I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
July 12, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

I spent my week at SEMICON West in San Francisco, returning last night. It was a full week that had me drawing parallels between what is happening in the semiconductor sector and in our segment of the supply chain. I had my mind blown listening to presentations and panels on things like quantum computing. The future is indeed bright. Tech-heavy, but very bright.
But in all seriousness, if there was one phrase from the conference that rings most true in my mind, it is “unprecedented opportunities and unprecedented challenges.” Stay tuned for SEMICON coverage over the next week and additional coverage in our August magazines.
And as a Phoenix resident, I have to add, “Stay cool out there!”
SEMICON WEST 2024 Kicks Off in San Francisco
Published July 11
A nod to my show coverage mentor Pete Starkey, this Day 1 recap of SEMICON 2024 is meant to take the reader through my first day at SEMICON West with some level of completion. From kicking off with SEMI America’s Joe Stockunas and the CEO Summit keynotes, moving onto SEMI CEO Anjit Manocha’s stirring industry overview themed “Unprecedented,” to a CHIPS for America update from Dr. Laura Locascio of the U.S. Department of Commerce, to compelling discussions on AI, e-mobility and workforce, I hope you will enjoy this glimpse into this show.
Building Resilient Supply Chains
Published July 8
Coming down from the tradeshow this past week, Mark Goodwin’s recent piece on supply chains is particularly apropos. Mark reminds us of the havoc the COVID-19 pandemic wrought on global supply chains and points out that concerted efforts toward things like onshoring and nearshoring are symptoms of a lingering feeling of insecurity around them. The answer? Creating resilient supply chains that are agile, secure, with the highest integrity remains of the utmost importance.
Pushing the Limits of PCB Impedance Control
Published July 9
Alex Knowles of RoBAT pushes the limits of impedance control in his recent article, starting off with the truth, “While we’ve long known the importance of impedance control in PCB design, with the increase in frequencies, the decrease in SNR (NRZ to PAM4), and the continual reduction in device size, the impact of signal integrity on poor impedance control of transmission lines is even more significant.” In case you missed it the first time around, Alex’s article from the June issue of PCB007 is a worthy read.
Remembering George Dudnikov
Published July 10
As many of us in this industry head into the last chapters of our careers, it is important to remember our friends and colleagues in this industry. We lost another friend last week in George Dudnikov, who I knew from my days at Hadco. Sharing a few thoughtful tributes made by other friends in the industry, we say goodbye and thank you to George, and send the very best to his family and friends.
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Low-Temperature Soldering, Vol. 2, Chapter 2
Published July 10
Since the first volume of The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to...™ Low-temperature Soldering was published over five years ago, considerable changes have occurred in the low-temperature soldering landscape. In Chapter 2 of this updated volume, Morgana Ribas, Ph.D., et al., MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions looks at the evolution from first-to fourth-generation LTS. Take a peek and download your own free copy.
Suggested Items
IPC Excellence in Education Award: Zenaida Valianu
05/01/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Zenaida Valianu is the training manager at IPC who brings more than 25 years of expertise in standards and training development to her role. She has revolutionized IPC certification training programs by significantly enhancing their content with comprehensive curricula and engaging materials. She has also been instrumental in developing essential workforce training courses and contributing to various other initiatives.
Trust in the Process: Zollner Elektronik Heavily Investing in a Future Filled With Electronics
04/30/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityFamily goals and values—born by one man tinkering around in his garage in Bavaria near the Czech border—are the cornerstones of IPC member Zollner Elektronik AG, one of the 15 largest EMS companies in the world, and the largest in Germany. The company places heavy priority on its employees, products, and partnerships.
Machine Vision: MVTec Expands Deep Learning Portfolio with New Versions of its Deep Learning Tool
04/29/2025 | MVTec Software GmbHThe machine vision industry is gaining significant momentum by using deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, which allows for the automation of entirely new applications and improved results.
SMTA Bridging the Skills Gap in Arizona
04/24/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007One area where SMTA really excels is through its local chapters. On April 16, 2025, I-Connect007's Marcy LaRont attended the Workforce Breakfast during the SMTA Arizona Expo & Tech Forum in Mesa, which featured more than 50 electronics professionals from the local area, including defense OEMs, and others who were attending for the first time. Blackfox and Hyrel Technologies sponsored the event. The keynote presentation featured Sean Denny, a professor at Estrella Mountain Community College, who emphasized a clear need for skilled hand soldering technicians.
Recognizing the IPC Committee Volunteer Awards in 2025
04/24/2025 | Patty Goldman, I-Connect007In 2023, IPC created two new awards to honor standards development committee volunteers: The Hillman-Lambert Award for Volunteer of the Year and the Kessler-Goldman Award for Committee Leader of the Year. The awards were named after Hall of Fame members whose service to standards development is well-known and who have demonstrated the skills and principles that the awardees should also have.