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One World, One Industry: What’s Next Becomes Now at IPC APEX EXPO 2024

An extraordinary experience awaits attendees in Anaheim, California, when IPC APEX EXPO 2024 hosts the 16th Electronic Circuits World Convention (ECWC), an international PCB symposium held every three years in different cities worldwide. Combined, IPC APEX EXPO 2024 and ECWC16 will bring over 9,000 professionals from 60+ countries together in one location. The opportunity to gain perspectives from peers and industry leaders, manufacturing innovators, and subject matter experts from all corners of the world is a valuable opportunity for all attendees.

What can you enjoy at IPC APEX EXPO this year?
The IPC APEX EXPO 2024 show floor will feature more than 300 exhibitors from every step in the electronics manufacturing supply chain. Walk the show floor to meet the industry’s leading equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and innovators, and compare solutions, connect with existing suppliers, and find new partners.

We’re excited to present three keynotes this year with a new twist: an opening keynote, one luncheon keynote, and for the first in a long time, a closing keynote. Former Principal Concept Technical Director for Walt Disney Imagineering Paul Bailey will provide anecdotes in his opening keynote about the creation of “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” and other “moonshot” projects while discussing the “why” and deep purpose behind the decisions made, as well as the human side of leading a team while attempting projects of such magnitude. Closing keynote speaker and IPC Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac will cover the dynamic changes paving the way for a new era of innovation and growth. And yours truly will explore the transformative impact of automation, artificial intelligence, and responsive technology, and hopefully dispel any doubts you may have about the role humans play in this changing landscape.

The EMS Leadership Summit on April 8 will bring together current and future industry leaders to solve problems, build business networks, and share insights into doing business better. Focused on high-level topics that drive business growth and financial success, leaders will gather insights from experts and discuss their own and potential new best practices during panel discussions and roundtables. This meeting of minds inspires action and builds resources for participants, future leaders, and the greater EMS industry.

Educational offerings at IPC APEX EXPO are unique, and 2024 will heighten the learner experience through the ECWC16 Technical Conference. IPC’s Technical Program Committee (TPC) has convened an expert lineup of speakers and instructors in technical education and professional development, delivering the latest data and trends in materials, manufacturing, and electronics design. Attendees can select from nine topic tracks: Design; PCB Fabrication and Materials; Assembly Materials; Assembly Processes; HDI, UHDI, and Substrates; Sustainability for Electronics; High Reliability; and Factory of the Future. Two special sections within the technical conference will cover advanced packaging and EV electronics. Professional Development Courses will include something for everyone, from advanced classes exploring the details and depth of specific topics to informative classes catering to engineers just beginning their careers.

If you’re interested in actively participating in the development, review, and update of the electronics industry’s critical standards and guidelines, attend one of more than 100 standards development committee meetings. Standards committee meetings are the perfect place to meet and collaborate with new peers, industry leaders, and innovators.

For those visiting IPC APEX EXPO for the first time, we’ll welcome you to the largest gathering of electronics professionals in North America. We are happy that you’ve chosen to spend your time with us. Be sure to take advantage of the many networking opportunities offered by signing up for educational sessions directly applicable to your work. You will meet manufacturing industry professionals from around the world facing (and solving) challenges like yours.

For returning attendees, we are thrilled to welcome you back. One of the best things about IPC APEX EXPO is the community we’ve built over the years, and we look forward to reconnecting with you again.

We at IPC are profoundly grateful to an industry that has encouraged and supported us in producing this event. We never lose sight of the fact that we could not host IPC APEX EXPO without the dedicated volunteers and industry leaders who share their time, expertise, and enthusiasm with us all.

I, for one, am so looking forward to IPC APEX EXPO 2024 and looking forward to seeing you.

This column originally appeared in the Feburary 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine.