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46 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2023 CFX capabilities will meet their customers' needs. rough the IPC-CFX-QPL, EMS and OEM customers can also get clear visibility into vendors' equipment capabilities, includ- ing where equipment is missing optional IPC- CFX capabilities. EMS and OEM companies see the value of having a plug-and-play system that will sup- port faster integrations of future capital equip- ment purchases and light up their factory auto- mation and data analytics strategies through the data-rich IPC-CFX messaging. We also see increased calls for IPC-CFX to expand beyond SMT to include PCB manufac- turing, back-end-of-line, and even non-elec- tronics manufacturing. ere is even word that IPC-CFX is being used right now for the manufacture of car doors. Not the electronics assemblies for car doors, but actual car doors. If there is a manufacturing need for plug-and- play, it seems there are companies out there finding a way to plug IPC-CFX into it. ere are also concerted efforts within indus- try for IPC-CFX integrations; one example is the exciting new developments out of Taiwan. Taiwan Says 'Ni Hao' to IPC-CFX In September 2022, under the guidance of the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan (IDB), the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Asso- ciation (TEEMA) and the Institute for Infor- mation Industry (III) held the EMS Industry Supply Chain Resilience and Digital Transfor- mation Technology Forum. e objective was to advocate for digitalization for Taiwan EMS companies. It's Thumbs-Up for IPC-CFX During Ceremony in Taiwan At this event, an IPC-CFX Demonstration Team launch ceremony was held, where III and TEEMA recommended IPC-CFX as the key standard to be adopted to empower the digitalization process and to work together to promote IPC-CFX as the EMS industry equip- ment networking standard, with government funding provided to support the digital trans- formation of EMS companies in Taiwan adopt- ing IPC-CFX. During the Electrical Wire Processing Tech- nology Expo (EWPTE) 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, representatives from TEEMA and III participated in an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between IPC and TEEMA to promote the use and adoption of IPC-CFX in Taiwan. At the signing ceremony, the III team shared very positive immediate results of IPC-CFX adop- tions with Taiwan EMS companies. Figure 1: The EMS Industry Supply Chain Resilience and Digital Transformation Technology Forum.