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60 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2023 Interview by Barry Matties I-CONNECT007 Barry Matties recently visited with Philippe Leonard, senior director for IPC Europe, and Francisco Fourcade, electronics technology standards manager for IPC Europe, about their priorities for IPC and the challenges they face moving into next year. e IPC Europe team has focused on collaboration, coopera- tion, and perhaps most importantly, educat- ing policymakers on the impending needs of PCB and PCBA companies in Europe. Barry Matties: Philippe, what is your most important mission right now with the European side of IPC? Philippe Leonard: e priority for us in Europe is to raise the visibility of the IPC brand in the different territories and for the industry to identify IPC as the most support- ive organization for them. We strive to pro- mote engagement, which means getting more European companies to take ownership of IPC standards. As you know, IPC standards are made by the industry for the industry, and participation in IPC standardization commit- tees is free. You don't need to be a member. Most of the industry players here don't know that, and we are advocating for that. IPC EUROPE: Raising the Industry Flag of Support We have to make it clear to them that they are stakeholders, that they can have a voice. ey can influence these standards because, even though by law IPC standards are not mandatory for their businesses, they are com- pulsory because their customers require them to be applied. So, European manufacturers need to know that they can have an influence on those requirements. In an ideal world, to make it a fair game, all regions in the world would be involved in standards discussions. We are not there yet, but that is our goal. Further, we want IPC to be the unified voice of electronics manufac- turers in Europe to the policymakers, the European Commission, and the governments, to make sure that the European Chips Act or any future framework conditions and legisla- tion are friendly to this industry and allow for better development, success, and ultimately, a better European economy around the elec- tronics industry. Being here in Europe has its own challenges in that you can travel just a few 100 kilo- meters and you're in a completely different country and economic environment.