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China Leads Hand Soldering World Championship
January 21, 2026 | Philippe Leonard, Global Electronics AssociationEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Regional champions from around the world gathered excitedly at productronica in Munich this past November with one goal: to be crowned the world hand-soldering champion by the Global Electronics Association.
Hand soldering is a significant process in printed circuit board assembly. Adhering to procedures, standards, and best practices enables the production of high-quality and reliable solder joints.
After two days of competition, the 15 regional champions from 12 countries completed a complex circuit board assembly in accordance with IPC-A-610 Class 3 criteria. The assemblies were judged on functionality, process compliance, and overall product quality. Participants were given a maximum of 60 minutes to complete the assembly.
Contestants came from the following countries: Saudi Arabia, Estonia, France, Australia, China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, Thailand, and Hungary.
Taking top honors in the 2025 Hand Soldering World Championship were:
First Place: Ms. Yan Yang, ZhuZhou CRRC Times Electric Co. (China), who scored 871 out of a maximum possible of 887 points
Second Place: Ms. Eva Gobet, Thales Six GTS (France), who scored 843 out of 887 points maximum possible
Third Place: Mr. Peter Richard Zsombok, BHE Bonn Hungary Elektronik KFT (Hungary), with a final score of 840 out of 887 points maximum possible
“The Global Electronics Association extends its thanks and congratulations to all the participants, companies, judges, and staff for their invaluable support and expertise throughout the competition week,” said Philippe Leonard, Europe director, Global Electronics Association. “We look forward to an exciting year, marked by the 2026 HSC Qualification Rounds and the introduction of a new competition variant: the CWH-Cable and Wire Harness Competition, which will begin in Europe in February 2026.”
Gold sponsors were Weller Tools and JBC Soldering. Silver sponsors were Optilia, Almit, Group ACB, Polygone CAO, Davum TMC, SFM – Société Française de Microscopie.
To view our photo gallery from the event, visit the January 2026 SMT007 Magazine, here.
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