Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1500943
JUNE 2023 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 75 is the need for packages to provide a common pitch and standards for I/O locations providing compatibility between vendors. ese ideas have, arguably, always resided in the realm of the adjacent possible and what is next becomes adjacently possible. When the leap is made, the possible begins to expand exponentially, much the way that life has done since it first appeared on this fortunate blue marble in space. I am inclined to believe that the adjacent pos- sible I see will be embraced in the future, not because time has proven me right many times in the past but because its time is drawing near. As Victor Hugo wrote roughly 150 years ago, "Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come." I may be dead before that time arrives but the accuracy of my past "innova- tive predictions" gives me comfort that they will happen once the pain of the status quo becomes unbearable. I must simply follow the guidance of Ted Lasso and "believe." DESIGN007 Joe Fjelstad is founder and CEO of Verdant Electronics and an international authority and innovator in the field of electronic interconnection and packaging technologies with more than 185 patents issued or pending. To read past columns or contact Fjelstad, click here. Download your free copy of Fjelstad's book Flexible Circuit Technology, 4 th Edition, and watch his in-depth workshop series "Flexible Circuit Technology." How does a company protect its most valuable electronics manufacturing information? How can designs and processes be kept safe? IPC-1791 is an industry-driven and industry-written standard that focuses on protecting two things: controlled unclassified information (CUI) and controlled techni- cal information (CTI)—the information that would be devastating for a company to lose. IPC Validation Services plays a critical role in ensuring that you can keep your information safe. This is the team that performs the Qualified Manu- facturer List (QML) audits, validating the manufactur- ing process to the four pillars: quality, supply chain risk management, security, and chain of custody. To learn more about how IPC members participate in the process, we spoke with John Vaughan, vice president of strategic markets at Summit Intercon- nect, who provides insight into his company's IPC Validation Services journey. If you're working with defense primes, he says, this certification is vital. John, please tell us a little about Summit Interconnect. Summit is the largest privately held printed cir- cuit board manufacturer in North America, featuring eight highly integrated facilities, over one-half mil- lion square feet of advanced technology processing capability, and approximately 1,300 employees. Why did Summit Interconnect decide to certify to IPC-1791? We operate in very compliance- and certification- driven markets, and we support a heavily DoD and military prime customer set. Our customers have very high expectations in terms of Summit protect- ing controlled unclassified information (CUI), supply chain risk management (SCRM), chain of custody (CHoC), quality systems (AS 9100), ITAR/EAR, and compliance to NIST 800-171. The IPC-1791 audit and standard is focused on compliance to all these and our position on the IPC-1791 Qualified Manufactur- ers List (QML) as a Trusted Fabricator gives our cus- tomers third-party assurance through the IPC Vali- dation Services that Summit meets specific criteria that are important to them. To read the rest of this interview, which appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of IPC Community, click here. The Journey to IPC-1791 Validation John Vaughan