-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueIPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
Technical Resources
Key industry organizations–all with knowledge sharing as a part of their mission–share their technical repositories in this issue of SMT007 Magazine. Where can you find information critical to your work? Odds are, right here.
The Path Ahead
What are you paying the most attention to as we enter 2025? Find out what we learned when we asked that question. Join us as we explore five main themes in the new year.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
SMTA 'Members of Distinction' Awards Announced
September 13, 2023 | SMTAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

The SMTA is proud to honor the 2023 “Members of Distinction” award recipients who have shown exceptional dedication to the association and the electronics manufacturing industry.
The association’s highest honor, the Founder’s Award, recognizes members who have made exceptional contributions to the industry, as well as support and service to the SMTA. This year, the organization selected Bill Barthel, Plexus Corp. (retired) to receive this prestigious award. Bill’s involvement in the SMTA spans more than 25 years taking on many leadership roles including committee member, a chapter officer and one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Chapter, as well as a past SMTA President and member of the Board of Directors. He led the association through major global expansion, strategic industry collaboration, and leadership transition.
The Member of Technical Distinction Award recognizes individuals who have made significant and continuing technical contributions to the association. This year the Awards Committee selected Hongwen Zhang, Ph.D., Indium Corporation, as the recipient of this award. Dr. Zhang has presented numerous technical papers at SMTA conferences and chapter meetings over the years and also published in the Journal of SMT.
The Excellence in Leadership Award honors strong leaders who continue to support and elevate the association. This year the award goes to Mike Kreiter, Rockwell Automation. Mike joined SMTA in 2004 and has been an officer in the local Wisconsin Chapter for many of those years, holding most if not all roles, including president. His efforts have been a significant reason the Wisconsin chapter has consistently achieved gold, silver, and bronze status since 2018.
The Excellence in International Leadership Award recognizes members who have provided outstanding support and leadership to the SMTA's international members, chapters, or educational programs. The recipient selected for this award is Rajeev Kulkarni, Momentive Performance Material. Rajeev joined SMTA in 2008 and is a founding member of the SMTA India – Bangalore Chapter, supporting its growth for the past decade as well as supporting association activities globally.
ZESTRON Corporation received the SMTA+ Corporate Partnership Award this year. As a Corporate Silver member, ZESTRON has shown support at every level of the association from supporting global and chapter leadership positions to technical contributions for conferences and committees, and as an exhibitor at almost every expo throughout the year. They embody the SMTA mission by encouraging employees to become members, attend meetings and share their knowledge. ZESTRON Corporation is most deserving of this honor.
SMTA has recognized exceptional individual and corporate members for their immeasurable contributions to the association since 1994.
Suggested Items
Indium Corporation, Industry Partners to Showcase Products 'Live@APEX'
03/10/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation®, in cooperation with its industry partners, will feature its proven solder solutions live on the show floor throughout IPC APEX Expo from March 18-20 in Anaheim, California.
Indium Expert to Present on Gold Solder Solutions for Medical Applications at IMAPS 2025 Workshop
02/26/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Senior Product Specialist Jason Farrell will deliver a technical presentation at the IMAPS Advanced Packaging for Medical Microelectronics Workshop, taking place March 5-7 in Phoenix Arizona.
Indium Expert to Address Thermal Challenges at TestConX 2025
02/04/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Technical Support Engineer Carson Burt will deliver a technical presentation at TestConX 2025, taking place March 3-5 in Mesa, Arizona.
Indium to Feature Precision Au-Based Die-Attach Preforms at SPIE Photonics West
01/22/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation will feature its high-reliability, Au-based precision die-attach preforms for critical laser and RF applications at SPIE Photonics West, Jan. 28-30, in San Francisco, California. SPIE West is the world’s premier event for lasers, biomedical optics, biophotonic technologies, quantum, and optoelectronics.
Indium Expert to Present on Solder Solutions for AI and Automotive Applications at NEPCON Japan 2025
01/16/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Senior Area Technical Manager Jason Chou will deliver a technical presentation at NEPCON Japan, on January 22-24, in Tokyo, Japan.