Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1543032
36 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2026 Kieron, it seems you are the expert on formal public reviews and balloting. What does that public review accomplish, and what is its purpose in the overall flow? Kieron Roberson: A public review is crucial for achiev- ing our goal of being open and fair in our standards. If you were a fly on the wall in any of our meetings, you would hear "openness and fairness" used frequently. We also emphasize the importance of ensuring that everyone's voice is heard throughout the process. Public review provides an oppor- tunity for anyone with an interest in the document to review it and provide comments. Every single comment gets reviewed by the committee develop- ing that document, and then each comment is voted on for incorporation into the document. Of course, there may be a reason why it's not suitable for that document, and it'll be rejected. What happens most often, though, is that they accept it with slight modifications. It's important to have public reviews because they provide the voices of a much broader cross-section of the industry. Even those who are unable to commit to full committee participation over two or three years can still review that document and lend their voice. The point has been made multiple times that every comment is responded to, and that's a significant commitment, as some of these standards can gen- erate many comments. Deb, does that allow early- career people and Emerging Engineers to weigh in? Especially with new projects and standards being developed, what sort of voice can an early career volunteer have? Deb Obitz: Yes, it does allow our Emerging Engineers to make comments just like our seasoned volunteers. The Emerging Engineer program is comprised of people at the beginning of their career, and they are paired with longtime volunteers as mentors to help them navigate through APEX EXPO successfully. They are given a Passport (agenda) for them to become engaged, build networks, partic- ipate in standards development committees, and learn at the technical sessions. I've been in the indus- try for a long time, and I wish we had something like this when I first started. The Emerging Engineers can voice their opinions during our standards development committee meet- ings. Sometimes those opinions can butt heads with the longtime volunteers a little bit; but that's all part of understanding, listening, and helping them grow, which ultimately leads us to a better place. Some- times, it also helps the seasoned volunteers think about new approaches and ideas to approach topics being discussed. What's the value that new people bring to the standards process? Obitz: They give us fresh insight. There are always things that we didn't think about, and they bring something fresh to the table. It's nice to hear some of those ideas; it gives us something else to consider. Andres, you represent many of the standards prevalent in Europe. With different regions around the world having varying needs and priorities, how does the European standards work fit into the global whole? How do those regional differ- ences integrate back into the global standards? Andres Ojalill: We use the same standardization process in Europe, and we have two types of commit- tees here: task groups initi- ated and originating in Europe, and regional task groups, which are formed when a task group origi- nates in the United States. Europeans cannot always travel to APEX EXPO or other in-person standards devel- opment meetings; therefore, our regional groups meet here in Europe to collaborate and provide their input back to the originating task group. Usually, it's organized so that group leaders collect all feed- back in Europe, then they travel to the United States and contribute by bringing European knowl- edge and expertise into the standards. Of course, in Europe, we have industry segments that lead more than in other regions. For exam- ple, the automotive segment is strongly repre- sented here in Europe. As a result, Europeans are involved in all automotive addenda. Kieron Roberson, IPC Standards Coordinator Deb Obitz, Technical Program Manager Andres Ojalill, Standards Manager