I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The Christmas and New Year’s holidays made for much-appreciated off-time in the U.S. and Europe, but there was still a lot of good industry reading for all to enjoy. From Happy Holden’s influence on our youngest and brightest to the cost of rework, policy challenges ahead for European PCB and PCBA companies, to new faces in the industry—with some bonus R2-D2 thrown in for good measure—these articles are worth a few minutes of your time. Here are my picks from this past week in industry news and feature articles.

The New Chapter: My Review of Happy Holden’s '24 Essential Skills for Engineers’
Published January 3

It is wonderful to see some of our young professionals stepping up to write and to lead in our industry. Hannah Nelson and Paige Fiet’s shared column, aptly named The New Chapter, is an opportunity for us to experience their perspective. Their wisdom and insights are great reminders for all of us, no matter what stage we are in professionally. Hannah met industry icon and pioneer Happy Holden a couple of years ago. Read her take on Happy’s 24 Essentials Skills for Engineers.

Nolan’s Notes: The Cost of Rework
Published January 3

Rework is a dreaded and costly reality in our business. It is time intensive, labor intensive and requires great technical skill. But what are the real costs of rework? Our very own Nolan Johnson tackles this topic in his column in this month’s SMT007 Magazine and throughout this issue, including the question, “How is the rework job function being changed by new packaging technologies and increasing board densities?”  

IPC Europe: Raising the Industry Flag of Support
Published January 2

Europe and the United States have similar struggles in how their PCB and PCBA industries currently look and in all they are doing to attain better global competitiveness. This in-depth interview by Barry Matties with our compatriots at IPC Europe provides good insight into the European landscape for our companies as well as a glimpse into all the activity and progress being made educationally and legislatively amongst the 27 different European nations that are part of the European Union. With their own Chips Act and the messaging, “Silicon to Systems,” IPC Europe will remain busy educating policymakers and advocating for changes toward a more level playing field for European manufacturers.

Jordan Mandel: The New Face of Totech North America
Published January 3

Taking over for industry veteran Richard Heimsch, we have a fresh industry face in Jordan Mandel, sales director in North America for Totech. In this interview, he discusses his new role with the company and explores what he sees as an incomplete understanding of and significant untapped potential for dry storage. 

And a bonus sixth pick to kick off the new year:

Paul Bailey, R2-D2 Expert and Former Tech Director of Disney Imagineering, to Keynote IPC APEX EXPO 2024
Published January 2

Who doesn’t love anything to do with “Star Wars” or Disney? IPC does a great job in picking outstanding keynote speakers at this annual event, and this year will be no exception. Paul Bailey is an interesting man who has had an incredibly interesting career. Check him out! This is just one more reason to register for IPC APEX EXPO 2024, with discounts offered if you register by March 1.