IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1546580
24 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2026 distant future, with smart standards, there will be no permanent need for a human in the loop feeding information into machines, taking the place of some quality assurance and other human operations. Machines will retrieve the standard from the web shop or another API system, load it, and act on it immediately. Smart standards are configured in a way that the machine understands. "Smart" means machine- applicable, readable, and transferable across devices. But, of course, their application, the development of the underlying software and infrastructure, and the strategy behind that must be human-driven. This is also true for the quality management perspective and the certification part of our business. In this new role for the Association, what do you hope to accomplish? We are a member-driven organization that serves members and the industry as a whole. So, my primary goal is to work closely with current mem- bers while bringing in new members, where we all recognize the value and benefit of being part of this network in Europe. My mission is to under- stand the priorities and needs of our members and potential members. After that, I want to serve the industry as it works on its own transformation in terms of automation, especially industrial AI, robots, manufacturing of the future, smart standards, and critical raw material and sustainability efforts by the European Commis- sion. How can the Global Electronics Association in Europe be of service and translate politics into executable information or actionable intelligence? Achieving these goals will help us be perfectly aligned with the market. I understand you actually reached out to current members while you were interviewing for the posi- tion to receive feedback on what they found most valuable about Association membership. How did that help you? Yes, I had great conversations with a handful of companies, both members and non-members, at their offices. I compiled the feedback into a matrix—