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One World, One Industry: Having an Impact from the Shop Floor to the Halls of Government

When you have concerns about government regulations and policies that impact your business, what can you do? Among several options, a direct approach is one of the best: Reach out to your elected officials and share your concerns. The odds are good that they will be responsive and look into ways of helping out a hometown business.

Enter IPC’s “Meet the Policymakers” program, which is designed to put IPC members directly in front of the people who can make a difference. Under this program, IPC’s government relations staff help arrange opportunities for those in our industry, including suppliers, PCB fabricators, EMS companies and OEMs to host their elected officials at company locations.

Site visits are one of the most effective ways to educate and influence members of Congress on the issues affecting our industry. Many officials have proven to be receptive to opportunities to meet with their constituents at IPC member companies and hear opinions about the key issues affecting their businesses.

It is also a chance for IPC members to build long-term relationships with policymakers that can be useful down the road. One recent site visit brought a representative from the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to VirTex MTI in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. During a tour of the facility and a group discussion, VirTex MTI personnel were able to ask questions and share their concerns about the local economy and growth opportunities for their facility. The discussion focused in particular on the growing skills gap and how VirTex MTI can engage with local schools and colleges, veterans, and other stakeholders to help boost the local skilled workforce. 

Based on that success, IPC coordinated a second site visit a few weeks later at its Austin, Texas facility with Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX). Other IPC member companies that have hosted congressional site visits in recent years have included Bay Area Circuits, Creation Technologies, Hunter Technology, Juki Automation Systems, MC Assembly, Suntronic, TTM Technologies and Viscom. Members of Congress find the visits valuable as well.

After touring TTM Technologies’ facility in San Jose, California, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said, “The advanced manufacturing industry has contributed greatly to our economy here in California and across the globe. I was very interested to see the work taking place at TTM Technologies, and I’m glad we had an opportunity to discuss the policies that impact the industry today.”

Having coordinated nearly 60 of these site visits in the United States and more than a dozen in China, the program continues to grow. IPC is now seeking to arrange “Meet the Policymaker” events in Europe, as well.

All in all, these site visits provide a unique opportunity for you to have your voice heard as a business leader, and for IPC to advance the interests of the entire industry.

For more information on the Meet the Policymakers program, contact IPC Government Relations Coordinator Julie Desisto.  

John Mitchell is president and CEO of IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries. To read past columns or to contact Mitchell, click here.

This column originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of The PCB Magazine, click here.