1987-1996 Highlights

• Conducts studies and develops a benchmark testing program to evaluate alternatives to CFCs
• Names Thomas Dammrich as Executive Director
• Hires a lobbyist in Washington, DC
• Holds the first Capitol Hill Day
• Creates new Mission Statement
• Coins the term Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry (EMSI)
• Co-sponsors and launches Surface Mount International (SMI) Conference and Exhibition
• Publishes first comprehensive Benchmarking Study
  Forms the IPC Designers Council
• Releases an IPC “Book-to-Bill” ratios for US PWB manufacturers
• Creates the PWB Supplier Council Management Committee
• Names first supplier member to the IPC Board (non-voting)
• Launches IPC Printed Circuits Expo
• Creates the Assembly Marketing Research Council (AMRC)
• Publishes first Technology Roadmap
• Establishes the Interconnect Technology Research Institute (ITRI)
• Develops the first IPC worker certification program (based on IPC-A-610B)
• Begins staffing the California Circuits Association
• Launches IPC Web site and e-mail forums

1987

• Printed Circuit World Convention IV (PCWC IV) is held in Tokyo, Japan.
• A survey of membership interest in Europe is followed up with an IPC meeting in Zurich to discuss how IPC can best serve European members.
• Working with the International Society of Hybrid Microelectronics (now called IMAPS), IPC initiates the Hybrid Marketing Research Council to develop market statistics and technology trends.
• IPC determines that there should be an expanded structure for technical activities to provide a separate section for interconnections and packaging.

1988

Two lawsuits are filed against 20 IPC PWB manufacturing companies contending that materials in the laminate (fiberglass) cause cancer. The IPC organizes legal counsel from all 20 companies to act in concert to defend these suits. Because of this strong cooperative effort, both suits are dropped.

• The DoD 2000 series of soldering standards is a significant step in aligning the multiple standards developed by various government agencies. IPC sponsors workshops throughout the country with representatives from government and industry to reach agreement on the DoD soldering specifications.

1989

A panel of experts, moderated by Bill Kenyon, DuPont (far right), who discussed the results of Phase I testing.

The EPA undertakes research to replace chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and seeks experts to develop appropriate evaluation and testing programs. IPC volunteers to conduct these studies and develop a benchmark testing program to evaluate alternatives to CFCs for assembly defluxing.

• IPC cooperates with DoD on future standards on statistical process controls (SPC) rather than on end product performance.
• In cooperation with the EIA and the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), IPC publishes a joint document, Standardization and Implementation Requirements for Fine Pitch Technology.
• A second joint U.S./European meeting is held in cooperation with the EIPC and the Printed Circuit Interconnection Federation (PCIF), in Denmark.
• Shearson Lehman publishes a scathing research report on the U.S. PWB industry, which sets in motion a series of management programs designed to blunt the report.

1990

In the center, Thom Dammrich; on the left, Ray Pritchard; and on the right, Larry Velie, president of the IPC.

Thomas Dammrich, senior vice president for the Illinois Bankers Association, succeeds Ray Pritchard as IPC Executive Director.

• Printed Circuit World Convention V (PCWC V) is held in Glasgow, Scotland.
• Work begins on the creation of the World Federation of PWB manufacturers. A meeting is held in September in the U.K., attended by representatives from IPC, the JPCA, and the following European organizations: EIPC, PCIF, and Verband der Deutschen Leiterplattenindustrie BV (VdL).
• "Audit for Excellence" is launched by IPC for PWB manufacturers. This new program includes a series of audited criteria by which individual companies can measure how they compare to other companies in the industry. Later in the year, this program, which outlines 14 separate categories for leadership, is renamed "Excellence through Leadership."
• IPC cooperates with the MIT School of Management to study interfirm relationships between PWB manufacturers, their customers, and PWB suppliers.

1991

Some of the key participants in our government relations activity. Left to right, R. Wayne Sayer, IPC Govt. Relations Rep.; Sam Altschuler, Altron; Pat Sweeney, Hadco; Thom Dammrich, IPC; Mary Vessely, aide House Armed Services Com.; Ron Underwood, Circuit Center; and David Lovenheim, Northeast Mid-west institute.

IPC begins in earnest to develop a presence in Washington, D.C., to represent member interests in legislation and regulatory activities.

