Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/960726
54 I-CONNECT007 I SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE 2018 Kono: Well, I suppose that I'm not the right person who can give advice to others. How- ever, not only from a tech perspective but also marketing point of view, joining the process of development is very useful, practical, and ben- eficial if you're involved in IPC business in your own market. There are lots of clues, comments, and discussion that expresses what IPC is and what IPC's values are. This information is very important and the base of marketing strategy to make IPC successful in each market. Goldman: What were your thoughts when you were notified of your Rising Star Award? Kono: I felt very honored. However, we're just getting started and still on the way to success. IPC is significant if Japanese companies want to participate in the global industry. Some companies still tend to use their own quality standard and language, but if we want global customers to understand the excellence of our production quality, we should use a common language. I feel that we can play a prominent role in our economy and Japanese manufac- turers can also express their excellence in the global business environment, leading to more success and growth. Goldman: Do you feel an increased commitment to IPC standards/specifications since you have received this award? Will it encourage you to get more involved? Kono: Absolutely, yes. As I mentioned above, I believe that we play a key role so Japanese companies won't be left behind in global elec- tronics standards. I've been seeing that more and more domestic companies are required to follow IPC standards by their international customers. Also, due market development and innovation, new standards have come up such as A640 or printed electronics. I'd like to catch up with these steps and development and bring them to Japanese companies. Again, we're still on the way to success and have much farther to go. I believe that there are many more poten- tials and opportunities here. I'd like to make Japanese companies, their global customers, IPC and ourselves happy and share success and benefits among all of us. Goldman: Very well said. Again, congratula- tions on your award and best wishes. Kono: Thank you, Patty. S&T • Total event attendance: 9,160 (includes exhibitor booth personnel, speakers, instructors, press, etc.) • 10% increase in attendance over 2017 • 4,574 attendees from 43 countries • 479 exhibitors on 149,700 square feet of exhibit space, making this show the largest in a decade! • Professional development courses: 30 • Technical conference papers presented: 70 • Committee meetings: 112 • Poster presentations: 24 • Buzz sessions: 8 • Pounds of equipment on show floor: More than 2 million • CFX Demo: 245,000 CFX website page views, 701,200 CFX messages transmitted, 664.5 million bytes of data exchanged IPC APEX EXPO 2018 By the Numbers