An Open Invitation to Standards Development in Paris

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The Global Electronics Association is doing something a little different around standards this year. IPC Builds, Sept. 19–24, in Paris, is a series of standards development meetings open to both Association members and nonmembers, offered at no charge, with lunch provided.

Sponsoring an event like this at no charge caught my attention. Removing any registration cost clearly removes a barrier to participation at a time when global input into standards development is needed more than ever. An open forum naturally makes it easier for someone who is curious about standards work or has wanted to get involved but hasn’t yet taken the first step to experience the process firsthand, with no risk or expectation.

The most established involvement continues to be in the U.S., where standards were initially created, and the Association has its global headquarters, however, this opportunity is critical for gathering a diversity of voices needed to make global standards legitimately address and serve global needs.

But how much should regionalism matter? In one sense, perhaps it should not. A standard, by definition, speaks to a sameness in content and execution, whatever that may be. But in a global business, different regions, business cultures, and local laws and regulations present unique realities.

There is a distinctiveness to the experiences of European PCB fabricators, assemblers, designers, suppliers, OEMs, and other technical experts, who may have experiences quite different from their counterparts in North America or Asia. There may be differences in the supply chain, customer requirements, and manufacturing challenges.

Beyond that, translating IPC standards from English into many other languages is important, and the nuances of translation and appropriate word choice and phraseology are areas where the European community will provide important insight for the many languages that region represents. If those perspectives aren't represented in the committee rooms, they are much harder to account for in the final standards, which can lead to unintended negative consequences that must be resolved later.

This meeting will focus on advanced manufacturing guidelines, with agenda topics that include working groups on CO₂e reporting, materials and process traceability, automotive requirements, additive electronics, CFX and Hermes, and high speed/high frequency applications.

It is a misconception that one needs to be an expert in standards to participate in the standards development process. The standards process works better when the people affected by those standards are part of the conversation. Value comes from regular industry professionals who know their field well and are willing to share their knowledge. IPC Builds in Paris is a great opportunity to bring the European community together and provide a forum for their voices to be heard.

Click here for more information and to register.