Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/623116
46 The PCB Magazine • January 2016 by John Hasselman ipc—association connecting electronics inDustries January is traditionally a time to reflect on how to build on the successes of the past year, with the added excitement of looking ahead to setting priorities and goals for the new year. As an advocate for the electronics manufac- turing industry, my job is to educate and en- courage policymakers to create a favorable legis- lative and regulatory environment for advanced manufacturing to grow and succeed. From that perspective, I think we should be proud of the significant progress we made in several areas in 2015. For example, in the United States, the Na- tional Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) launched several new institutes aimed at accelerating innovation in advanced manu- facturing. Most recently, U.S. Secretary of De- fense Ashton Carter announced $75 million in federal funding to establish NextFlex [1] , Ameri- ca's Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, in San Jose, California. More than 160 companies, associations, universities and other organizations, including IPC, are backing the new institute, which will focus on catalyz- ing the flexible electronics ecosystem through investments in new materials, thinned-device processing, device/sensor integrated printing and packaging, system design tools, and reli- ability testing and modeling. IPC played a lead- ing role in the industry coalition that secured congressional authorization for these institutes, and we will continue to advocate for full fund- ing and aggressive implementation in 2016 and beyond. Also, IPC hosted IMPACT, its annual Wash- ington, D.C. "fly-in," where industry executives met with federal policymakers and advocated for public policy priorities that affect our in- dustry. IPC also organized more than a dozen events across the country, in which member companies welcomed their elected representa- tives for policy discussions and tours of their facilities. Furthermore, IPC launched a new website [2] and recruitment campaign for the IPC Politi- cal Action Committee (IPC PAC) to open a new phase in our long-term efforts to educate poli- cymakers and address issues that affect our in- dustry. Political action committees are transpar- ent, regulated entities in which U.S. citizens and new year, new outlook for the electronics Manufacturing industry article