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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
July 22, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s always interesting how certain groups of news emerge in our most-read content. This week, reader interest seemed focused on two distinct themes: Mexico and awards. In this week’s list, we find the inaugural award recipients from iNEMI’s Project Leadership Awards. We also bring you the award recipients from the SEMI FlexTech conference held last week in San Francisco.
News from Mexico includes a new Atotech facility, and an interview with IPC’s David Hernandez and Lorena Villanueva about IPC’s expanding presence in Mexico. Metcal’s new hot air rework system also got a lot of attention, with an abundance of reader interest.
Seems the northern hemisphere is generally sweltering everywhere this week. Be sure to stay hydrated, find a shady spot, and linger over these must-reads.
SEMI FlexTech Announces 2022 FLEXI Award Winners for Outstanding Achievements in Flexible Electronics
Published July 15
“Recognizing innovations and other outstanding accomplishments in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), SEMI FlexTech, a SEMI Technology Community, presented the 2022 FLEXI Awards at the FLEX Conference and Exhibition, co-located with SEMICON West 2022 Hybrid in San Francisco. The FLEXI Awards spotlight FHE contributions in four categories: R&D Achievement, Product Innovation and Commercialization, Environmental Sustainability Champion, and Industry Leadership.” Missed out on who received the awards for outstanding achievement? Here’s your chance to catch up. These are today’s (and tomorrow’s) leaders, folks!
Atotech Successfully Starts Production and Officially Inaugurates the New Site in Querétaro/Mexico
Published July 18
Geoff Wild, CEO at Atotech, says, “I am pleased to announce the official opening of our new site in Mexico as it marks an important milestone for our company. The Querétaro site will allow Atotech to significantly expand its production capacity and sustainable growth in Mexico as well as the Americas. It also supports the expected rise in customer demand in the coming years. I’d like to thank everyone involved for their support, dedication, and teamwork to get our new site operational.”
Mexico offers some promising options for the microelectronics industry and people are taking notice. What does have Atotech have planned? Click the link to find out.
iNEMI Recognizes Accomplishments of Project Teams
Published July 15
iNEMI has launched the Project Leadership Awards program, and five project teams have been recognized in the first year of this program. “This award recognizes the contributions and accomplishments of iNEMI project teams, specifically the individuals from our member companies who comprise these teams,” says Shekhar Chandrashekhar, iNEMI CEO. “They are doing significant work that directly benefits their own companies but also has a long-term, positive impact on the electronics manufacturing value chain.
These companies, the director says, “accelerate and reduce the risk of adopting new technologies while helping ensure supply chain readiness for the wider industry.” Now that’s something we can all get behind. Click on the headline to see what the recipients are doing.
Metcal Launches New HCT-910 Hot Air Rework System
Published July 19
Metcal launched the new HCT-910 hot air rework system that can generate heat of up to 600 degrees Celsius, which the latest military and aerospace applications demand. New product announcements aren’t as common as we would like, so this particular announcement seemed to garner a lot of reader interest.
IPC Mexico Continues to Grow
Published July 20
Andy Shaughnessy and Barry Matties recently spoke with IPC Vice President of Education David Hernandez and the new IPC Director Mexico, Lorena Villanueva, and about IPC Mexico’s growth, as well as the office’s plans to provide PCB manufacturers the training resources they need to succeed—training in their own language. Lorena has big plans for Mexico and she’s only just getting started.
Suggested Items
Seeing a Future in Mexico
07/09/2025 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007The Global Electronics Association (formerly known as IPC) has been instrumental in fostering a partnership with Guanajuato, a state north of Mexico City with 12 industrial clusters and close to 150 companies involved in electronics. This past spring, Alejandro Hernández, the undersecretary for investment promotion in Guanajuato, attended IPC APEX EXPO 2025 at the invitation of IPC Mexico Director Lorena Villanueva, where he met with several companies to discuss the opportunities available in Mexico. He is inviting electronics-related companies seeking long-term investment in a centrally located area with access to highways, railways, and ports.
The Global Electronics Association Releases IPC-8911: First-Ever Conductive Yarn Standard for E-Textile Application
07/02/2025 | Global Electronics AssociationThe Global Electronics Association announces the release of IPC-8911, Requirements for Conductive Yarns for E-Textiles Applications. This first-of-its-kind global standard establishes a clear framework for classifying, designating, and qualifying conductive yarns—helping to address longstanding challenges in supply chain communication, product testing, and material selection within the growing e-textiles industry.
IPC-CFX, 2.0: How to Use the QPL Effectively
07/02/2025 | Chris Jorgensen, Global Electronics AssociationIn part one of this series, we discussed the new features in CFX Version 2.0 and their implications for improved inter-machine communication. But what about bringing this new functionality to the shop floor? The IPC-CFX-2591 QPL is a powerful technical resource for manufacturers seeking CFX-enabled equipment. The Qualified Product List (QPL) helps streamline equipment selection by listing models verified for CFX compliance through a robust third-party virtual qualification process.
The Knowledge Base: A Conference for Cleaning and Coating of Mission-critical Electronics
07/08/2025 | Mike Konrad -- Column: The Knowledge BaseIn electronics manufacturing, there’s a dangerous misconception that cleaning and coating are standalone options, that they operate in different lanes, and that one can compensate for the other. Let’s clear that up now. Cleaning and conformal coating are not separate decisions. They are two chapters in the same story—the story of reliability.
Advancing Aerospace Excellence: Emerald’s Medford Team Earns Space Addendum Certification
06/30/2025 | Emerald TechnologiesWe’re thrilled to announce a major achievement from our Medford, Oregon facility. Andy Abrigo has officially earned her credentials as a Certified IPC Trainer (CIT) under the IPC J-STD-001 Space Addendum, the leading industry standard for space and military-grade electronics manufacturing.