New Name Announced for Longest Running SMTA Symposium

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As excitement builds for SMTA’s premier industry strategy event, the announcement of a rebranding initiative clarifies its purpose and stature. The event, previously known as the Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium, now carries the moniker Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium. This name change reflects the commitment to innovation, leadership and vision this event continues to provide for a constantly evolving electronics manufacturing industry.

“The affectionately known ‘Pan Pacific’ plays a unique role in electronics manufacturing providing a forum isolated from the day to day in an environment that encourages thoughtful consideration and discussion of the future of the industry,” noted conference founder, Charles E. Bauer, Ph.D., TechLead Corporation. “Rebranding of this event emphasizes its history of thought leadership with speakers such as Tsuyoshi Kawanishi, often considered the godfather of the Japanese semiconductor industry; Herb Reichel, revered builder of Fraunhofer influence; and Eric Fossum, inventor of the CMOS camera! Progeny of the Pan Pacific include the Wafer Level Packaging Symposium and the Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference as well as a multitude of tracks and sessions at prestigious events throughout the world.”

The 2024 edition takes place from January 29 to February 1, 2024 at The Westin Hapuna Beach on The Big Island of Hawaii. The Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium promotes international technical interchange and provides a premier forum for networking among electronics manufacturing professional and business thought leaders throughout the world.

Reflecting on the conference's evolution, current conference chairman, Mike Konrad, states, "Pan Pac attracts attendees and presenters from all over the world. Its Hawaiian location provides a unique, relaxed atmosphere far away from the daily distractions of business. Perhaps one of the greatest attributes are its networking opportunities. So many relationships, both personal and business, have been forged at the gathering. Pan Pac offers a strategic advantage to all attendees and the new name for the conference better describes what SMTA strives to deliver."

The technical committee currently accepts abstracts for the 2024 Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics Symposium. The deadline to submit an abstract is October 20, 2023.