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86 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2020 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE by Steve Williams THE RIGHT APPROACH CONSULTING The annual IPC APEX EXPO presents the opportunity to keep up with what's new in the industry and stay abreast of exciting, upcoming technology. For me, it is also a time to catch up with many old friends and colleagues from my over 40 years in the business. Here are some of those conversations. You can also view the full library to see other interviews from IPC APEX EXPO 2020. Anaya Vardya President and CEO, American Standard Circuits I have known Anaya for almost seven years, and I always look for- ward to talking with him about the latest in technology. American Standard Circuits is one of the premier manufacturers of advanced- technology PCBs in the industry. I spent the first 22 years of my career building PCBs, and every time I talk to Anaya, I realize just how little I know about today's technology. Anaya mentioned a number of pieces of new equip- ment recently installed that allow the company to continue to push the limits of manufactur- ability. Aside from participating in a number of IPC meetings, the show provides Anaya the opportunity to look for his next equipment purchase that will continue to keep American Standard Circuits at the forefront of industry technology. Kurt Palmer President and CEO, Burkle North America As we were talking, we started counting the years and realized that we had known each other for nearly 40 years! How did that happen? Most of that time was when Kurt was with Tapco as a sup- plier, and later as a friend. We discussed his recent career move to Burkle, and how that is going. Kurt indicated that the move to the lamination systems maker was a logical pro- gression from being a supplier of raw laminate to the industry to now being a multilayer lami- nation OEM. We also discussed some of the new technology offerings Burkle is making, such as special presses for flex and rigid-flex products. Kurt said that IPC APEX EXPO is a great venue to showcase their equipment and new technology. Aaron Birney Education program manager, IPC Education Foundation This was a particularly interesting discussion, as one of the existen- t i a l t h re a t s f a c i n g o u r i n d u s t r y i s t h e bench strength of trained employees ready to take the baton from the seasoned veterans leaving the business. Aaron discussed the founda- tion's focus on STEM and growth over the past Standout Conversations From IPC APEX EXPO 2020