• IPC participates with National Association of Metal Finishers (NAMF) in the first Capitol Hill Day. Members meet with U.S. Senators and Congressmen during this day and begin the long journey of familiarizing these representatives with the industry.
• In recognition of IPC's need to play a stronger role not only in matters of legislation but also in environmental issues, R. Wayne Sayer is retained as the official Washington-based Government Relations Consultant. It is further decided that IPC will hold its own Capitol Hill Days in the future.
• A $10,000 contribution is authorized to the California Circuits Association (CCA) for their efforts in fighting unreasonable environmental legislation in California.
• The IPC Board of Directors receives approval from the members for a new Mission Statement:

  The IPC is a United States-based trade association dedicated to furthering the competitive excellence and financial success of its members worldwide who are participants in the electronic interconnect industry.

  In pursuit of these objectives, the IPC will devote resources to management improvement and technology enhancement programs, the creation of relevant standards, protection of the environment, and pertinent government relations.

  The IPC encourages the active participation of all its Regular, Allied, and Associate Members in these activities and commits to full cooperation with all related national and international organizations.

• The EMS Management Council determines that a more appropriate identity for contract assembly companies needs to be created. They correctly believe that the industry will expand its services from consignment to turnkey, and then to system build. They create and popularize a new name: the Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry (EMSI). Wall Street welcomes this name change, which helps reposition the industry to the investment community.
• Ninety-one separate ideas are reviewed for expanding IPC programs. These ideas are organized into nine distinct categories:
  • International Programs
  • Membership Definition
  • Management Programs
  • The Need for Excellence
  • Environmental Issues
  • Understanding Members Needs and Cooperation with Related Groups
  • Statistical Process Control (SPC) Programs
  • Technology Requirements
  • Meeting Structure
• IPC is invited to join the Electronics Roundtable, composed of key representatives of the major electronics industry associations that provide a focus and direction for public policy activities of the U.S. high technology community.
• IPC is named administrator for OZONET by ICOLP (International Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection) because of its ability to provide electronic information retrieval. This is a joint project to provide a worldwide resource on eliminating the use of CFCs.
• Along with EIA, Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA), and Miller Freeman, IPC cosponsors the first Surface Mount International (SMI) conference and exhibition in San Jose, California. This initial conference and exhibit is a success with 432 booths and more than 4,000 attendees. The event merges the IPC and EIA Smart Conference with the SMTA and Miller Freeman SMTA conference and exhibition.

1992

IPC Past President Larry Velie (seated center), Velie Circuits, and IPC Executive Director Thom Dammrich (top left) with 13 IPC President’s Awards recipients (standing, left to right): Douglas Sober, Essex Technologies Group; Vern Solberg, SCI; Russel Griffith, Dynaco Corporation; John Kelly, Motorola; Jorgen Svensson, Ericsson Telecom; Robert Keltz, Westinghouse/Fortin; Masamitsu Aoki, Toshiba Chemical Corporation; and (seated, left to right): O. Leigh Mueller, Printed Circuit Builders; Nick Watts, Tektronix; Laura Scholten, Optrotech; Robin Sellers, Naval Avionics Center; Lea Jones, EDX; and Joel Yocom, Allied Signal Aerospace. Click picture for a larger image.

The IPC Designers Council is officially formed to meet the needs of individual designers and support better design for manufacturability throughout the industry. Today, the IPC Designers Council, with more than 1,000 members and 33 chapters, is an international network of designers. Its mission is to promote printed board and printed board assembly design as a profession and to encourage, facilitate and promote the exchange of information and integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, workshops and professional certification through a network of local chapters.

• To help members address the growing influence of ISO 9000, IPC publishes the General Requirement for Implementation of ISO 9000 Quality Systems.
• The third European Joint Technical Conference is held in Brussels, Belgium.
• The results of the first comprehensive IPC Benchmarking Study are published, providing participants an opportunity to measure their capabilities against the best companies in a wide variety of technical and management categories.
• The 194-page JPCA report, The Printed Circuit Industry in Japan, is translated and published.
• A biannual wage and salary study is introduced for EMS members.
• IPC “Book-to-Bill” ratios for U.S. PWB manufacturers are released. The book-to-bill ratio can be used as one of the predictors for the industry and is still watched closely by financial analysts today.
• Wanting increased influence and programming within IPC, the PWB Suppliers hold an organizational meeting in San Jose. Dan Feinberg, Morton Electronic Materials, is selected as the first chairman of the IPC PWB Suppliers Management Council. During the meeting, the council identifies their initial priorities:
  1. Getting the most for their trade show buck
  2. OEM-Technology Interchange
  3. Recycling

1993

Participants in the initial conference to develop the Technology Roadmap. Click picture for a larger image.

