Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1212069
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2020 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 87 year after launching at IPC APEX EXPO 2019 and how IPC members can get involved and sponsor student chapters. The IPC Education Foundation identifies potential schools for new chapters, but individual companies can also come to Aaron with a school and pledge to be a sponsor. Since launching last year with seven chapters, it has expanded to 26 currently, and Aaron hopes to see the same growth by IPC APEX EXPO 2021. Mark Goodwin COO, Ventec International Group USA Jack Pattie CEO, Ventec International Group, Europe and the Americas The 2020 technology focus for Ventec Interna- tional Group is in three areas for advanced lami- nate materials: thermal m a n a g e m e n t , m e t a l c o re P C B s ( M P C B s ) , and signal integrity. Of course, Ventec provides standard laminates, but these three areas are driving the company to quickly become one of the top manufacturers of advanced laminate to the PCB industry. As with everyone I spoke with, one of the factors influencing technology is the advent of 5G applications beginning to hit the industry. In Mark's video interview, he commented on the importance of Ventec participat- ing in the many IPC specification meetings and committees to ensure that the company has a voice in the standards and specifi- cations that impact their product. When I talked with Jack at the show, he discussed the core values of the organization, start- ing with Ventec's mission: To create enabling technologies and innovative solutions to meet the future technology requirements of their customers and achieve ultimate customer satisfaction through continuous attention to cost, quality, improvement, and local service support. Oren Manor Director of business development, Mentor, a Siemens Business I think everyone in the industry knows Mentor and the front-end CAD/ CAM software solutions they bring to the table. What was interesting when talking with Oren is the integration of the Mentor suite of soft- ware with the mechanical solutions made available with the recent acquisition by Sie- mens. One of the main points Oren made was that they now can offer a complete solution to customers, starting with front-end CAD/CAM outputs to the mechanical process of manufac- turing products, including guidance on work- flow optimization and use of robotics. This "total product" solution gives the customer much more accuracy in planning, production, and quoting/costing over utilizing multiple providers to achieve the same solution. Oren stated that the total product solution enables companies to develop better electronic prod- ucts faster and more cost-effectively. S&T Steve Williams is the president of The Right Approach Consulting.