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18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 Johnson: I certainly found these conversations to be very enlightening for me personally, and to interact with all of you as we went through those conversations. We talked about what sus- tainability means. And in all the different facets that were covered, that was a great process to go through for me personally. I certainly hope the listeners feel the same way. Kayesar: I say start now, right where you are. Any small thing that you can do to contribute to the effort will be returned ten-fold, a thou- sand-fold, in years to come. McGoff: If you're achieving something that makes things more sustainable, you're mak- ing it more possible for your clients in the future to achieve success with your solutions. If we do begin now, if we do take the small steps, if we look at each element that we can address and affect, then we do have the abil- ity to have a positive outcome for the future of our companies as well as our children. Johnson: ank you very much for joining me to talk about this. It has been a pleasure working with all of you, putting this series together. Kayesar: anks for having us, Nolan. SMT007 Per IPC's May 2023 Global Sentiment of the Elec- tronics Supply Chain Report, cost pressures con- tinue to recede and demand remains positive for now, leading to a cautiously optimistic global elec- tronics industry sentiment. "Geopolitical factors, along with the continued impacts of inflation and rising interest rates, have led manufacturers to describe the current econ- omy as slow, uncertain, challenging, difficult, vola- tile, and unpredictable," said Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. "However, despite current condi- tions, the outlook for 2023 is relatively positive, with manufacturers expressing optimism and expecting growth, especially in the latter half of the year." Additional survey results indicate: • The majority of respondents are still reporting that labor costs and material costs are rising, but the number of companies experiencing rising costs continues to decline. Only 49% of companies believe material costs will rise in the coming months, the first time this has fallen below 50 percent. • Ease of recruiting skilled workers has also improved to its highest level since the survey began. • The Orders Index slipped to 101. This is still in expansionary territory, but it is the lowest level seen since the start of the survey. • Orders are expected to decline more so for firms operating in North America versus those in Europe, who instead are more likely expect- ing orders to remain stable. For the report, IPC surveyed hundreds of compa- nies from around the world, including a wide range of company sizes representing the full electronics manufacturing value chain. View full report. Electronics Manufacturers Reporting Cautious Optimism IPC Releases May Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report 18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 Nearly three-fifths of electronics manufacturers are currently experiencing a 57% labor and material cost increase. At the same time, ease of recruitment, profit margins, and backlogs are presently declining.