IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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IPC COMMUNITY 71 SPRING 2025 ponents that the average consumer wouldn't recognize, but make use of in most things they do. I see this opportunity at IPC as a chance to further develop a ded- icated research function, which is right up my alley. But it certainly sweetened the deal that IPC is at the core of an industry that underpins so many aspects of how the world operates. From farming equipment to transportation and defense to healthcare—electronics manufac- turing touches almost every facet of our lives. Being part of this critical ecosystem is a really compelling opportunity. We've set ambitious goals for our Industry Intelligence program. What are your primary objectives and how do they align with IPC's overall strategy? At its core, the Industry Intel- ligence program aims to provide practical recommendations that help stakeholders—both internal and external—understand and navigate the trends, challenges, and opportunities in electronics manufacturing. IPC enjoys a privi- leged position in the industry, with expertise and relationships span- ning many segments of the elec- tronics value chain. Our mission is to leverage this vantage point to become the go-to source for reli- able, forward-looking intelligence. We are planning a more com- prehensive research agenda for 2025. What initiatives are in development and how will they address the needs of our members and the broader industry? We are planning a series of regional reports that will roll up into a comprehensive report on the global electronics value chain. This report will characterize vari- ous industry segments, as well as quantify the industry's economic impact. Additionally, we're working on more focused deep dives into specific verticals like automotive and medical, alongside tech- nology-oriented topics such as advanced packaging, Industry 4.0, automation, and AI. We are giving significant airtime to sustainabil- ity themes, such as circularity and chemical alternatives. But as much as we plan these ini- tiatives, we also need to remain agile and ready to address unexpected changes. Whether it's responding to new administration policies, the impacts of conflict on supply chains, or industry-shifting mergers, we try to keep our ears close to the ground on a wide range of issues to stay rel- evant and responsive. The topics you mentioned touch many IPC focus areas. How will Industry Intelli- gence support IPC's various strategic pillars? IPC is undertaking meaningful work across its many departments: Advocacy, Solutions, Membership, Education, Sustainability, and Standards. This work is backed by an incredible roster of sub- ject matter experts across these domains. I regard these experts as our internal clients. In this context, Industry Intelligence serves not only as a research partner, but also as a coordination office, helping to bridge these functions and foster dialogue, and ensuring that the insights we generate are relevant and actionable to a wide range of stakeholders—our members, indus- try executives, policymakers, the media—all across the electronics manufacturing ecosystem. As an example, if our Govern- ment Relations team needs data to engage our members and poli- cymakers on the economic impact of tax incentives, we support that by providing estimates for job creation figures to help shape leg- islation. We can also reach out to our in-house education team to discuss the upskilling we'll need to account for regarding those new jobs. New jobs mean new facilities adopting old and new manufac- turing standards and operating under old and new sustainability guidelines. We can help our mar- keting and communications folks get the word out. You can see how it quickly becomes a web of infor- mation that Industry Intelligence is helping to weave. What does a typical day look like as you balance research planning and execution across these different domains? The starting point is talking to our internal and external stake- holders to see what's top of mind for them, and ensuring we have clarity of purpose. Sure, we have some ideas of our own within Industry Intelligence, especially as they relate to IPC's overall strategy, but we're always looking to build those bridges, and see how the pieces might fit together. We hope that every study we undertake is designed with end-use in mind. We're constantly asking, "Who will use this? How will it impact their decisions?" By staying close to our internal teams and soliciting mem- ber feedback, we ensure that what we produce has real-world utility. There is also the more opera- tional side: We're writing blogs and white papers, collecting survey responses, or planning a round- table. These require your typical project management tasks to keep the trains running.