Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/612684
74 The PCB Magazine • December 2015 by Patty Goldman I-cOnnect007 I recently spent a little time with IPC Direc- tor of Validation Services Randy Cherry, learn- ing more about this relatively new program and how it was evolving. I also wanted to make sure that it was something that the industry wanted and felt a need for. Randy is on top of just about everything, it turns out, and provided great de- tail on the various aspects of this arm of IPC, including the newest program, Standards Gap Analysis. Patty Goldman: Randy, tell me a little about your- self and what you are doing at IPC, and then we'll get into the nitty-gritty about your goals and some new offerings from IPC. Randy Cherry: Thank you very much for this opportunity, Patty. I've been with IPC a little more than two years now and I have about 30 years of experience in the OEM industry. I spent the last 21 years working for Tellabs in Naper- ville, Illinois, as a process engineer. Goldman: What can you tell us about Validation Services? Cherry: Validation Ser- vices is basically a series of audit certification pro- grams built around the IPC standards, mainly the more popular ones like J-STD-001, IPC A-610 and others that are used throughout the entire in- dustry—pretty much ev- erywhere. Basically, we certify companies to those IPC standards. Prior to Validation Services, IPC had certification programs for individual employees of companies. You could go to one of the rec- ognized IPC training centers, take the class and exam, and you could either become a Certified IPC Specialist (CIS), or a Certified IPC Trainer (CIT). That's all focused on the individuals of various companies. Goldman: It was only for certain standards, right? Cherry: That is correct. IPC Validation Services takes it to the next level and certifies the facility or the actual site, the company site, to the same IPC standards. The Value of IPC's Validation Services randy cherry. FeATure inTerview