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IPC Video Programs: The History of Training an Industry
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
By Michael Martel
As a young kid growing up in the 1960s, I vaguely remember what was involved in making home movies. I remember the unwieldy light bar with floodlights that someone had to hold, the bulky camera loaded with reels of film that had to be processed later, extension cords, and the disappointment when something went wrong. Still, home movies were all the rage, but required a substantial investment in equipment, and the willingness to accept the fact that, quite often, the results would be poor quality.
That's why the development of video technology was such a boon. However, in the beginning, the technology was still bulky and expensive, and the quality less than optimum. It did offer the ability to mass-produce copies at reasonable cost for dissemination of information. Back in the late 1970s, these possibilities caught the imagination of Dieter Bergman, IPC's director of technology transfer and a guiding force in the association for many years. Bergman brought a video camera to an IPC semiannual meeting in 1979, videotaping technical presentations. The idea caught on others saw that video technology would be a great way to fulfill the organization's mission. Training, education, sharing of critical technology knowledge, and the development and promulgation of industry standards have always been major areas of focus and effort for IPC, and video technology promised to be an enabling tool to help IPC achieve these goals faster and more effectively.
Mark Pritchard, director IPC training, maintains a facility along with partner Steve Donaldson in Ranchos de Taos, N.M. This facility is the focal point for IPC's extensive training program and library. IPC has been producing award-winning technical training programs for more than 20 years, providing videos, DVDs, interactive CD-ROMs, and printed materials. In the beginning, Pritchard says, it wasn't easy or glamorous. There were editing woes, a lot of equipment was needed, and it was expensive and time consuming. Editing tools were not user-friendly, but 0.75" videotape had just become available, which meant that video was now an affordable option. Still, the task of producing videos of acceptable quality was daunting. IPC realized that if they were going to produce videos for sale, the quality would have to improve dramatically. That required expensive equipment, studio space, and a level of production expertise that they did not currently possess.
Two years after Dieter Bergman's experiment with taping technical presentations, the E.I. DuPont Television Studio provided production and editing services for IPC's first operator training video, The Electronic Interconnection. IPC membership response was enthusiastic, which encouraged the group to further invest in equipment and training, so that they could expand the video program and production. IPC purchased its own camera and editing equipment.
"In the beginning, our videos were pretty basic," says Pritchard. "Our technical videos were essentially 'talking heads,' with slides or still images inserted. We knew the basic techniques, but we got a big boost in 1982 when DuPont offered to help us. Sally Rusk helped us become better at everything that was important, such as script writing, editing, and an essential understanding of the technology. The timing was good, because the whole video-training concept was beginning, and we could see that there would be a need for it in the near future."
IPC also worked with Rob Hart at the Digital Equipment Corp. plant in Phoenix, Ariz. The idea was to provide more in-depth videos related to circuit board manufacturing. "We began writing scripts," recalls Pritchard, and filming was done on the production floor. The goal, and end result, was a package of 18 videos one for each of the 18 steps in double-sided circuit board production. Eventually, video production expanded more locally on IPC's Chicago turf, and added staff. The videos became more creative. "These types of videos can be dull sometimes," Pritchard says. "So we did what we could to spice them up, and the audience loved it. We added humor, songs with substituted lyrics, all intended to break up the monotony of these training videos. Our occasionally corny efforts were so well received that we have continued the practice to this day, and it actually gives our training videos a unique character."
Mark Pritchard served as the producer and editor for several years, while fulfilling other duties at IPC. Eventually, IPC hired Steve Donaldson to keep up with full-scale production of training videos, which, at the time, were focused on bare board fabrication. The market for training media continued to grow, and IPC upgraded equipment and capabilities, including the addition of computer graphics and 3-D animation, eventually putting together a 12-ft. wall of analog video equipment. When video technology first took hold as a training tool, many larger companies had their own video and television facilities, Pritchard says, as was the case of E.I. DuPont. But the cost of maintaining these facilities was high, and they have, for the most part, been phased out. IPC has moved into the role of providing generic training videos.
During the 1980s, IPC expanded from PCB manufacturing to include assembly technology, and welcomed what was a separate industry into its fold. This opened up a host of new opportunities for training and technology videos, for processes ranging from placement and printing to rework and repair. This expansion into assembly also required an expansion of capability; the video production staff grew to 14 employees. IPC began producing computer-based trainings in 1995. "The digital video revolution allowed us to replace our 'wall of editing equipment' with a single computer," recalls Pritchard, saving both money and space. VHS tapes were replaced with DVD technologies, allowing for overseas usage and multiple language tracks. The conversion has not been cheap or easy; the massive job of converting more than a hundred training videos into various digital formats has been a time-consuming task, but the benefits are huge. "International DVD compatibility has allowed us to expand our offerings to provide the same training videos into eight different languages. We currently are developing digital video products for learning networks, with automated testing programs, to integrate with global learning management systems."
In spite of the explosion of new technologies, such as online video training (OVT), and web- or computer-based training, Pritchard says, one surprise is that video training has not disappeared. In fact, it is thriving, and often is preferred to other types of training. "I'm not sure why, but people seem to be most comfortable with video training. Our videos have consistently won awards; they're entertaining, packed with information that is well presented, and they work."
ConclusionIn addition to videos on DVD, IPC offers interactive CDs for computer-based training, as well as desktop OVT. These resources provide everything a company needs to create its own instant online training or distance learning program. IPC also provides reference guides and other resources. Videos follow IPC standards, and are used in IPC training certification. For more information on IPC videos and training resources, visit training.ipc.org, or contact Mark Pritchard, director IPC training, at (505) 758-7937, ext. 202, e-mail: markp@ipcvideo.org.Michael Martel may be contacted via e-mail: mmc@mmc-marketing.com.