Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493797
MARCH 2023 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 ing our annual edition of Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2023 Show & Tell Magazine. It's a comprehensive look and feel to what happened at the show. While there, we most certainly picked up on the EMS mind- set, and you'll see us discussing it here and in future issues. For example, there was ample upbeat talk. Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist, repeat- edly used the term "tailwind" in his keynote to describe external economic forces. ere was also discussion of challenges and ongoing shortages with components and skilled staff. Overall, the opinion was that a lack of capac- ity is throttling industry growth, and that staff- ing is a prime contributor, followed by sup- ply chain issues and investment. ese are the challenges of an industry in ascent. ey stand in stark contrast to the challenges of a shrink- ing industry, where companies are scratching tooth-and-nail to keep or steal orders, scram- bling for as much "li" as they can possibly find. But did the conference attitude match the rest of the industry? Our March issue seeks to deliver a wide-angle view of the industry, a perspective from a somewhat higher altitude: Where are the common areas of thought? Is there a "hive mind" of thought to uncover? is issue features an article by Mark Wolfe, a long time EMS industry insider now consult- ing with IPC. Mark's job is to be the voice of the EMS industry, so he's in constant contact with industry leaders. He provides an assess- ment of the industry and the top five chal- lenges for EMS leadership. He was instrumen- tal in making the IPC APEX EXPO EMS Lead- ership Summit a successful event in San Diego, something we'll take a deeper dive into for our April issue. We also conducted a series of interviews with EMS providers, looking for a sense of how business is progressing and what they think about it. We conducted these interviews during their daily routines, away from the show and the group discussions. is allowed for frank and insightful commentary. We've also referenced some recent coverage in other magazines that coincidentally share the EMS mindset as a theme; you'll want to follow those links for even more manufacturing mindset. To round out the issue, we have an interview with Schweitzer Electronics, as well as another with Sheldon Fernandez from Darwin AI. I've included a written perspective from Mark Laing at Siemens, and another by Norihiro Koike from Saki. Our columnists, Michael Ford and Ron Lasky, also share their current thoughts. One of the unexpected outcomes of our conversations has been how AI has crept into everyday thinking. Quality control and final inspection seem like natural points to insert AI in the production process. In fact, one can argue that automated testing and inspection have been striving to deliver artificial intelli- gence all along; it's just becoming more sophis- ticated thanks to the mainstream work done by entities such as ChatGPT. As I read and digest the information about this specific AI, I real- ize that it can be a most helpful assistant, auto- mating the drudgery tasks and even helping us with research. But we are well advised to use generative AI output only as a starting point, not as the finished product. e facts in AI- generated information still need to be fact- checked, point-by-point. I share this example because it touches on how AI is on the minds of more than just EMS managers. Will AI give us li or will it be a weight? My interview with Sheldon at Darwin AI really helped clarify the issue. Remember, you are at the controls, and I know this issue will help raise your perspec- tive. So, what's on your mind? It's time to let me know. SMT007 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here.