Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1355791
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2021 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 117 to that. Revolutions are tough, but evolution is a continuous process. Instead of focusing on Industry 4.0, 5.0, or whatever might come next, we should adapt our mindset to one of a continuous evolution and treat digital trans- formation the same way we treat quality, that is in a state of continuous improvement. Breaking the Silos One of the recurring themes that I've seen in the past years both at Swie.io and in the IPC- 1782 (critical component traceability) and the IPC-2551 (the Digital Twin) standard develop- ment committees is an increasing need to break the silos. roughout the Industry 4.0 cycle, we've created data silos inside our organiza- tions, but in order to continuously evolve on our digital journey, we need to start to break them. Two of the most cited challenges of our industry at this year's show were the semicon- ductor shortage and the counterfeit compo- nent issue. Unfortunately, those two challenges come hand-in-hand and there is no easy or per- manent solution to either of them. Many tech- nical solutions out there claim that they will solve the issue and will eliminate counterfeits from the supply chain, but in reality we need to move from a reactive to a proactive approach. Much like with the digital transformation or the Industry 4.0 revolution it won't be one single technology or solution—be it blockchain, AI or cryptography—that will magically remove the counterfeit risk from our supply chain. Ignor- ing or pretending the problem doesn't exist won't help either. It will take time and it will involve improving the purchasing process and using better tools for component purchasing, improving the cybersecurity of our factories, building trusted digital twins, and so on. In a way, IPC APEX EXPO 2021 marked a new beginning or "a new hope" for our indus- try. It's a new hope that all of these overhyped technologies will provide tangible and timely benefits for an industry that is faced with so many extraordinary challenges, and a new hope that we've learned from our own past failures. Now we know much more, even if we just know what we don't know. S&T Radu Diaconescu is an electrical engineer at Swie. io in Lausanne, Switzerland. Radu Diaconesu, Swie.io, Receives the IPC Rising Star Award from IPC APEX EXPO 2021