Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1538999
10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2025 the offerings to IPC-A-610 and then CID, the IPC Designers Certification program. We saw a strong interest, so we started teaching regular classes and confirmed that there was a thirst for IPC pro- grams in India. After the first year, we realized our partnership goals with IPCA were not aligned, which led us to open our own orga- nization in 2010. Our headquar- ters was estab- lished in Ben- galuru, on the first floor of an office of an engi- neer working for an IPC mem- ber company. By 2020, we were on to our third office in Bengaluru, we'd added an office in Delhi, and had gone from never having been to India to visiting 4 times a year. We orga- nized training, standards sales, membership, con- ferences, hand-soldering competitions, and even organized a small show. As part of our growth, I met with other associ- ations and government officials. We hosted road shows to build awareness of our programs. While results were positive, I couldn't shake the feel- ing that we should be gaining more traction. Our first executive director retired, leading me to hire Gaurab Majumdar as the executive director, and he has taken a different approach. Gaurab had expe- rience working with government and NGOs, so he was able to create partnerships with associations and chambers of commerce. He was able to create a process for us to build more connections. With Gaurab now at the helm, I can support his efforts as a member of the team. I bring the his- tory and standards background, and Gaurab brings the business and government connections, which have opened doors to enable us to be a more trusted advisor so that we can hear and under- stand a problem. That adds trust to our solution, and that has opened up channels. What was the industry looking for at the time? We were approached by the Indian defence orga- nizations to comment on a specification they were using for printed circuit boards and asked for my comments. The specification needed a lot of work. I knew there was a lot of work to be done when I opened the spec to a section on cordwood mod- ules. These were pre-I/C technology considered the ultimate in packaging density and shock resis- tance when using normal components. But that was 1950s/60s technology, and when I joined in 1980, it was listed as a historic technology written out of our standards. The India spec under review had cordwood modules running through HDI, and we realized they were trying to get into the next generation while maintaining ancient technology within that same specification. My advice to them was to scrap this document and start over. We organized a group of industry experts, includ- ing in-country experts, and conducted a review. From that, the recommendation was to use the table of contents from IPC-6012 specification and build out the specification with the appropriate content to meet the India market need. The lead for the Defence project listened, agreed, and supported our recommendations, and within two months, they had built the new specification. They took the advice, leaned on the team we brought together, and now we are a trusted partner. That kind of credibility within the country has helped us grow. How has the Global Electronics Association worked alongside initiatives in India to strengthen electronics manufacturing? As prime minister, Narendra Modi has supported investing in infrastructure and industrial parks and providing incentives for foreign investment to help India's manufacturing grow. India's consumer elec- tronics market is a big opportunity for us to serve. This has not been a sweet spot for IPC standards. How do we become relevant? The more we are considered trusted by the governments, the more credibility we have when entering a consumer company. If we're good enough for the automotive industry and the EMS guys, we're good enough. We are approaching these companies now and expect to grow engagement We've now written our first India standard—a Dav id Bergman