Standard of Excellence: The Human Touch in an Automated World
The Government Circuit: Navigating New Trade Headwinds and New Partnerships
Global Sourcing Spotlight: How to Evaluate Supplier Capabilities Worldwide
IPC Global Standards Driving Factory of the Future
March 10, 2025 | Chris Jorgensen, IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Factory of the Future represents a revolutionary shift in electronics manufacturing, aligning the industry's processes with the demands of efficiency, innovation, and sustainability. With challenges such as rapid product lifecycles, stringent quality requirements, and increasing emphasis on environmental responsibility, stakeholders across the supply chain—OEMs, EMS providers, and PCB manufacturers—face mounting pressure to modernize their operations.
IPC standards task groups are at the forefront of this transformation, driven by a set of core principles that guide the transition to a digitally integrated, automated, and secure manufacturing environment.
These task groups are guided by six foundational principles: automation, transparency, seamless integration, ease of deployment, user-friendly operations, and robust cybersecurity. By developing standards guided by these principles, these groups aim to ensure their standards enable any company, large or small, to optimize production, enhance traceability, and address the challenges of real-time data flow, IT-OT convergence, and secure data exchanges across the supply chain.
The foundation of these standards activities has been set through established standards such as IPC-CFX, Connected Factory Exchange, and IPC-HERMES-9852. These standards were instrumental in setting a vision to facilitate ease of adoption within factories and enable interoperability between machines and systems. Over the past several years, additional working groups have developed standards to support traceability (IPC-1782), digital twin (IPC-2551), model-based definitions (IPC/DAC-2552), and cybersecure operations (IPC-1792).
To read this entire article, which appeared in the March 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
Standard of Friendship: Debbie McDade and Symon Franklin Went From Classmates to Colleagues
08/27/2025 | Debbie McDade, Advanced Rework Technology Ltd.As a fairly new IPC Master Trainer, I nervously attended my first IPC committee meeting in 2002 in New Orleans—a 4,600-mile trip from my home in the UK—for the IPC-610 Task Group. With more than 250 members, it was the largest IPC committee at that time.
Securing the Future: The Battle for America's Flat Panel Display Industry
08/12/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007The production and sourcing of flat panel displays have become a focal point of concern, particularly regarding national security. In this interview, Jim Will, executive director of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), provides insights into the essential role of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in both defense systems and everyday technology. Their conversation delves into the implications of America's dependence on Chinese manufacturers for these critical components, raising alarms about supply chain vulnerabilities amidst rising geopolitical tensions.
Global Excellence in PCB Design: The Global Electronics Association Expands to Italy
08/07/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationIn today's rapidly evolving electronics industry, printed circuit boards (PCBs) serve as the critical backbone influencing the success, reliability, and time-to-market of countless products. Recognizing this essential role, the Global Electronics Association (formerly IPC), a worldwide leader in electronics standards, certification, and education, is now expanding its internationally acclaimed PCB design training to Italy.
Dana on Data: Best Practices in Interpreting Drawing Notes—‘Use Latest Revision’
08/07/2025 | Dana Korf -- Column: Dana on DataThe global nature of electronics manufacturing requires clear, consistent, and precise communication, particularly in technical documentation. An area where miscommunication often arises is in interpreting drawing notes—small lines of text with the potential to dramatically impact product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Clear Demand Signal Needed for CHIPS Success
08/01/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamIn July, the National Defense Industrial Association’s (NDIA) Electronics Division released a white paper titled "Clear Demand Signal Needed for CHIPS Success." The paper highlights the importance of the CHIPS and Science Act’s $52 billion investment in revitalizing secure domestic semiconductor production, but also raises the alarm that the Act mainly addresses supply challenges and has not established mechanisms to ensure ongoing demand for U.S.-based microelectronics production.