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38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2018 It's that time of the year again. Yes, the holi- days—such as Christmas and New Year's—are coming up, but I am not thinking about the joy of this wonderful time of year. My mind is preparing for IPC APEX EXPO 2019, including all of the exciting meetings, discussions, and teachings. "Technology's Future Comes Together" is the theme, which is quite suitable during these changing times. I guess we all need to come together, especially the automotive industry. The automotive industry has been character- ized by individualism for years when it comes to standards for production. All major car brands and leading suppliers to these car makers have carried out their own PCB standards. Very few of them cooperate to make life easier for the PCB sup- plier that may deliver to several of these demanding customers. Many the automotive brands carry out their own require- ments not only to the final product but also to the production and process flow. Each one has their own ideas on how to secure zero defects. The reason why my focus is targeted on the automotive industry is due to the newly re- leased and revised IPC-6012DA-WAM1: Auto- motive Applications Addendum to IPC-6012D, Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards. As chair of the task group, it would be an understatement to say that this standard is close to my heart. A Never-ending Task The idea behind the automotive addendum was to find a consensus in the jungle of cor- porate specifications—a common document describing basic PCB requirements for the automotive industry. IPC- 6012DA was published in April of 2016, and the work with the amendment started in April 2017, which is now released. I am very excited to present the addendum. The chang - es of the revised version are of substantial character. The biggest change in WAM1 is going from special automotive requirements for both IPC Class 2 and 3 to become au - tomotive Class-3 re- quirements. Technology's Future Comes Together: A Great Slogan for Us All! The PCB Norsemen by Jan Pedersen, ELMATICA 38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2018