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IPC APEX EXPO Retrospective: The Founders Look Back
May 30, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute

IPC APEX EXPO 2024 will soon feel like a distant memory, and by all accounts, it was a good show with an impressive display of technical knowledge. During the show, I visited with industry icons and IPC Hall of Fame recipients Dan Feinberg and Gene Weiner, who were among the original visionaries and founders of what became APEX EXPO. These individuals took me on a funny and engaging historic journey and a glimpse into how we arrived today. I witnessed their tremendous pride in being a part of an industry they helped to build—one that is still grounded in vision and optimism.
Marcy LaRont: I am here with two original stakeholders in what became IPC APEX EXPO. How and why did all of this begin?
Dan Feinberg: In the 1990s, the United States was still the most important location for printed circuit board manufacturing. We were the leaders. The most important and largest industry trade show at that time was NEPCON; there was NEPCON West and NEPCON East. The shows became prohibitively expensive, especially when it came to hosting hospitality. The two companies that did the biggest hospitality suites were my good friend Jim Hickman, who was running DuPont's Riston division, and myself, who was running Dynachem. Our costs on those hospitality suites were outrageous, literally hundreds of dollars a minute.
Gene Weiner: You are skipping an important part. In about 1993, if you were a voting member of IPC, you had to be a fabricator. Suppliers could be members, but they couldn’t vote. Suppliers were getting tired of having no voice. There was a lot of discussion.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the May 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/18/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007It may be the middle of the summer, but the news doesn’t quit, and there’s plenty to talk about this week, whether you’re talking technical or on a global scale. When I have to choose six items instead of my regular five, you know it’s good. I start by highlighting my interview with Martyn Gaudion on his latest book, share some concerning tariff news, follow that up with some promising (and not-so-promising) investments, and feature a paper from last January’s inaugural Pan-European Design Conference.
Report: Broadcom Scraps $1 Billion Chip Investment in Spain
07/15/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAmerican chipmaker Broadcom has pulled out of plans to invest in a microchip plant in Spain. According to a July 14 Reuters report, Europa Press, quoting anonymous sources, stated the action followed collapsed government talks but gave no further information.
IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Lionel Fullwood
07/15/2025 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007Many 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.
I-Connect007 Observes U.S. Independence Day Holiday
07/04/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Today marks the 248th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. Known widely in the U.S. as Independence Day or “The Fourth of July,” this day also commemorates the declaration by the Congress that the American colonies are free and independent states.
MRSI Systems, LLC Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Suzhou LieQi in China
06/16/2025 | MRSI Systems, LLCMRSI Systems, LLC (a part of Mycronic Group), a global high-tech company that provides high precision production solution in electronics industry, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Suzhou LieQi Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (SZLQ) with Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court for infringement of MRSI Systems’ patent related to die bonder (Case No. (2025) YUE03minchu No. 7154).