Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1454922
70 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2022 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Interview by Nolan Johnson I-CONNECT007 During IPC APEX EXPO, Nolan Johnson visited with Bob Neves of Microtek Laborato- ries China and the new chair of the IPC Board of Directors. Nolan asks Bob about IPC's views on the disruption in supply chain, about restor- ing PCB fabrication in the United States, and how the IPC is looking to resolve supply chain issues from a global perspective. Nolan Johnson: Looking through the rest of 2022 from your seat on the board, at the end of the year, what will be the big story or stories for our industry? Where are we going to be? Bob Neves: at's a good question. I don't know how, as the pandemic ends, and things start going back to normal. We've spent a lot of time fighting fires to just solving the supply chain issues. And I don't know how quickly they're going to go away. I mean, as a board, we're looking forward to saying, "I think we've all learned that hiring is a challenge now and that's not necessarily going to go away quickly." One thing we're addressing as a board is from an education standpoint. We've really pushed the organization to create an educational model that will make it easier for our members to hire skilled people, people who have knowledge, that they're not starting from zero going into the workforce, right? at's something we're really trying to solve. ere are obviously some regional issues that the government relations (GR) committees are trying to resolve with supply chain as it has changed dramatically for a variety of reasons. ere is a big push to move the supply chain more locally. As that develops and as the needs change, our goal is to help our members adapt to the changes that are going to happen post- pandemic. Other than the education that's really clear, I don't know if the industry has a clear path of where it's going to go forward. We're watching that carefully, and we continue to fund the initiatives that we've put together. It has given the organization some time to push these things forward and to focus on them. e internal workings, the IPC works, that's helping organize the entire management of documents and everything else, that's been growing. We're working hard on the bookstore, our web presence, and just getting the word out as to who we are as an organization and Bob Neves: IPC Continues Global Reach Bob Neves