IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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4 4 C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 2 5 Kevin and Joachim attend the con- ferences offered at APEX EXPO and often contribute technical papers. "It is always interesting to learn the latest developments in our industry during APEX EXPO," Joachim says. "As Group ACB, we try to contribute to that as well. In 2022, Maarten Cauwe from imec won a Best Paper award for a paper we co-authored on an R&D proj- ect with the European Space Agency." Joachim has also presented at APEX EXPO, specifically on HDI microvia reliability. "HDI reliability is our focus point on the R&D level," he says. "It's not that we make state-of-the-art microvias in a way that they are not more complex than what others can do. But we can manufacture them in Where can you find Kevin and Joachim when they are not at Group ACB? "I recently bought a racing bike, so that's where you'll find me—on my bike." — Joachim Verhegge "I cannot be as good as a Belgian on a bi- cycle, so I am some- where on the road far beyond Joachim, trying to catch up to his wheels!" — Kevin Tastets Off the Clock a more reliable way. I would say that these recent R&D activities on HDI reliability have placed us at the top level in Europe." To add a bit of fun to their daily work, Group ACB encourages compa- nies to participate in hand-soldering competitions by sponsoring events throughout the year. Joachim notes, "The winners over the past four or five years have been our customers who use our PCBs daily. This compe- tition serves as a way for EMS or OEM companies to recognize outstanding operators on their teams. The com- petitors can travel, meet their peers, and compete against key players in the supply chain. We take pleasure in sponsoring these events."