IPC Rising Star Award: Young-Ho Hwang, Guru E&E

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The IPC Rising Star Award is given to IPC members who have taken leadership roles and supported IPC standards, education, advocacy, and solutions to challenges faced by the industry. Their contributions have made a significant impact on IPC and the industry within the past five years and will have a lasting impact for many years to come.

Since 2022, IPC has made significant progress for its Korean members. Previously recognized mainly for educational certification in the defense industry, IPC has expanded its influence through key initiatives including establishing the IPC Korea Advisory Committee, launching the IPC 610 RTG in 2022, and organizing annual IPC K-FEST events. Today IPC standards are supported by the De facto Global Standards Forum, initiated by the Korean government.

Young-Ho Hwang has been instrumental in driving these developments. As a core advisory committee member and chair of the 610 RTG, he has played a key role in guiding IPC Korea’s strategic direction, championed the development and adoption of IPC standards across industries, and fostered strong collaborations with stakeholders. His technology and dedication as an active IPC volunteer have elevated IPC’s recognition in government-led forums and helped establish IPC K-FEST as a flagship event in Korea.

Young-Ho, what was it like to receive the news of your award?
Receiving the award signifies that someone has made a significant contribution, but it made me reflect on whether I had truly made a contribution through my activities at IPC Korea. Given my involvement in various activities such as the advisory committee, the revision committee, and K-FEST at IPC Korea, I believe this award is a reminder to strive to do better and to promote IPC standards in various industries in Korea through IPC Korea, as well as to be active in the field of standard revision and development.

How did you get involved with IPC?
I've worked in the electrical and electronics field for 35 years, but honestly, when I started in this field, I had little connection with IPC. I attended an IPC Conference in 2006 but still felt distant from IPC. However, four years ago, I met IPC Korea representative Tina Choi. Her passion and desire to promote the growth of Korean industries through IPC inspired me. Since that meeting, I've become very active in IPC activities. Currently, I am using various standards, such as PCB/FPC manufacturing, PCB design, PCB assembly, and reliability in product development, production, and quality control.

Which committees do you currently work with?
I am participating in committees such as the acceptability of electronic assemblies, which is the most commonly used, and semiconductor substrate-related standards IPC-6921, as well as design committees. The 610 RTG was created in Korea, and I am serving as the chair of the 7-31b-KR committee, working to expand the presence of IPC in Korea. Our activities include standard revisions and reviewing Korean translations of standards, such as IPC-J-STD-610 and 001 within the 7-31b-KR committee.

Tell us a little about your employer.
Previously, I worked at LG Group, but for the past eight years, I have been working at Guru E&E Inc. as a leading technical consultant in the electrical and electronics field. Additionally, I offer technical consulting to major clients in areas such as PCB design for automotive electronics, design, production, and quality control of sensing modules for battery products. I also make extensive use of IPC standards in my technical consulting.

Have your employers always supported your IPC work?
Most experts participating in IPC activities find it challenging to balance their company duties. However, many experts dedicate their personal time to contribute to the Korean industries and international standards. Fortunately, more companies in Korea are using IPC standards, which motivates experts participating in IPC activities to be more proactive. As a technical consultant, it is important not only to meet clients with my skills but also to use IPC standards—which are widely used in the international electronics industry—in my technical consulting. This ensures a more objective level of expertise and utilizes standards that are recognized and accepted by everyone. Therefore, engaging in IPC activities is naturally part of my work duties. My company actively encourages my participation in IPC activities.

What do you find exciting about our industry right now?
In the past, our industries were dominated by the belief that excelling individually was enough. However, with the changes in SCM, the world has formed a network like a single industrial structure. In other words, it's not just one company that needs to perform well, all companies must excel for everyone in the network to succeed. Therefore, standards play a very important role in this industrial structure. IPC standards, which are created with the participation of experts from various industries worldwide, contribute much more significantly to the modern industrial structure compared to the past. This is a fascinating phenomenon in the current industry.

What advice would you give someone starting in this industry?
Develop a perspective that can observe the trends in the international industry. I would also emphasize the importance of identifying and studying the commonly accepted and used standards. If there is an excellent leader who can serve as a mentor, follow them and think deeply about what you can learn and contribute to the industry. IPC provides opportunities to form an international expert network and serves as a platform for technology and various standards, so I would recommend taking advantage of the IPC platform.