Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1161956
26 SMT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2019 Feature Interview by Barry Matties I-CONNECT007 Graham Naisbitt, chairman and CEO of Gen3 Systems, has spent decades leading cleanli- ness testing standards in a number of different standards organizations like IPC, IEC, and ISO around an assortment of testing methods, such as CAF, SIR, and even introducing a new stan- dard this year for his own testing method—pro- cess ionic contamination testing (PICT). Nais- bitt breaks down his long involvement with standards and where they stand currently. Barry Matties: Please start by telling us about your company, Gen3 Systems. Graham Naisbitt: For nearly 40 years, we have designed, engineered, manufactured, and dis- tributed our test and measurement equipment into the electronics industry. Back in 2009– 2010, we lost 50% revenue overnight in the downturn. It was as though somebody flicked a switch. To bolster what we're doing in the U.K., looking for distribution of other people's products was a natural extension, so we lined up with two or three key players. Peter Mar- shall, who was the chairman of the SMART Group (a trade association in the U.K.), was at a crossroads. He had his own distribution busi- ness and wanted to retire. Peter and I came to an agreement, and I took over that busi- ness, which brought in additional distribution points. Matties: As you told me earlier, there was one event that changed the course of your work. Naisbitt: An important point for the industry was when Dr. Wally Rubin, who was then the technical director of a company called Mul- ticore Solders, invented no-clean flux. Wow, that was a success. But how much longer that can continue has now come into question. Matties: Are there some practical applications that need to be addressed? Naisbitt: Absolutely. And it's fair to say that the vast majority of the industry is running successful no-clean processes, but it doesn't avoid the risks associated with electrochemi-