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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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Brent Laufenberg Appointed CIO of the Global Electronics Association, Advancing Technology and Member Services
July 31, 2025 | Global Electronics AssociationEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The Global Electronics Association (formerly IPC International Inc.) announces the appointment of Brent Laufenberg as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO).
As CIO, Laufenberg will serve as a strategic partner to the CEO and executive leadership team, overseeing the implementation of a modern IT infrastructure and advancing the Association’s vision to become a data-informed and AI-accelerated global organization.
“Brent brings a rare combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and deep understanding of how to use technology as a driver of business value,” said John W. Mitchell, Global Electronics Association president and CEO. “His leadership will be instrumental as we enter a new chapter focused on leveraging AI, data, and digital tools to serve our members in smarter, more personalized, and more impactful ways.”
Laufenberg’s priorities will include:
- Technology Strategy & Execution: Crafting and implementing a business-aligned technology roadmap that supports growth and delivers a competitive advantage for members.
- AI & Data Innovation: Championing AI adoption and building a data-driven culture to enhance decision-making, productivity, and insight.
- Member Experience Transformation: Leading the development of intuitive, personalized digital platforms that elevate member engagement and satisfaction.
- Organizational Enablement: Inspiring cross-functional collaboration and embedding technology as a strategic accelerator across the association.
- Security & Risk Management: Ensuring a secure, compliant, and resilient technology environment.
- Operational Efficiency: Managing IT investments and partnerships to deliver measurable value and performance.
“As the global electronics industry and supply chain continues to evolve, we have a responsibility to match that transformation in how we support our members,” Laufenberg said. “Every member experience—whether it’s training and certification, seamlessly leveraging our standards, gaining deeper industry insights, or creating new technology solutions to accelerate innovation—should be intuitive, personalized, and undeniably valuable. I’m excited to join the Global Electronics Association at such a pivotal time and look forward to helping expand the impact we can make through smart, strategic use of technology.”
Laufenberg joins the Association with more than two decades of technology leadership experience in complex, global organizations, most recently serving as chief technology officer at Rise, an omnichannel media agency. “Brent’s proven ability to lead digital transformation and his passion for innovation will be instrumental as the association continues to evolve to meet the needs of the global electronics industry,” added Mitchell.
Laufenberg works from the headquarters office in Bannockburn, Ill., and can be reached at BrentLaufenberg@electronics.org.
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Electronics Manufacturing Needs Your Voice: Global Sentiment Survey Now Live
04/30/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationThe latest monthly Global Sentiment Survey from the Global Electronics Association is now open. At a time when demand uncertainty, policy shifts, energy costs, and supply chain recalibration are pulling the industry in multiple directions, the survey captures something macroeconomic data often misses: how manufacturers are actually experiencing conditions on the ground.
EPTAC Expands. New HQ in Salem, NH, Draws Industry Leaders
04/30/2026 | EPTAC CorporationEPTAC, a global leader in electronics manufacturing training, has opened its new corporate headquarters and training facility in Salem, New Hampshire, expanding its capacity to support workforce development across North America.
Global Electronics Association and CalcuQuote, an Elisa Industriq Business, Launch Joint Supply Chain Intelligence Initiative
04/29/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationThe Global Electronics Association and CalcuQuote, Elisa Industriq today announced a partnership to deliver timely, actionable supply chain intelligence for the electronics industry.
AI Reshaping the Memory Market; Effects Spreading Across Industries
04/29/2026 | Dr. Shawn DuBravac, Global Electronics AssociationArtificial Intelligence is often framed as a software story focused on algorithms and models. But beneath that narrative lies a more fundamental shift rooted in hardware. AI is not just changing what technology can do; it’s changing how the physical components behind it are produced, allocated, and priced. One of the clearest examples of this shift is now emerging in the global memory market.
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Building a Supply Chain That Bends, Not Breaks
04/29/2026 | Bob Duke -- Column: Global Sourcing SpotlightThe global supply chain is a complex, interdependent, and shifting organism. In the past few years, pandemics, tariffs, wars, natural disasters, and transportation chaos have tested it like never before, revealing that fragility is expensive. The companies that survive do so not through luck but through resiliency. For decades, companies built sourcing strategies around the illusion of stability—one supplier, region, and price. It worked until a port closed, a single supplier went down, or a production line froze.