Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1544155
66 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2026 minutes, our table filled with a very interesting mix: three U.S.-based wire harness companies; Jesus Duarte, president of UNMEXAR and director of ExpoWireTech; and the WireTech team. The tone was noticeably different from a tradi- tional session. People were less guarded, less polished, and more willing to speak from opera- tional reality rather than prepared talking points. Our friendly yet professional conversation quickly unlocked exactly what the organizers had intended. The topic that kept surfacing, not surprisingly, was tariffs. It wasn't dramatic, but more of a prac- tical, day-to-day way where operators are experi- encing uncertainty. We talked about what companies in the Juarez– El Paso corridor are seeing on the ground, about the pressure points, and about the questions that still don't have clear answers. There is heightened sensitivity in the market, and most companies are watching the situ- ation closely. Both the state and the federal governments in Mexico are actively working to provide stability and certainty for manufac- turers operating in the region. It helped ground the conversation in reality instead of speculation. The discussion naturally moved toward advo- cacy and public policy. Several participants were very interested in understanding how the Global Electronics Association is engaging in Washington on behalf of its more than 3,200 member compa- nies worldwide. Again, the format made all the difference. In a panel, that update might have sounded like a report, but at the roundtable, it was a dialogue. There were more questions with immediate answers. You could feel the room leaning in. That, to me, was the real proof point of these Best Practice Round- tables. They increase participation by changing the temperature of the conversation. I believe that when leaders choose the topic themselves, they bring the real questions, and when peers gather by choice, the honesty level goes up. The biggest takeaway for me was that sometimes innovation in our industry is not about new tech- nology. You want to change the tenor of the room just enough so that the truth feels safe to show up. I give credit to Alicia Balonek and her events team for pushing for this format. If WHMA continues creating spaces like this, I believe we will see more honest, peer-to-peer conversations our industry actually needs. For leaders in the wire harness ecosystem who value candid dialogue, real peer exchange, and unfiltered industry insight, the WHMA Global Lead- ership Summit is quickly becoming a must-attend space. Don't miss next year's conversation. SMT007 Lorena Villanueva is director of Global Electronics Association Mexico. Carlos Plaza and Lorena Villanueva at WHMA's 2026 Global Leadership Summit.