Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Abundance: How We Build a Better Future’
Trouble in Your Tank: In Complex Systems, Design Rules Aren’t Optional
It’s Only Common Sense: The Phone Is Still Your Competitive Advantage
Three Industry Leaders Receive IPC President’s Award
April 17, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
In recognition of their leadership and significant contributions of time and talent to IPC and the electronics industry, three IPC volunteers were presented with the IPC President’s Award at IPC APEX EXPO in Anaheim, Calif., on April 9, 2024. Recipients were Nick Koop, TTM Technologies, Hiroyuki Watanabe, NEC Corporation, and Dieter Weiss, Weiss Engineering.
Nick Koop was instrumental in the creation of IPC standards that provide specifications for flex and rigid-flex, IPC-2223, and IPC-6013, along with material specifications and test methods. He also contributes to specifications for rigid PCBs, raw materials, final finishes, test methods, and common terminology. He serves as chair of the D-10 Flexible Circuits Committee and D-12 Flexible Circuits Specification Subcommittee and is a member of the Technical Activities Executive Council and the Chairman’s Committee Council.
Hiroyuki Watanabe serves as a member of the IPC Board of Directors and the IPC Thought Leader Program. A lecturer for the IPC engineering webinar series, he also presents webinars to Japan Regional Task Group members. An active participant in the IPC Asia Task Group meetings, Watanabe served as committee chair for the IPC-1792 standard and introduced the significance of that standard at an anti-counterfeiting symposium. He serves on the A-Team “Cyber Key Holder,” and participates in standards committee activities for 2-12A, 2-19A, 2-10, and 2-19C task groups.
Dieter Weiss provides market research on the European EMS industry under the brand in4ma. With IPC’s support, he built a unique database that provides the most qualified benchmarking data available for the EMS industry in Europe. He works on statistical disciplines that enable him to collect data, formulate statistical models, and predict and validate those models using algorithms that involve market segments, company size, and degree of vertical integration to best calculate revenue growth within the industry.
“The leadership and expertise of Nick, Watanabe-san, and Dieter are indispensable to our industry,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We show our appreciation for their significant contributions to IPC and the global electronics industry by presenting them with the IPC President’s Award.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
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.
TTC-LLC and TTCI: Smarter Training, Stronger Test at PCB East 2026
04/27/2026 | The Test Connection Inc.The Training Connection LLC (TTC-LLC) and The Test Connection, Inc. (TTCI) will be exhibiting together at PCB East 2026, taking place April 28–May 1 at the DCU Convention Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Attendees can find both teams at Booth #103 during the main exhibition day on Wednesday, April 29.
Building Industry-ready Talent Through Standards-based Education
04/27/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationRecently, Sichuan Modern Vocational College organized 132 students to complete IPC-A-610 Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies Certified IPC Specialist (CIS) training and certification.
Roundtable: Data Protection Lays the Groundwork for Cybersecurity Strategies
05/04/2026 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007This multi-expert roundtable explores cybersecurity measures specific to electronics manufacturing. NEC’s Watanabe Hiroyuki, Divyash Patel, CEO of MX2 Technologies, and Ali Pabrai, CEO at EC First, join moderator Nolan Johnson for a deeper discussion on cybersecurity certifications.