IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1488860
21 understanding of what an EMS company does and the important role that it plays in the electronics ecosystem. "It has become abundantly clear on both sides of the Atlantic that when policymakers think about electronics, they think of only semiconductors— chips and ICs," he says. "Most of them don't under- stand the importance of PCBs or PCBAs. They also don't know how raw material and chemical suppli- ers fit in or how the automation equipment is being designed to build all these products. So, that is a source of great frustra- tion for the EMS community." Based on this information, IPC is developing a set of strategies to bet- ter promote and market the industry to the media, to policymakers, and to the large community in Europe in 2023. The second result: growing con- cern that EMS companies have with the lack of sustainable processes to share confidential data, and of standards that can align with the sharing of that information. "Every company seems to have its own way of doing it, and they asked us, as a standards organi- zation, to bring some method to the madness, so to speak," Sanjay says. "Is there a way to harmonize how the data is being shared? Can we standardize the flow of data through the process and equitably determine who gets to see what? What's most im- portant? What's least important? Can we create a structure around that?" Having these insights has been invaluable for the IPC Europe team, which is now identifying con- sultants and partners to start addressing these two issues on behalf of the EMS providers. Sanjay is encouraged about the trajectory of these conver- sations among EMS providers, many who happen to be direct competitors, yet were willing to meet together. "When all was said and done, the CEOs and oth- er executives had two main questions," he says. "One was, 'How quickly can you start working on some of these things?' and "When can we do this again?' For me, the intangible value in all this is how we started building community. At a pan-European level, no one else was doing that. These types of activities are an absolute fit with our DNA and culture: Put smart people in a room together to collaborate, give them a meaningful challenge, and harness their energy and creativity in prob- lem solving. The representative from one of the companies pres- ent, for example, told me that IPC was the only organization that could bring together a group like that. He doesn't ever recall that happening where two of his largest competitors were sitting in the same room, and it didn't bother him at all." "We made it very clear from the outset that we were not after any proprietary information, that we respected and understood that everyone has their own secret sauce, and we wouldn't discuss any of that," Sanjay says. "But we know for a fact that all of them have common challenges, and in- stead of trying to solve those common challenges on their own, we could do it in a group setting. They all understood that. It's a valuable reminder of what a neutral, third-party not-for-profit can accomplish with a credible mission, tenacity, and sincere mes- saging." Get involved! Attendees enthusiastically articulated their intention to spread the word and participate again. The next meeting is tentatively planned for May 2023. For more information, contact: • PhilippeLeonard@ipc.org • SanjayHuprikar@ipc.org