Breaking Down the Barriers Between Design and Manufacturing in France

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The IPC Designers Council France has nearly doubled since I-Connect007 last reached out to Thomas Romont, a manager at WWEC who leads the council. But growth is only part of the story. Through working groups, practical design tools, and an annual conference, the council is creating opportunities for designers, engineers, fabricators, EMS providers, and other stakeholders to solve problems together. Thomas explains how the group is addressing gaps in design guidance, improving communication between design and manufacturing, and encouraging the kind of collaboration increasingly required across the electronics industry.

Marcy LaRont: Thomas, it’s been a couple of years since we last caught up with you and the IPC Designers Council France. Bring us up to date.

Thomas Romont: When we last spoke, about 250 people were involved in the council, representing not only PCB design but also electrical engineering, CAD, PCB fabrication, EMS, and OEMs. Today, nearly 500 people follow our work, but the origins of the council go back 10 years.

LaRont: How did the council get started, and how has it evolved since then?

Romont: The origins of IPC Designers Council France (IDCF) go back to when I joined the Executive Board of the IPC Design Council. There, I had the opportunity to exchange ideas with many American design experts, including Gary Ferrari, Mike Creeden, and Rick Hartley. I also discovered the numerous Designers Council chapters throughout the United States, creating a network of designers on a large scale while still being available locally.

I was immediately convinced this format could appeal to French designers, who are spread across many small and medium-sized companies and are often one of only a few designers, or even the only designer, in their organization.

It didn’t take much persuasion to convince Pierre-Jean Albrieux, CEO of IFTEC, that it would benefit the French electronics industry to have its own Designers Council. IFTEC, a long-standing player in the French electronics industry and partner of the Global Electronics Association, was well-positioned to initiate the group.

In February 2018, IFTEC and IPC Europe organized the first IPC Design Day in Paris, and I was responsible for the technical content. That event marked the official birth of IDCF and the formation of its board. Since then, IDCF has offered working groups throughout the year and an annual conference open to the whole industry. Our most recent conference in June attracted 135 attendees.

To continue reading this interview, which appeared in the September 2026 I-Connect007 Magazine, click here.