Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/612684
48 The PCB Magazine • December 2015 contribution to make. That's another big area. That'll be the next conference on that, I think. Next summer's confer- ence will probably be on defense. Defense is again, a very strong sector for Eu- rope, and of course, North America, looking across the ocean. We have quite a few North Ameri- can members now who want to have access to our markets, and perhaps be able to participate in our technology to some degree. I'm trying to get a visit to a defense establishment up in Scotland. I haven't got it agreed to yet, but I'm working on that because many of our members supply to that sector. And also IP is critical for these things. Some of these businesses really don't go too far off- shore. There are certain protected areas where you don't want the IP to leave your shores. De- fense is one of those areas, and defense is very strong in the UK and Europe in general. France has a very strong defense industry as well. Matties: It's a global desire, defense. Morgan: Right, and of course in Israel. Israel is maybe on the edge of Europe, but we still class it as part of our group. We've had members from Israel for many years, and that again is a very critical defense-oriented market. Here at productronica this year we'll have our general assembly, so we have the chance to lis- ten to what our members have to say and they'll steer us. We hope we do the right things, and we hope we give something of value to them. We're not expensive to join and we have lower fees. As Kirsten said, we've gained 16 member com- panies this year, which is very nice indeed. We imagine that if we gain that many new mem- bers, we are doing something they value. We are member driven. We will do what the members want, and what they think has value. Of course, we make our proposals from the board. We have a board of 15 member companies, which is quite a large board and a very diverse board, as well as a very innovative board. They make a great contribution to our organization. Matties: I think one of the takeaways that we want to share with our readers is that the EIPC really is a global organization. It may be European centric, but it has global impact. Morgan: We have global partners through the World Electronics Circuit Council. I think that's very important, and together we organize the world conventions every three years. The next one is in Korea 2017, and then beyond that we're back in Asia again. Matties: What month is that taking place in Korea? Morgan: April 2017, and then three years later we'll be back in Asia again. I think the message is probably that we just can't work on islands anymore. We have to make sure we are connected globally, and that's a crucial part of success for us all. Matties: I think that's an important message to get out. Just because you belong to a global or- ganization like the IPC, being a part of the EIPC is important because your perspectives and ef- forts, though aligned with the IPC, are still re- gionalized to the area that people are trying to do business in. Morgan: We have global reach. We have global suppliers and we have global markets. Let's not forget that has been a trend in the last 15 to 20 years for all industries. The world has become smaller—it's a cliché, but it's true. Matties: It's true. Once you've been around it once you know how small it is. Morgan: Yeah, so that's really where we are: We're trying to further the reach of electronic industries in Europe. Matties: Great, thanks so much for joining me to- day. PCB EIPC: FURTHERING THE REACH OF ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES IN EUROPE FeATure inTerview