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I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
February 17, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

I’m home now, after being away for a good chunk of the past month covering IPC APEX EXPO and DesignCon. I like to travel, but with work travel, you have to be “on” constantly, so it was great to get back home and hit the “pause” button. It’s funny what you miss when you’re on the road; I think I missed my Memory Foam pillow more than I missed some of my friends.
So, I’m back in the saddle! This week, we published a variety of articles, columns, and news items. But let’s have a special round of applause for Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Blake Moore (R-UT), two members of the House of Representatives who sent the DoD a letter detailing the need for more production of PCBs and IC substrates in the United States. Republicans and Democrats have been mixing like oil and water lately, so it’s promising to see these two reach across the aisle and try to get something accomplished for the greater good.
Will anything come of it? We’ll let you know.
Printed Circuit Boards Have Champions on Capitol Hill
Published February 14
Are our Congress critters finally starting to get the picture regarding U.S. PCB manufacturing? Maybe. IPC VP of Global Relations Chris Mitchell shared a letter that Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Blake Moore (R-UT) sent to the DoD. They urge the department to “leverage all available resources” to increase production of PCBs and IC substrates in the U.S. Certainly a step in the right direction; now let’s see if anything concrete happens.
ICAPE Group Acquires FIMOR Electronics in France
Published February 16
ICAPE continues to expand its global footprint with the acquisition of FIMOR Electronics, a component manufacturer and distributor based in Le Mans, France. ICAPE now has facilities in France, South Africa, and Sweden, as well as a service office in Foshan, China.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Turning Your Career up to Eleven
Published February 16
In this column, John Watson describes the two different types of PCB designers that he encounters: those who work a tight eight hours each day, and those who work until the project is finished. This could apply to any other discipline as well, really. Where do you fall on this scale? John offers tips and techniques for designers, all based on lessons he learned from the mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap.” You never know where inspiration will come from.
Koh Young: Getting Equipment In-Line and Customers Online
Published February 15
When it’s time to acquire new capital equipment, where do you start? In this interview with Nolan Johnson, Koh Young’s Mitchell Kim, Brent Fischthal and David Nemeth detail their best practices for purchasing equipment, from the initial decision through installation and calibration. As they explain, part of their job involved educating the customer during this process.
It’s Only Common Sense: Solving Your Talent Problem
Published February 13
Dan Beaulieu likes to stir the pot. But when he starts out with “Some of you will not like this column,” you know he’s bringing the fire. As he points out, there’s probably a reason that talented people don’t want to work at your company. If you’re having trouble filling positions, Dan suggests asking yourself, “Why would I want to work here?” If you’re not showing new hires a career path, they’re not going to stick around long. And with four openings for every job hunter in this industry, they don’t have to stick around. Why would anyone want to work at your company?
Suggested Items
Hunting for Clues: Feng Xue Solving Circuit Board 'Crimes' With AOI Standard
05/08/2025 | Linda Stepanich, IPCWhen residents in sleepy English villages needed a top-tier detective to solve a murder, they called on Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, author Agatha Christie’s fictional detective famous for using his “little grey cells” to solve crimes. In the same way, IPC standards development committees, when creating a standard to detect defects in circuit boards using Automated Optical Inspection (AOI), call on IPC A-Team, Hercule.
IPC Strengthens Global Focus with Promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to Chief Global Officer
05/08/2025 | IPCIPC, the global electronics association, announces the promotion of Sanjay Huprikar to chief global officer. This newly created position reflects the association’s forward-looking strategy and industry needs to strengthen the electronics supply chain.
Navigating Global Manufacturing in an Era of Uncertainty
05/07/2025 | Philip Stoten, ScoopThe EMS industry faces unprecedented challenges as global trade tensions rise and tariff announcements create market uncertainty. In an overview of IPC Europe’s podcast, MADE IN EUROPE, industry experts from GPV and Zollner examine how these developments impact our businesses and customers, and what strategies will prevail in this new landscape.
Nick Koop Launches IPC Flex Design Class
05/06/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineNick Koop is director of flex technology for TTM Technologies, and he’s been a staple of IPC’s flex committees for decades. He’s also a longtime flex design instructor, and he’s about to debut a new IPC class, Flex and Rigid-Flex Design for Manufacturability, which will run May 12–21. In this interview, Nick tells us about this new class and what attendees can expect to learn.
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
05/06/2025 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government CircuitThere is certainly no shortage of work to be done in the IPC Government Relations department, as the U.S. waged a tariff campaign on practically every industrial country in the world and several countries embarked on high-tech initiatives with a mix of approaches to the crucial foundations of electronics manufacturing. Indeed, the breadth and speed of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign continues to be a serious challenge for our industry.