Advocacy: There’s No Time to Waste

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

In the late 1990s, I worked for a PCB company ardently working to build manufacturing presences in Malaysia, Taiwan, and eventually China’s mainland. For some of us who had the resources, we followed our OEM customers offshore as they began demanding increasingly greater price concessions from their stateside suppliers. The government was not coming to the rescue of the PCB manufacturer, so we rode the changing economic tide as it turned unwaveringly toward globalism and cheaper labor.

In my youth and naiveté, I figured that capitalism would dictate the survival of the market’s fittest, both in the United States and across the globe, especially given the reality that our greatest international critics were so clearly driving their economies via the capitalism they had spent much energy decrying. But the playing field would never be level.

Most U.S. PCB manufacturers still in business then were running tight processes, building high yields, and making decent money. Still, the U.S. PCB supply chain continued to shrink. As we each pushed toward ITAR to get a piece of the then-limited mil/aero pie, the first wave of PCB (and EMS) mergers and acquisitions commenced.

The “new world order,” as I had hoped for in my youthful American idealism, did not come to fruition. But it certainly highlights the importance and role of advocacy for our businesses today. In 2024, the stakes are as high as they have ever been. So, I was thrilled to speak with Richard Cappetto and Kate Koger, members of the IPC advocacy team in Washington, D.C. They explained exactly what IPC advocacy is doing for the electronics value chain, why now is an important time for electronics, and how you can help.

Marcy LaRont: Rich and Kate, please introduce yourselves.

Richard Cappetto: I'm the IPC senior director for North American government relations. I am the lead lobbyist for IPC, advocating for the electronics manufacturing industry in the United States. Most of my time is spent meeting with policymakers and staff on Capitol Hill and within the administration, letting them know what electronics manufacturing is, its role in the economy and national security, how public policy can strengthen or weaken the industry, and making a case for the U.S. government to back policies that promote a strong electronics manufacturing industry in North America.

Kate Koger: I’m the public affairs coordinator for IPC. I provide project management support and content when needed across all sectors of the team. I work on sustainability with Dr. Kelly Scanlon, and with Rich in government relations. I also assist Michelle Mermelstein, senior director of media relations for IPC, and I work with IPC’s marketing team to coordinate efforts between government relations and IPC headquarters.

LaRont: Rich, tell me about the rest of IPC’s advocacy team. It has grown quite a bit.

Cappetto: Kate and I joined IPC last summer, along with two other colleagues. The four of us came aboard within a few weeks of each other. Michelle works to bring more attention to the industry by working with national, business, and tech media. She works across IPC—standards, education, advocacy, and solutions—and with the marketing team to bring stories about our industry into the national press. We’re quickly learning about IPC and its members. There is a lot of energy and new ideas in the office. Everyone is eager to make an impact for the industry.

To read the entire article, which appeared in the April 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.