Executive Forum at IPC APEX EXPO 2019 Focuses on Advancing Automotive Electronics

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This year at the IPC APEX EXPO, the Hall of Fame Council has put together an executive forum on "Advancing Automotive Electronics." This not-to-be-missed forum is designed for executives in the entire automotive electronics system supply chain. Reserve this date: January 28 at 7:30 a.m.

The program includes a special overview of the IPC’s growing role in automotive electronics by IPC President and CEO, Dr. John Mitchell, as well as important presentations by Tier-1 providers Robert Bosch in Germany and APTIV (formerly Delphi) in the U.S.

To quote a recent press release from IPC:

Senior-level executives from across the global electronics industry supply chain will gather to discuss challenges and opportunities of the burgeoning and rapidly changing automotive electronics industry during the IPC Executive Forum on Advancing Automotive Electronics at IPC APEX EXPO 2019.

Presented by IPC’s Hall of Fame Council on January 28, the forum will focus on automotive electronics costs, reliability, and programs from concept to production.

With a global repertoire of speakers—including ones from the United States, Asia, and Europe—forum topics will include materials in automotive electronic packaging, PCB reliability testing for automotive electronics, developing dry-film photoresist to meet automotive fine-line circuit needs, cost models with suppliers and understanding costs of new technology, and developing and getting approval of new material for automotive electronics.

The keynote speaker is Alex Stepinski, VP of GreenSource Fabrication, who will discuss recent innovations that enabled the construction of circuit production lines with the capability for single-piece flow, autonomous work cells, and extreme traceability capabilities that can yield higher quality levels and shorter cycle times than ever before while eliminating the traditional environmental footprint of a PCB manufacturer at the same time. Examples of these key innovations and how they relate to the future of the automotive industry supply chain will be presented. Additional presentations will include:

• Alun Morgan, Ventec International Group ambassador, and Giorgio Favini, a founder of Elga Europe. Ventec and Elga are substrate and specialty chemical companies, respectively, both located in Europe and have developed materials specifically for automotive applications.
• The Senior Global VP of MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, Joe D’Ambrisi, along with Director of Marketing Communications Don Cullen will present their global outlook for specialty chemicals and materials in automotive electronic packaging.
• Larry Wilson III, the leader of Nexteer Automotive’s Global Electronics Costing Team, will provide a cost history and forecast of automotive electronics by following the history of a particular motor vehicle.
• CTO of MicoteK Labs China, Bob Neves, will present “PCB Reliability Testing for Automotive Electronics—The China Story.” Neves is a member of the HoF Council and the IPC Board of Directors.
• Randy Hierbaum, VP of OptimalPlus, will present “Striving for Zero DPPM.” He is working with Tier-1 automotive supplier Continental in Guadalajara on this topic.
• Gene Weiner, IPC Executive Forum program chair, had this to say: “As the automotive industry increasingly incorporates electronics into its manufacturing, this provides a unique opportunity for IPC and our members to participate in this continually evolving field. This forum provides us with a chance to hear from subject-matter experts about the many ways for the involvement of our industry in automotive electronics.”

To read the full article, which appeared in the December 2018 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.