Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Best Practices for Electronic Component Salvaging
Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
Smart Automation: Odd-form Assembly—Dedicated Insertion Equipment Matters
Three Industry Leaders Receive IPC President’s Award
April 17, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In recognition of their leadership and significant contributions of time and talent to IPC and the electronics industry, three IPC volunteers were presented with the IPC President’s Award at IPC APEX EXPO in Anaheim, Calif., on April 9, 2024. Recipients were Nick Koop, TTM Technologies, Hiroyuki Watanabe, NEC Corporation, and Dieter Weiss, Weiss Engineering.
Nick Koop was instrumental in the creation of IPC standards that provide specifications for flex and rigid-flex, IPC-2223, and IPC-6013, along with material specifications and test methods. He also contributes to specifications for rigid PCBs, raw materials, final finishes, test methods, and common terminology. He serves as chair of the D-10 Flexible Circuits Committee and D-12 Flexible Circuits Specification Subcommittee and is a member of the Technical Activities Executive Council and the Chairman’s Committee Council.
Hiroyuki Watanabe serves as a member of the IPC Board of Directors and the IPC Thought Leader Program. A lecturer for the IPC engineering webinar series, he also presents webinars to Japan Regional Task Group members. An active participant in the IPC Asia Task Group meetings, Watanabe served as committee chair for the IPC-1792 standard and introduced the significance of that standard at an anti-counterfeiting symposium. He serves on the A-Team “Cyber Key Holder,” and participates in standards committee activities for 2-12A, 2-19A, 2-10, and 2-19C task groups.
Dieter Weiss provides market research on the European EMS industry under the brand in4ma. With IPC’s support, he built a unique database that provides the most qualified benchmarking data available for the EMS industry in Europe. He works on statistical disciplines that enable him to collect data, formulate statistical models, and predict and validate those models using algorithms that involve market segments, company size, and degree of vertical integration to best calculate revenue growth within the industry.
“The leadership and expertise of Nick, Watanabe-san, and Dieter are indispensable to our industry,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We show our appreciation for their significant contributions to IPC and the global electronics industry by presenting them with the IPC President’s Award.”
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Building Electronics Excellence in India
09/08/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineFor over two decades, Dave Bergman has helped steer the Global Electronics Association’s work in India, from a single training course to a thriving regional operation with deep government and industry ties. In this interview, Dave explains how the group went from partnering with IPCA to opening its own office in 2010, creating India’s first domestic electronics manufacturing standard, and securing funding for dozens of Indian companies to attend U.S. trade shows.
New Podcast Episode Drop: MKS’ Atotech’s Role in Optimize the Interconnect
09/08/2025 | I-Connect007In this episode of On the Line With…, host Nolan Johnson sits down with Patrick Brooks, MKS' Atotech's Global Product Director, EL Systems, to discuss the critical role that wet processes play alongside laser systems in advancing the Optimize the InterconnectSM initiative. Brooks points to Bondfilm as a key example—a specialized coating that enables CO₂ lasers to ablate more effectively than ever before.
The Global Electronics Association Hosts Successful WorksAsia-AI and Factory of the Future Technical Seminar
09/03/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationOn August 22, 2025, the Global Electronics Association hosted the successful WorksAsia-AI and Factory of the Future Technical Seminar during the exhibition Automation Taipei 2025. The seminar brought together 81 representatives from 58 companies, focusing on the latest applications of AI in smart factories and unveiling four key directions that will drive the electronics industry’s transition toward intelligence and sustainability.
TRI's AI-Powered Inspection Solutions at SMTAI 2025
09/02/2025 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading provider of test and inspection systems, will be joining the SMTA International Exposition & Conference. The event will be held from October 21 – 23, 2025, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, USA.
More Than a Competition: Instilling a Champion's Skill in IPC Masters China 2025
09/01/2025 | Evelyn Cui, Global Electronics Association—East AsiaNearly 500 elite professionals from the electronics industry, representing 18 provinces and municipalities across China, competed in the 2025 IPC Masters Competition China, March 26–28, in Pudong, Shanghai. A total of 114 contestants advanced to the practical competition after passing the IPC Standards Knowledge Competition. Sixty people competed in the Hand Soldering and Rework Competition (HSRC), 30 in the Cable and Wire Harness Assembly Competition (CWAC), and 24 in the Ball Grid Array/Bottom Termination Components (BGA/BTC) Rework Competition.