The Chemical Connection: Surface Finishes for PCBs
It’s Only Common Sense: 7 Tips to Focus on What Works
The Marketing Minute: Go Big or Go Home—Long-form Content Is Your Brand’s Best Friend
Gathering Around the EMS Table
March 11, 2025 | Mark Wolfe, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
When I entered the EMS provider industry 30 years ago, I attended some early IPC EMS management meetings. While I enjoyed the planned presentations, I especially valued the roundtable discussions with other industry peers. They not only provided an excellent opportunity to foster new relationships but also allowed me to listen to others facing similar challenges, who often addressed them in innovative ways that I could benefit from.
More recently, I have reflected on those past roundtable experiences and how we could expand these benefits to a larger audience without extensive planning or travel. During this time, I attended an annual face-to-face meeting of EMS executives hosted by Cirtronics in Milford, New Hampshire, USA, where I observed a similar collaboration. Bolstered by what I had seen and with great support from IPC staff, we launched the first IPC Regional EMS Leadership Roundtable at our IPC headquarters in Bannockburn, Illinois, USA, in July 2023.
Since then, we have hosted Regional EMS Leadership Roundtables in 10 regions. Based on positive feedback, we are expanding our locations and returning to most of the same locales. We have now hosted over 100 attendees from more than 70 EMS companies at Regional Roundtables. We have not allowed “outsiders”—participants need to be directly involved in operating EMS organizations—and most who attend are at a senior level of their organization.
The Roundtables typically run from 4–8 p.m. We have dinner and introductions, and then I share EMS industry demographics and some other unique supply chain and financial EMS industry data. Conversations often go later than 8 p.m. because our groups are deep in conversation around important topics.
To read the rest of this article, which appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of IPC Community, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Connect the Dots: Stop Killing Your Yield—The Hidden Cost of Design Oversights
04/03/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsI’ve been in this industry long enough to recognize red flags in PCB designs. When designers send over PCBs that look great on the computer screen but have hidden flaws, it can lead to manufacturing problems. I have seen this happen too often: manufacturing delays, yield losses, and designers asking, “Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?” Here’s the thing: Minor design improvements can greatly impact manufacturing yield, and design oversights can lead to expensive bottlenecks. Here’s how to find the hidden flaws in a design and avoid disaster.
Nolan’s Notes: Looking Deep Into the Future With X-ray
04/02/2025 | Nolan Johnson -- Column: Nolan's NotesAs a diagnostic tool, X-ray has been around for over a century, and available to EMS inspection for some years. It seems the industry has moved far enough forward to fully embrace X-ray on the assembly line. I’m reminded of Wayne Gretzky’s famous comment about the secret to his scoring success: “I skate to where the puck will be, not where the puck is.” I liken that to X-ray inspection, which has been standing here all this time waiting for the industry to catch up. Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing?
Molex Releases New Report on Strategies for Advancing Rugged, Reliable Connectivity in Modern Aerospace and Defense Applications
04/01/2025 | MolexMolex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, has released a new report from AirBorn, a Molex company, which explores the unrelenting demands for constant, continuous connectivity to support the rigors of modern aerospace, defense and space-industry applications.
Yamaha Reveals Latest Updates Boosting Ease of Use in 1 STOP SMART SOLUTION
04/01/2025 | Yamaha Robotics SMT SectionYamaha Robotics SMT Section has announced automated programming capabilities in YSUP factory software that streamline program generation for all surface-mount processes, including dispensing, printing, placement, and inspection.
Airbus to Design and Build ESA’s ExoMars Rover Lander Platform
03/31/2025 | AirbusAirbus has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS - a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)), the ExoMars industrial prime contractor, to build key systems for the ExoMars lander that will safely place the Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of the Red Planet.