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68 The PCB Magazine • January 2017 IMPLICATIONS OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY Also, considering that many electronics products and components are manufactured overseas, the price of these devices could jump by nearly 50% if the tariffs described during the campaign are enacted. Likewise, President-elect Trump's promise to renegotiate NAFTA will affect many industries but especially the U.S. automotive sector, which has outsourced much of its production to Mex- ico. Electronics account for up to 30% of the cost of today's cars, and some economists have estimated that a total repatriation of automo- bile manufacturing to the U.S. could increase the consumer cost of small cars by $5,000 each. The road to higher consumer prices result- ing from a more protectionist U.S. policy is one that few will want to travel. In addition, the President-elect's anti-im- migration views could affect many electron- ics manufacturers and their customers in the United States, where there is already a skilled worker shortage. American citizens with the skills needed to staff advanced manufacturing facilities simply are not available in the num- bers required. Part of the answer is workforce development initiatives and higher educational standards at all levels, especially in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). To help meet this need, IPC is committed to being a leader in training and certification courses. Our new learning-management platform, IPC EDGE, is designed to deliver the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the electronics industry. On each of these major issues, President- elect Trump was somewhat vague and contra- dictory during his campaign, so understanding how he will govern and seize opportunities will require significant government relations work and agility on our part. On the bright side, we are optimistic that a one-party government will pave the way to progress in several important areas. For exam- ple, we expect that President Trump and lead- ers in Congress will collaborate on a corporate tax reform package that will stimulate business growth and investment. We also expect that a Trump administration will take a lighter ap- proach to regulation, including a better balance among the risks, costs and benefits of new rules, and a better grounding in the best available sci- entific research. As an industry, we will move forward, and IPC—whose chief goal is to ensure the success of our members—looks forward to playing an active part in that progress. Because at the end of the day, we make progress together—part of one world, and one industry. PCB John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC−Association Connecting Electronics Industries. To read past columns or to contact Mitchell, click here. New FAA regulations have made drone flight easier than ever for companies and con- sumers. A new system from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Labo- ratory (CSAIL) is the first to allow users to design, simu- late, and build their own custom drone. Users can change the size, shape, and structure of their drone based on the specific needs they have for payload, cost, flight time, battery us- age, and other factors. To demonstrate, re- searchers created a range of unusual-looking drones, including a five-rotor "pen- tacopter" and a rabbit- shaped "bunnycopter" with propellers of different sizes and rotors of different heights. Design Your Own Custom Drone