Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/609948
52 SMT Magazine • December 2015 by Stephen Las marias i-ConnECT007 Bill Bader, CEO of the International Elec- tronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), talks about the consortium's goals and mission, its collaborative projects, as well as its roadmap for the electronics manufacturing industry. Bader also highlights iNEMI's milestones in line with the major trends that have happened in the electronics industry, including the transition to lead-free, addressing tin whisker growth, and the move towards HFR (halogenated flame retardant)-free PCB materials. Stephen Las Marias: What is inemi's basic mis- sion? Bill Bader: iNEMI is a non-profit consortium comprised of companies that represent all as- pects of the electronics manufacturing supply chain, along with government agencies, univer- sity research centers and independent research institutes. Our mission is to forecast and accel- erate improvements in the electronics manufac- turing industry for a sustainable future. Las Marias: What are your membership stats? Bader: iNEMI is a corporate membership or- ganization. We have close to 100 members, including OEMs (13%), ODM/EMS firms (7%), material suppliers (37%), equipment provid- ers (13%), research institutes (12%) and other consortia and associations (15%). A little more than half of our members are based in North America, with an additional 22% in Asia and 20% in Europe. Las Marias: does inemi host any events? Bader: Each year, iNEMI holds 2–4 workshops, which are scheduled according to member/in- dustry needs and opportunities. These meetings are often held in conjunction with industry conferences. Public workshops provide a plat- form for sharing solutions and best practices as identified by participants. These events spend a significant portion of time exchanging ideas through small break-out groups, and a key re- sult, or output, of each workshop is a set of pri- oritized challenges to be addressed by industry and/or individual firms in follow-up activities. We also regularly schedule webinars to discuss project outcomes, roadmap results and research initiatives. Some of these are members-only, and others are open to the industry. iNEMI: Leading the Way to Successful Electronics Manufacturing FeATure inTerview