Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1424540
NOVEMBER 2021 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 9 Our ever-faithful columnists keep our mag- azine pages lively. Just browsing through their topics: Michael Ford writes on the costs of leg- acy thinking; Emmalee Gagnon looks at new feeder design to eliminate placement errors; Bob Wettermann brings his expertise to bear on rework; and Ron Lasky continues his con- tinuous improvement column with the fiction- al Maggie Benson. ere are just two months le in 2021, and it's been an interesting year. We've made our focus that of continuous improvement. How did we do? I would love to hear from you. I'm packing my bags and heading out to trade shows, starting with SMTA International in early November. I'll be on the show floor, mi- crophone in hand, and I'm ready to talk… and to listen. But from my vantage point, I want to create content that generates industry conversation. We also take pride in bringing you the latest information. When you read our magazines, we want you to see yourselves in the pages, in the conversations, and in the future of your business. I'll see you there. SMT007 Like my colleague, returning to the road for work has been a pleasant experience. With two trips under my belt in the last two months, and SMTA International just over the horizon in November, it's good to get conversation- al again. Turns out I wasn't alone. Trade show and conference attendance may still be down from pre-pandemic numbers, but the people at the events are there with a purpose. It is my impression that the show floor conversations are not idle chit-chat, but discussions with a clear purpose as they share the latest in both customer needs and supplier solutions. Which brings me to this month's magazine where we are talking about the importance of test and inspection. And what a talk it's been. Interviews are our specialty, and that was wholeheartedly apparent for this issue. First, we spoke with the experts to see just what's going on currently with test and inspec- tion. Bert Horner and Bob Neves wanted to talk about test strategies. We then got updates about IPC standards work from Jonathon Ver- million and Eric Camden, who shared commit- tee work regarding IPC-J-STD-001 and revi- sions in the past three years. To continue the conversation, we inter- viewed the folks from Koh Young regarding new developments in equipment and features; Keysight's Christopher Cain on artificial in- telligence implementation; and Phil Kinner shared news of some new products as well as an update on the MacDermid Alpha/Electro- lube merger. Nolan Johnson is managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To contact Johnson, click here.