Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1436094
DECEMBER 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 85 and coaching from our expert instructors. is is just one aspect of the IPC Workforce Devel- opment program. Available in self-paced and instructor-led options, IPC's Electronics Workforce Train- ing courses are designed to meet the growing needs of a rapidly changing industry, while providing flexibility and reducing training costs. In addition to PCB design, other courses include: • Electronics Assembly for Operators • Electronics Assembly for Engineers • Wire Harness Assembly for Operators • IPC-A-610 for Operators • IPC-J-STD-001 for Operators • ESD Control for Electronics Assembly • CFX courses, and many more With a variety of courses available, we are directly addressing the critical issues of pipe- line, onboarding, and staff retention in a way we hope attracts the best and brightest to our industry. For information on how we can help you meet your education and training needs, visit training.ipc.org. DESIGN007 References 1. U.S. Manufacturing Skills Gap Could Leave As Many As 2.1 Million Jobs Unfilled by 2030, Deloitte. com, May 4, 2021. Dr. John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC. To read past columns or contact him, click here. you don't know the business, how to qualify PCB shops, etc. PCBs are very technical. Now it's a bit different. It's easy to buy from Asia, people are used to it, the quality is quite good, and there are many PCB experts there. In 2004, Thierry opened a new company called CIPEM, which was doing more or less the same as ICAPE but for custom parts like harnesses, coils, and metal parts. There are custom parts that were easier to buy in China and were sometimes a better price. The target is to sell more product to our customers. We were selling PCBs to some contract manufac- turers, and we said, "You have trouble finding good suppliers for the harnesses, so let us provide them for you. We have solutions for you." It was really to upsell the existing customers. As we've grown, we have opened a big office and lab in China to control the quality of our Asian suppli- ers. Now we also have inspectors in the factory who just check the quality of the product directly out of the lines. We send the product to the lab to validate the sample before the customer receives the boards. To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the November 2021 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here. Sponsored link: www.icape-group.com Interview by Barry Matties Guillaume Chauvet, vice president of sales-Amer- icas East for ICAPE Group, discusses managing the supply chain through transportation issues, raw material shortages, and longer production times. He also details how he helps customers manage differ- ent suppliers and often divergent technologies. Barry Matties: Guillaume, would you give us a bet- ter understanding of how your company operates? Guillaume Chauvet: The company was created by Thierry Ballenghien. He had managed PCB shops in France, and in 1999 he saw the PCB business going to China, but it was complicated to go there. French people didn't have strong ties to Asia, so it was a really good spot for him to open a company, to buy PCBs directly from Taiwan and China with our own qualified supplier, and then sell them in France. That's how we started: by qualifying a PCB shop in Asia and creating more business in France. It was quite successful. At that time, everyone tried to go to China, but it's not easy when Navigating the Supply Chain Storm With ICAPE Guillaume Chauvet