Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
It’s Only Common Sense: Your Biggest Competitor Is Complacency
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
Virginia is for (PCB) Lovers: Weidmuller USA Celebrating 50 Years in Virginia
November 18, 2024 | Linda Stepanich, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Weidmuller Group, a provider of Smart Industrial Connectivity products and solutions, is a family-owned company founded in 1850 in Germany. It currently operates sites in more than 80 countries. Weidmuller USA, based in Richmond, Virginia, and celebrating 50 years in 2025, plans to open an engineering and production facility this fall, bringing more jobs to the region.
One of the employees instrumental in ensuring Weidmuller USA’s strength in the industry is Phil Dobler, director of operations, who brought IPC standards to the company. When he began his tenure 28 years ago, Phil found many experienced staff members but none with formal assembly training. Weidmuller’s Engineering and Assembly Services, a value-added service operating out of the Richmond office, assembles, produces, and distributes its products based on customer specifications, and meeting those needs requires consistency in production. For his staff to succeed, Phil realized they needed a more consistent and structured approach to their work.
Phil says he looked for “easy-to-use standards with some training, which could be implemented to enhance our performance. We also wanted guidelines on what is acceptable and not acceptable. We found that with IPC right away.”
He quickly noticed that the production process, which had previously received complaints resulting in returns and rework, saw a large reduction in criticism after the staff underwent training.
“We saw our number of customer complaints fall right off the table; now it is very rare that we get a complaint,” Phil says. “Using the IPC training videos was a huge help; knowing what is acceptable and what is not has benefited our assemblers greatly. We went from no formal training to customers wanting assembly to IPC-A-610, and we could find common talking points with our customers, which made it all easier. We were glad to incorporate IPC into our shop and quality procedures.”
Read this rest of this artice in the Fall 2024 issue of IPC Community.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
TTCI Brings Hands-On Test Engineering and IPC Training Expertise to PCB Carolina 2025
10/31/2025 | The Test Connection Inc.The Test Connection Inc. (TTCI), a trusted provider of electronic test and manufacturing solutions, and The Training Connection LLC (TTC-LLC) will exhibit at PCB Carolina on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at the McKimmon Center at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Attendees can visit Table 4 to say hello to Bert Horner and Bill Graver, and learn more about their test engineering services and technical training programs.
The Training Connection Continues to Grow with Addition of Veteran IPC Trainer Bill Graver
10/30/2025 | The Training Connection LLCThe Training Connection, LLC (TTC-LLC), a premier provider of test engineering and development training, is proud to announce the addition of Bill Graver to its growing team of industry experts. A respected professional with more than 35 years in electronics manufacturing, Bill joins as an IPC Master Trainer, bringing a wealth of hands-on experience in PCB testing, failure analysis, and process improvement.
Electronics Industry Warns Mexico Tariffs Could Undercut U.S. Manufacturing and Supply Chain Resilience
10/24/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationAs negotiations over U.S.–Mexico trade policies near an October 29 deadline, the Global Electronics Association released a new policy brief, From Risk to Resilience: Why Mexico Matters to U.S. Manufacturing.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
10/14/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileBall grid array (BGA) components evolved from pin grid array (PGA) devices, carrying over many of the same electrical benefits while introducing a more compact and efficient interconnect format. Instead of discrete leads, BGAs rely on solder balls on the underside of the package to connect to the PCB. In some advanced designs, solder balls are on both the PCB and the BGA package. In stacked configurations, such as package-on-package (PoP), these solder balls also interconnect multiple packages, enabling higher functionality in a smaller footprint.
New Course Presents a Comprehensive Guide to IPC Standards
10/10/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Francisco Fourcade, electronics technology standards manager for the Global Electronics Association, has spent years helping companies understand and implement the standards that keep the electronics manufacturing industry moving forward. In this interview, he shares updates on ongoing standards development efforts and previews a new course, "IPC Standards: A Guide for the Electronics Industry,” which starts Oct. 14.