Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling During an Economic Downturn
Marcy’s Musings: Can You Hear the Voices?
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
April 1, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
According to a quick look at history.com, “Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1.” All well and good, but why April Fools’?
“People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.”
Ahhh, so that seems logical enough, doesn’t it? Some other cultures around the globe have also celebrated the vernal equinox with joyful, celebratory, or even “foolish” revelry. There’s a theme in general, but the April Fools’ we recognize today does seem to be thanks to the French.
History.com points out, finally, that, “In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio, and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.”
Much as I love a good-natured prank or a bit of silliness, I promise that there are no April Fools’ pranks in this week’s must-reads. So, enjoy this week’s most impactful news, and remember that glitter bomb packages look especially inviting to open.
IPC Issues Call for Participation for IPC APEX EXPO 2023
Published March 29
IPC is now accepting abstracts for technical paper presentations, technical posters, and professional development courses for IPC APEX EXPO 2023. The technical conference will be held January 21-26, 2023, and professional development courses will take place January 24-26, 2023, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. Click through to the article for the details about how to make your contributions to the industry known.
AltiumLive 2022: Design for Availability
Published March 28
Andy Shaughnessy spoke with Rodrigo Contreras Lopez of SnapEDA about Rodrigo’s AltiumLive presentation, which is now available online. It’s a changing world, he says, and designers need to approach their designs from a different perspective: Creating designs with parts that may or may not be available now may just set up your design team and your customer for failure in a few years. Is design for availability going to enter the PCB design lexicon?
Pincered by Russian-Ukrainian War and Inflation, DRAM Price Drop Forecast to Continue in 2Q22 by 0-5%
Published March 28
According to TrendForce forecasts, average overall DRAM pricing in 2Q22 will drop by approximately 0~5%, due to marginally higher buyer and seller inventories coupled with the demand for products such as PCs, laptops, and smart phones being influenced in the short-term by the Russian-Ukrainian war and high inflation weakening consumer purchasing power. At present, the only remaining source of demand is on the server side, so overall DRAM stocks will remain oversupplied in 2Q22.
North American EMS Industry Down 9.7% in February
Published March 25
IPC announced the February 2022 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.52. Total North American EMS shipments in February 2022 were down 9.7% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, February shipments fell 0.3%. Is this typical for February, or is there more to worry about. Get the details from IPC.
IPC News: North American PCB Industry Sales Up 12.8% in February
Published March 25
IPC announced the February 2022 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.16. Total North American PCB shipments in February 2022 were up 12.8% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, February shipments rose 8.9%. What’s the story here?
Share on:
Suggested Items
IPC Rising Star Award: Feng Xue, IBM
04/22/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Feng Xue is a senior technical staff member in supply chain engineering at IBM. He has 21 years of experience in semiconductor technology and supply chain operations and leads initiatives on internal quality management systems, supplier quality programs, business analytics, app modernization and cloud-native apps for quality processes, IoT solution deployment, and Industrial 4.0 transformation, engineering skill development, and technical leadership development.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Show Wrap Up–A Review with John Mitchell
04/21/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOMarcy LaRont sits down with Dr. John W. Mitchell on the last day of IPC APEX EXPO 2025, marking its 25th anniversary. They highlight the event's success and specifically recognize this year's technical conference and professional development tracks. They also discuss AI's role in electronics, as Mitchell urges professionals to improve their skills around AI to keep themselves valuable and relevant. AI is here to stay! He touches upon tariffs and promotes a diverse supply chain, emphasizing the essential ingredient of collaboration for mutual success. Ending on sustainability, he discusses IPC's launch of the Evolve program showcasing the industry's commitment to sustainability.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Empowering the Next Generation—Waad Tarman's Journey as IPC Student Board Member
04/22/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007In this conversation, Waad Tarman, a PhD student at Auburn University, reflects on her impactful journey as the outgoing IPC Student Board Member. Having transitioned from a career in project coordination to pursuing advanced studies in industrial and systems engineering, Waad’s dedication to electronics manufacturing shines through. Her experience as a student representative allowed her to engage with industry leaders and provide valuable insights from a student’s perspective. As she prepares to pass the torch to her successor, she shares her key takeaways, emphasizing the importance of connection, communication, and the ethos of paying it forward.
EIPC Summer Conference 2025: PCB Innovation in Edinburgh
04/18/2025 | EIPCEIPC have very wisely selected this wonderful city in Scotland as the venue for their Summer Conference on June 3-4. Whilst delegates will be distilling the proven information imparted by the speakers in the day, in the evening they will be free spirits at the Conference Dinner.
IPC President's Award: Barry Matties
04/21/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The IPC President’s Award is given to IPC members who have exhibited ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnect industry. Individuals can receive this award only once. Barry Matties has been a leading global force in publishing content about the electronics industry for nearly 40 years. He began his publishing career as a co-founder of CircuiTree Magazine in 1987, which became the leading printed trade journal serving the PCB industry.