Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1202019
28 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 make sure that's in place and that it protects the supply chain from certain threats or coun- terfeit disruption. As you know, counterfeiting is a big problem in our industry. The third part is security and compliance with NIST SP 800- 171. We also look at your export controls and make sure that your ITAR and EAR compliance registrations are all up to par; we review all that documentation. Finally, there's the chain of custody, which is the fourth piece of this program that focuses on how you handle your product traceability, deal with scrap, protection of CAD/electronic data, and how you ship your products or finished goods. That's looked at under the chain of cus- tody. The main driver for this is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement or DFARS 252.204.7012; that's what's prompted IPC to get involved with this program. Johnson: This is something you launched at IPC APEX EXPO 2019 and have been working on solidly ever since. Will that be more of a focus in 2020? Cherry: Yes. Johnson: What can we expect to see at IPC APEX EXPO 2020? Cherry: We're going to share some more tes- timonials and stories from some of the IPC member companies who have already joined this program. We currently have ten IPC mem- ber companies on the QML. Then, we're go- ing to continue to let them be our voice and help them promote the program. It's always better to have your customers talk about how well the program has gone. We also have a few more going through the certification process. By IPC APEX EXPO, we should have a nice group of companies. Johnson: Will this be presented at IPC APEX EXPO, and how does a company get involved? Cherry: The easiest way for IPC member com- panies to get more information on this would be to come to the IPC booth. We're going to have a campus there where you can come to one place and not only learn about the Vali- dation Service programs, but the bookstore will be there as well if you want to purchase a document, and you can learn about mem- bership and certification. It will all be in one place. Johnson: If this touches a hot button for some- one, then they're not going to find things in the program directory; they need to see you at the booth to talk to you about it. Cherry: That is correct. Once they connect with me at the booth, I can walk them through the program at a high level and give them some of the benefits. We're going to have a video board in the booth where we are going to be talking a lot about this program, and people can watch the video and pick up some information from that too. But we'll always have someone at the booth to answer questions about this program. As the DoD continues to work on this man- date, early adopters will get ahead of the curve by learning about this now instead of waiting until they have a certain deadline that they have to be certified by. Johnson: That's their call to action: To gain preventative awareness and to know this infor- mation before it becomes a requirement. This seems like a crisp program, and I'm sure there will be an ongoing discussion about prepara- tion issues going forward. What else is in store, Randy? Cherry: I've been involved with the CFX/ Hermes standards that IPC has been develop- ing, and I've been working with the committee chairs. At IPC APEX EXPO 2019, we installed two working SMT lines: one dedicated to CFX, and another one for CFX/Hermes. At IPC APEX EXPO 2020, we're going to have one line on the first floor with all the exhibitors, and it will be a dedicated line for CFX and Hermes. We'll have more CFX messaging than we had last year. We're also going to be working with the IPC-2581 committee, which is the standard for the XML format for intelligent data. Along