Two Industry Rising Stars Recognized at IPC APEX EXPO 2024
April 17, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Two of the industry’s best and brightest were presented with an IPC Rising Star Award at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in recognition of their leadership roles and support of IPC standards, education, advocacy, and solutions to industry challenges. Award recipients were Naim Kapadia and Michael Schleicher.
Naim Kapadia of Grinsty Rail Ltd. has spent more than 20 years in electronics manufacturing working for contract manufacturers and PCB fabricators. He has participated in and led many programs in the UK: disseminating the Montreal Protocol, developing surface mount technology, and implementing lead-free processes. His passion for revolutionizing digital factories for electronic manufacturing led to the development of the first smart factory using legacy equipment in the UK. Naim's demonstration included implementing IPC-CFX, augmented reality/mixed reality, and collaborative robots.
Michael Schleicher of Semikron Elektronik GmbH has more than 30 years of experience in PCB design, contributing to projects in defense, automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, and other industries. A multidiscipline engineer with Semikron, Michael has won numerous awards, including “Most Challenging High-Speed Design, "FED PCB Design award, the “IEC 1906 Award” and the IPC Golden Gnome “Globetrotter Award” (2023). A member of the FED EV Board and co-founder of the FED Arbeitskreis 3D-Elektronik working group, Schleicher is deeply involved in international standardization activities for IPC and IEC, as well as in the German national committees of DKE and ZVEI. For IPC he serves on the following standards committees: D-31B and D-31B-Creeps-A Team, 5-21N, European Standards Steering Committee, and the IPC APEX 2024 Technical Program Committee.
“We are thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of our Rising Stars and to take this opportunity to thank them for their contributions,” said John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We are privileged that Naim and Michael have chosen to share their knowledge and expertise with us and with the entire global electronics manufacturing industry.”
Suggested Items
Bridging the Gap: Workforce Collaboration in East Texas
02/13/2025 | Cory Blaylock, IPCIPC has partnered with Stephen F. Austin State University's (SFASU) Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation (CARRI) and the IPC Education Foundation on a transformative project aimed at aligning academic training with real-world demands in electronics manufacturing.
IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Doug Pauls
02/12/2025 | Dan Feinberg, Technology Editor, I-Connect007Over the years, IPC members who have contributed significantly to IPC and our industry have been awarded the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award. Though many early HOF members have passed away and are unknown to today’s IPC membership, their contributions still resonate. This special series on IPC Hall of Fame members provides a reminder of who was honored and why. As a bonus, for those who are still around, we get to find out what these talented individuals are up to today.
Pieces of a Puzzle: PCB Designer John Watson Sees the Big Picture of Life and Work
02/13/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityJohn Watson started his career in military intelligence and as an electronics repair technician but moved over to printed circuit board design at a time when the whole electronics industry was experiencing a paradigm shift.
The Government Circuit: Four Things to Know About IPC Advocacy in 2025
02/11/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitAs the calendar turns to mid-February, IPC’s government relations and advocacy work is in full swing around the world. Here are four things to know, big picture, about how we’re approaching the current, very complicated situation.
Empowering Interns: Shaping Tomorrow's Tech
02/10/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineToday, we widely accept that creating and leveraging opportunities to fill our future tech workforce is paramount to future success—both as individual companies and as an industry. This is even more true, and certainly more challenging, for in-person manufacturing jobs. In our conversation, Gerry Partida of Summit Interconnect focuses on the essential role of interns in the technological landscape and emphasizes how nurturing their skills and potential contributes significantly to the future of technology and business operations in our companies today.