Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1212069
38 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2020 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Pudles: There are a lot of programs that are in place today that are going to continue to strengthen the international presence of IPC. We've always been a very strong organization in North America. We now have a very strong presence in Asia, particularly our training and certification activities. We've always had a good membership group in Europe, and we've recently added capability in that area; hope- fully, we're going to continue to provide for our customers and constituents in Europe as well. I see the continued emergence of IPC as a strong international organization. IPC is also emphasizing getting participa- tion from colleges and universities. We want to encourage people, who didn't even know that we existed as an industry, to join local chapters and understand things about the industry that most don't learn until five or 10 years after graduating from college. There's a nice opportunity to bring stu- dents in and create the next gen- eration of EMS and PCB employ- ees. Goldman: How much longer do you think you're going to stay involved? I mean, you were already retired once, but now you're out of retirement, so that's all over. Pudles: I am not going to be as quick to go back into retirement. As far as IPC is concerned, I'm on the board of directors, and I hope to be reelected for another four-year term. Because of term limits, it has to be my last term on the board, but I will continue to stay involved with the EMS Management Council and other activ- ities as long as they'll have me. As long as I'm working in the industry, one of the things that I've always felt very strongly about is the more you put into IPC programs and the EMS industry, the more you get out of it—whether it's people you meet, other compa- nies you're exposed to, or processes and pro- cedures that you learn about that other people are doing that would work better than things you're doing at your company. As long as I'm employed in the industry, I'll remain involved with IPC in one aspect or another. I have no short-term plans on leaving the industry again, so I will be there for at least the next five to 10 years, hopefully. I couldn't imagine being part of the industry and not being part of IPC in one situation or another. Goldman: As you said, I've always felt that with your involvement, you learn so much. It's hard to explain to somebody until they've been involved how much you learn from everybody else. Pudles: That's right. I've had the opportunity over my career to visit hundreds of other facilities around the U.S. and the world. That has helped me to see the way things are done very well, and not so well, and understand the types of things that I'd like to take the best in class and try to build the organization I'm involved in, whatever company I'm with at that point in time. It has provided a great education, on top of everything else. Goldman: And as much as you've seen and learned over the years, there's always something else out there. Pudles: One of the tough things, as we keep going, is to involve companies that haven't participated, especially in the IPC EMS Man- agement Council. You find that the same peo- ple come back year after year, and there may be one or two new companies, but some don't come back at all. Infusing new ideas comes from infusing new companies with their own experiences and backgrounds into the group to see the way other people do things differently. I always encourage people to come to the meet- ing and see if they pick up one or two things that you can take back to their own company. The more you put into this business, the more you get out of it.