Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1538999
SEPTEMBER 2025 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 11 checklist for companies being audited by automotive compa- nies. Differences in audit require- ments were a pain point for com- panies manufacturing for this market. IPC India formed a stan- dards team and I encouraged them to build the first IPC stan- dard for India. The companies collected all the audit documents they had been subjected to, so they had a common one to form the basis of the standard. By creating a common com- prehensive checklist that the manufacturers could prepare themselves, they would be well prepared when the customer came calling. With the release of the IPC-1771 audit checklist, the members were thrilled, and the team was proud. The sto- ries such as this one add up over time, and we build credibility. Now they're promoting the ben- efits of participating in the Global Electronics Association and in our IPC standards efforts. Another thing we are doing well in India, which I'm not sure we're doing anywhere else, is not selling a solution, but work- ing to improve a member com- pany's business. We're provid- ing opportunities for business- to-business meetings. We're encouraging companies to bring trade partners to the U.S. for some of our different shows. In other words, we're asking how we can help our companies suc- ceed in business, not through standards and government rela- tions, but through everyday blocking and tackling. How do we help members find the cus- tomers they're looking for? I would love to see the Global Electronics Association do that kind of work globally. It sounds like the India strategy is working. You're bringing business people together and creating a stronger network for the Global Electronics Associa- tion and IPC standards through something more substantial than simply word of mouth. Yes. We want to be an associa- tion that addresses the supply chain. How do you get engaged in doing business? It's not just having a trade show so every- one can exhibit their products and services; that's the basic level. It's getting involved in fig- uring out what people need and helping them make the match. We say, "Tell me about your busi- ness," and "What type of busi- nesses are you trying to meet?" ▼ A n exa m p l e of a c o rd wo o d m o d u l e. so that we can help them net- work. Now we know more details about their business and they know I care. At that point, maybe we can find things we can sell to you, but we're doing that by helping you get more business. Is there still a payoff at the trade shows? The India and China teams have found ways to gain country fund- ing so exhibitors can attend our trade shows. That process is lengthy, taking a year or more to build the connection. With the government's trade office sup- port, the exhibitor gets an almost risk-free show. Their expenses are covered, so it only costs them their time. To get the gov- ernment to commit to that is an Association issue. We try to build the case, explain the show, and convince the government to put it in their budget. It's a year-to- year battle to get that approval. In 2024, 15 companies from India participated in EWPTE, the wire show produced by WHMA/ IPC, and these companies were happy with the show. The gov- ernment did not provide the funding for 2025 because of the timing of the financial year in India, yet three of them said,