I met with the IPC’s VP of Standards and Technology, Dave Bergman, while in Chicago recently. I’ve known Dave for almost 30 years, so we had quite a chat, covering a lot of ground, from the efforts of IPC China and IPC India, to the standards activities that are certainly the core activity of IPC.
Patty Goldman: Dave, it is good to see you as always. How about we start with telling me a little bit about your job and what you are responsible for. I know everything morphs a little bit, as time goes by.
Dave Bergman: I am currently vice president of standards and training at IPC. As part of my activities, I retain some international responsibilities, including leading IPC’s India office, and European representatives in Sweden and Russia. I oversee all of our standardization efforts, our certification and training efforts, as well as validation services QML certification, the new SGA standards gap analysis program and multimedia training DVDs and online videos being developed for shop floor operators and technicians.
Goldman: Tell me more about your international responsibilities.
Bergman: From the international standpoint, I am responsible for the relationship between IPC and other global associations, many of which are in the World Electronics Circuits Council (WECC). These associations have a significant focus on the PCB industry in their regions and while this is still an important part of IPC activities, it is only a piece of the market we serve. WECC relations still help IPC in the area of market research, standards and government relations. I was formerly responsible for the China office. I got involved in IPC China when we started the office in 2002. I took over the management in 2007. IPC China activities grew enough to the point where IPC’s board said they wanted to have a full-time president responsible for China. When we hired a full-time president in 2012, I transitioned into other areas of responsibility and turned over the reins to Phil Carmichael.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue of The PCB Magazine.