IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 37 SUMMER 2024 Like many nations, France has suffered from a global marketing misnomer: Electronics manu- facturing can be done cheaper and better in Asia; therefore, education, financial resources, legis- lation, and business ventures should be shifted to other important industries. Yet electronics are so ubiquitous that they have become like "salt in the sea," says Pierre-Jean Albrieux, president of IFTEC, a French company and resources and training center specializing in the manufacturing processes of electronics (PCBA, PCB, and design). "It is present everywhere, so we end up not seeing it anymore." This has been quite evident in France, which has been populated with large OEMs in many sec- tors, a handful of PCB fabricators, and nearly 500 EMS providers. Technology fuels growth across diverse sectors in this European country, from manufacturing and automation to digital trans- formation, renewable energy, healthcare, trans- portation, aerospace, and cybersecurity. France is well known for its defense and avia- tion industries, like Airbus, Safran, and Dassault. It is also the fourth-largest automobile manufac- turer globally, home to companies like Peugeot and Renault. Companies like IFTEC can easily note and understand fluctuations in the electronics man- Taking Training to New Heights IFTEC keeps France's electronics industry humming By Michelle Te, Managing Editor, IPC Community