Learning with Leo: Drones—Meeting Demand Without Compromise
Nolan’s Notes: Our Spotlight on North America
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Building a Supply Chain That Bends, Not Breaks
IPC and WHMA Sign Affiliation Agreement
January 11, 2019 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
On January 1, 2019, the Wire Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA), a trade association representing the cable assembly and wire harness manufacturing industry supply chain, and IPC entered into an affiliation agreement. WHMA’s Board of Directors and membership determined that WHMA’s mission would more effectively be served by an affiliation with IPC which serves the global electronics industry supply chain, including the wire and cable industry vertical.
The IPC Board of Directors also supported the alliance. Per the affiliation agreement, IPC and the WHMA Board will work to grow the involvement of the cable assembly and wire harness industry globally. All current WHMA members become part of IPC’s membership and receive all IPC member benefits including educational, standards development, leadership, advocacy and solutions to industry challenges opportunities.
WHMA will have one voting representative on IPC’s Board of Directors with the WHMA Board of Directors structure remaining. In alignment with IPC’s structures, this group will be known as the WHMA Board. David Bergman, IPC vice president of standards and training, will support the WHMA Board as WHMA’s executive director.
“As a global electronics industry association, IPC is honored to be able to bring the strength of its global brand and member services to WHMA,” said IPC president and CEO John Mitchell. “WHMA’s mission is very similar to IPC’s – the two associations exist to help their membership innovate, compete and succeed within the marketplace. We are knowledge providers and we connect our industries with a multitude of networking opportunities. We’re already hard at work to expand the involvement of the wire and cable industry globally in all IPC activities.”
“WHMA is thrilled to have signed the affiliation agreement with IPC,” notes Rick Bromm, president of Altex and chairman of the WHMA Board. “Our organizations have been working together for years and now with the agreement in place, WHMA will be able to access the resources of IPC to help WHMA meet our goals to ‘lead, educate and connect’ with companies in the cable and wire harness industry.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
The Journey from Dilution to Zero Liquid Discharge
05/11/2026 | Richard Nichols, GreenSource EngineeringIf you’re familiar with the PCB industry, and a little long in the tooth like me, you may remember the cry, “The water board is here!” (or an equivalent authority). This was the signal for a frantic but regularly rehearsed exercise to turn on all the rinses. This anecdote demonstrates that in the early days of PCB production, prevailing practices revolved around a “dilution is the solution” mentality, in which manufacturers used copious amounts of water to dilute contaminants before discharging them into regulated municipal wastewater systems or natural water bodies.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/08/2026 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007This week, I’ve selected some outstanding interviews that you’ll want to take note of. First, is a roundtable discussion featuring three dynamic industry cybersecurity experts. Please watch this important discussion that affects us all. Following that, I spotlight the IPC-2581 Consortium, which explains why IPC-2581 is the standard to replace Gerber data for manufacturing. Next, I am including my interview with PCBAA and AAM, who collaborated to release a short documentary on U.S. PCB manufacturing.
Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Karen McConnell
05/07/2026 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007In 2021, Karen McConnell was awarded the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame award in recognition of her contributions to the Association and the electronics industry. As a senior staff member and CAD/CAM engineer at Northrop Grumman Enterprise Services, her primary responsibility was to develop a common, shared EDM (Electronic Document Management) library to support the electrical and PCB design tool initiatives across Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
Meet Emerging Engineers: Patrick Owen and Eric Mickenbecker, Summit Interconnect
05/05/2026 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007Patrick Owen and Eric Mickenbecker both work for Summit Interconnect, and are in their second year of the Global Electronics Association’s Emerging Engineer Program with mentor Brian Chislea. They stopped by the I-Connect007 booth at APEX EXPO and shared a bit of their story with me. Patrick has worked at the Hollister, California, plant since 2018, while Eric has been at the Chicago site since 2023. Like many of their peers, they came to the electronics industry from different paths, but are both excited about making an impact.