Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1456062
30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 "CHIPS" moniker, seek to encourage semi- conductor capacity within their respective regions. But at the moment, making more chips still means they get shipped overseas for packaging. Organizations such as IPC, USPAE, and PCBAA are working in their own areas of specialty to educate government representa- tives on this vulnerability in the entire supply chain. Recently, IPC's ought Leadership Council issued two separate but coordinated reports to help illustrate these points: • "North American Advanced Packaging Ecosystem Gap Assessment: Critical Systems, Capability, Capacity Analysis and Recommendations," authored by Jan Vardaman and Matt Kelly • "Printed Circuit Boards Matter: Rebuilding the U.S. Electronics Supply Chain," prepared by Joe O'Neil IPC ought Leadership Council's Mike Carano also published a report aimed at the manufacturing companies themselves, titled "Jumping the Technology Curve: Collabora- tion With Your Competition." ese docu- ments strive to deliver a holistic view of our manufacturing process, and provide guid- ance on how to strengthen the chain, not just a single link. O'Neil states what has become obvious to most of us in the industry. "e United States has lost its historic dominance in a founda- tional area of electronics technology, namely, the printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication industry," he writes. "In the halls of govern- ment, most of the attention is on semicon- ductors, due to the shortages triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with strong demand for all kinds of goods and services that contain chips." Vardaman and Kelly also recog- nize the issue, writing, "Given recent increased focus and investment by the United States Gov- ernment and firms to improve North Amer- ican semiconductor foundry capability, IPC is establishing a Government Relations advo- cacy position that encourages greater policy focus and investment on growing the wider advanced packaging ecosystem, not just semi- conductor fabrication." e goal, they say, is "to improve North American advanced packaging capability and capacity, with the United States, Canada, and Mexico as potential options. Overall, the goal was to create a healthy climate to foster North American advancement across the larger elec- tronics manufacturing ecosystem including semiconductors, advanced packaging, PCB fabrication, and hardware systems assembly." O'Neil notes that the pandemic revealed the extent to which the world is dependent on Chi- nese-made electronics, "as evidenced by the difficulty of ramping up U.S. manufacturing of ventilators when Chinese sources dried up." He continues, explaining that what was once considered low technology, the PCB has evolved into a high-technology, application- Joe O'Neil