Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1265351
28 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2020 Matties: It's the Beta/VHS situation. Kelly: Yes. And there are different groups out there vying to do this. We totally understand that. Hopefully, the best technical solution will prove itself by its own performance. Matties: With those trends, there has to be a big demand for retraining the workforce. How is IPC playing into that? Kelly: Training and education is a very big por- tion of IPC's strategic focus. There are new platforms like IPC EDGE, which allows for dig- ital training and certification. Matties: IPC is an industry resource. We have to make sure that our readers understand the tools and opportunities available to them, especially as they move into the future. Kelly: We often put technology first because it's neat. AI, neural networks, and machine learning are pretty cool, but if left alone, they will fail. One reason is that it's technol- ogy only and doesn't serve a business need. Two, where are the people? Some of the best insights I've gained lately are from Bob Mur- phy, SVP, Connected Enterprise Consulting, Rockwell Automation. He is adamant about putting the change management of people right beside all this technology change. It has to be done in parallel. If you don't do it, then you have all this stuff you've purchased and nobody knows how to use it, or they think it's the enemy. There's bias. DuBravac: If you think about the investments a manufacturer needs to make, it's not only in capital and technology but also in people. Those investments need to happen in tandem. We're in an environment where these shifts take place, and companies will need to make those investments so that they can be viable moving forward. That will require investments in both people and capital. Often, that invest- ment in human capital is an investment in training and other things like that, too. Matties: What final advice would you give to manufacturers today? Kelly: My answer will be relatively narrow, but I'm keeping it narrow so we can progress the electronics manufacturing sector and start to work independently as businesses need to. We need healthy competition and differentiation so that people can make money, along with more emphasis on working together as a sup- ply chain in the context of digitization. People are still doing their own things. "This is the best way to do it. This is my partner. This is a better mousetrap than the other." There's still a lot of "turf battling" occurring. We will not progress if this continues. My call to action would be to agree to keep certain things off the table: business secrets and trade-offs. That's business as usual. But for linking the supply chain together, that's where IPC comes in. We need standardized processes and digital formats that everyone can read. Once we agree on these protocols, companies can work together. A good starting point would be to take a good look at your own company in terms of where you are in this transforma- tion, and then don't just work independently. Instead, branch out to your supply chain to see how everyone can work together. Underneath that, standards bodies like IPC and others can be the framework for that to happen. Matties: We appreciate your expertise. Thank you very much. DuBravac: Any time we can help, let us know. Thanks, everyone. Kelly: Take care. SMT007 Training and education is a very big portion of IPC's strategic focus.