "Factory of the future" industry standards.