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Marshall Matters: A Place at the Table
December 22, 2009 |Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
IPC Technology Exchange
The subject of the recent IPC Technology Interchange in Washington D.C. was "The North American PCB Industry: It Can and Will Support the Military Market." Supporting the military market is of great interest to North American manufacturing seeking opportunity in niche markets of a global electronics industry. Topics included OEM roadmaps and critical issues, Department of Defense (DoD)electronic interconnection needs and printed board technology imperatives and supplier initiatives. Industry experts presented perspectives on challenges and opportunities within the military market. Attendees benefited from direct access to these experts for valuable insight into critical issues they are struggling with. The level of dialogue between supply-chain partners, as well as competitors, was of great benefit in establishing facts and dispelling myths. IPC management and staff did an exceptional job in providing a place at the table for everyone to ask questions, express their concerns and share ideas.
IPC Task Group
The blue ribbon panel of presenters provided a wide range of critical information. Technology road mapping identified growing needs for PCB features such as high density, imbedded passives, thermal management and other innovative technologies. Reliability, security and trusted sourcing are growing concerns. The shrinking North American PCB supply base could potentially compromise strategic DoD programs going forward. The need for innovation, increasing technology levels, reliability and trusted sourcing was a common denominator. The message was clear; board shops that can provide these solutions are well-positioned to participate in current and future programs. Long term viability for the rest seems less certain.
Maintaining North American PCB manufacturing capability and capacity for these programs has been assigned to an Executive Agent within the DoD. The IPC Printed Circuit Board Executive Agent Task Force developed the IPC Defense Roadmap to assist the DoD PCB Executive Agent in developing a DoD printed board and interconnect technology roadmap by identifying printed board technologies, designs and materials that will be required to meet future DoD and OEM needs. The IPC task group included experts and executives from some of the best and brightest North American board shops. Together, they developed six recommendations that provide much needed clarity and direction for consideration. The group explained the recommendations and framed their context. The huge amount of resource contributed by the group was obvious and indicative of their commitment to the industry and the association.Reality Check
The large turnout for this event indicates the level of interest in military markets. DoD/Military applications may offer increased opportunity for U.S. manufacturers, but it will have to be earned. The reality of global supply-chains, technology requirements and the availability of capital for improvement raise questions about how many remaining board shops in North America are going to acquire the resources needed to provide support to this market. Dr. Peter Sanborn of the University of Maryland presented a sobering assessment of how China became the global leader in electronics manufacturing and why it's going to stay there. One of the illustrations was a survey of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)/field-programmable gate array (FPGA) usage on the DoD Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program. The research suggests that a significant number of these boards will be built in Asia. U.S. economic conditions, social programs and political agendas will play a role in the amount and scope of military expenditures. There are still many board shops in North America capable of and eager to support military markets. The reality is that markets tend to allocate opportunity based on the value proposition. There are no safe havens in a global marketplace.
Next Steps
Every North American PCB manufacturer has a vested interest in improving its value proposition. Management must embrace total quality management as the foundation for continuous improvement. Systems and processes must be standardized and controlled to coincide with the IPC Defense Roadmap. It is critical to acquire the intellectual resource required to compete. IPC standards, specifications and test methods provide a common denominator between provider and user. Qualification procedures establish capability and reliability levels. SPC supports productivity and provides benchmarks for improvement. Training and certification programs empower staff and provide a cornerstone of credibility with the customer.
IPC provides a wealth of resources and benefits to its membership and provides a venue for interactive and continuous improvement. There is strength in numbers and increased industry representation will result in mutual benefit to the association and its members. Growing membership and pooling resources to achieve targeted solutions creates synergy that individual action cannot match. This May, IPC will sponsor a Capital Hill Day in D.C. to deliver critical industry concerns to Congress. Now is the time to get involved. Let's do this!
IPC Technology Interchange Proceedings can be found here.
Stephen J. Marshall is the National Sales Manager for Calumet Electronics Corporation and has been with the company since 1993. During that time, he has been involved in a variety of activities related to performance specifications and quality standards. With a front row seat to several industry-changing events, including the conversion to electronic production data, the dot.com bust, the growth of SMT, the introduction of RoHS and the current economic recession, Marshall is well-qualified to address conformance to specifications including IPC-6011, IPC-6012, MIL-PRF-31032 and MIL-PRF-5510 performance and qualification specifications and compliance with standards including ISO9001, AS9100 and Nadcap. To contact Stephen, click here. To access Stephen's blog, click here.Editor's Note: For more military/aerospace news, visit our dedicated site here.Follow I-Connect007 on Twitter here.