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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2021 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 29 thing started to fit into place naturally, based on the contributions that everybody made. It was so satisfying when we were able to issue the first release of that standard. Goldman: at's great to hear. I know IPC has always done their best to foster an atmosphere of people and companies working together instead of working at odds with each other, but that sounds like it worked especially well in this instance. I'm sure it also has to do with your leadership. Ford: I am interested in getting into the dif- ferent aspects of things, that ultimately work together. People sometimes need to be guided by examples to see how that works. e cross-functionality of IPC standards is a great example. As part of the CFX work, I started to work with the IPC-2581 committee on the design data side. With traceability we started to develop into the area of 1782 Secure Supply-Chain, with peo- ple who see the synergy in what we are doing. And then there's the IPC-2551 Digital Twin, where the task group has taken on something that has the potential to have a huge effect on the whole industry, extending the principles established with CFX, determining how solutions across the different silos within the industry communicate data between each other. Cybersecurity has also become extremely important recently, which also has a relation- ship with the IPC-1782 Secure Supply-Chain and traceability. It's really interesting to see all of these groups aligning to help define the "IPC Factory of e Future," in terms of smart technology. It was my aspiration to do this as a young engineer, though I didn't actually think I'd ever be in a position to play a signifi- cant role. It is really fulfilling to be able to work with these different committees within IPC. Goldman: And have a significant effect and influence on the created documents—you were not just spinning wheels. Ford: Exactly. ere are several individuals across the globe with whom I have been privi- leged to work, and have very much been "in the moment" of getting things done, being confident in their approach, as well as being open to accept ideas shared within the group and the committee as a whole. It's been really enjoyable to get the standards that we have been working on published in better than the expected time scale. Goldman: You were not just having effect on the industry, but actually making a major contribution to standards and knowledge. Ford: ank you! e real test is when users of the standards, whether machine vendors or man- ufacturers in the indus- try, come up and say, "is has been a problem for quite some time, nobody has been able to address it before." To see companies and people gaining benefit, developing solu- tions based on the standards, driven by their own subsequent inspiration, in areas such as machine learning and closed-loop feedback, is very satisfying. With preventative mainte- nance, energy management coming up with CFX v1.3, for example, we continue to broaden the horizon of the use of digitalization in man- ufacturing. Having lived through the early days of computers in manufacturing, with all the challenges that there once were with early soware technologies, it is great to see that it's a completely different situation today. Peo-