Under the direction of the PWB Suppliers Council, IPC announces plans for the first IPC Printed Circuits Expo to be held in 1994 in Boston. A trade show subcommittee of the Council creates a revolutionary philosophy for the event: It should be fair, focused and cost effective by and for the industry. These tenets still guide the exhibition today.

• To serve the electronics assembly industry's need for market research and technology trends, IPC launches the Assembly Marketing Research Council (AMRC). The Council will be patterned after the highly successful TMRC. The first meeting is held jointly with TMRC in New Orleans in December.
• Recognizing the importance of providing the industry with the requirements for future technology, IPC holds a workshop in Chicago to begin work on development of the Technology Roadmap. The IPC Technology Roadmap is still published today and is now available free of charge to members.

1994

Retiring IPC President Sam Altschuler, Altron (far left), presented the 1994 President’s Award to the industry experts shown in the photo above. Click on the picture for a larger image.

1994 marks a major event in the history of IPC: the opening of IPC Printed Circuits Expo in Boston. More than 1,700 people attend the Expo, which features 275 booths representing 158 companies.

This is not simply an exhibition, however. The event reflects a major effort to provide technology exchange within the industry. IPC Printed Circuits Expo features more than 60 technical papers, 17 workshops, and nearly 100 committee meetings to develop standards for the industry.

• IPC establishes the Interconnect Technology Research Institute (ITRI), to be headed by D. Marshall Andrews. This was a key recommendation of the IPC Technology Roadmap released in 1993. To keep pace with international technology, it is clear that the US PWB manufacturing industry needs a practical forum to undertake cooperative technical research.

• IPC Printed Circuits Expo opens to rousing reviews. From left to right: Jerry Siegmund, Siegmund & Assoc., Peter Sarmanian, Printed Circuit Corp., Sam Altschuler, Altron Incorporated, and Dan Feinberg, Morton Electronic Materials. Click the picture for a larger image.

  The first IPC certification and training program based on IPC-A-610B, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, is implemented. Today, IPC-A-610 training is conducted in many languages around the world and has a user base of more than 10,000 instructor certifications. These instructors, in turn, have trained nearly 125,000 engineers, operators, inspectors, buyers and members of management teams. In addition, this certification program has spawned a number of other IPC certification efforts.
• The IPC Designers Council plans for a new certification program for designers as a means to improve the education and stature of designers in the electronics industry.
• IPC video expands into interactive multimedia production on CD-ROM, allowing students to learn at their own pace.
• IPC staff becomes accessible by e-mail.

1995

With the increasing interest in PWB developments in China, IPC sponsored a tour of PWB plants in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, participants in the tour attended the China Printed Circuit Association International Printed Circuit Technological Equipment Exhibition in Shanghai. Click on the picture for a larger image.

With the increase in IPC programming, IPC outgrows its building in Lincolnwood, Illinois, and moves to Northbrook, Illinois.

• To enhance the executive director's ability to work with peers in Washington, D.C., the Board revises the titles of key IPC officers. The title of the chief elected officer is changed from president to chairman of the Board of Directors. The title of the executive director is changed to president.
• ITRI releases its first technical report: Improvements/Alternatives to Mechanical Drilling of PWB Vias.
• Membership in IPC hits an all-time high. Two thousand companies/divisions of companies, located in more than 50 countries, are now members of IPC.
• More than 100 IPC members participate in the development of a Long-Range Strategic Plan approved by the Board in March. The Long-Range Plan defines five specific strategies to carry IPC into the new millennium:
  • Industry Leadership
  • Work Force Development and Training
  • Industry Standards/Technical Assistance
  • Communications, Networking and Participation
  • Global Involvement to Benefit Members
• IPC is awarded a grant from the State of Illinois, along with Northwestern University, to create an Illinois Electronics Manufacturing Extension Center to aid Illinois manufacturers.
• In recognition of the excellence of IPC standards, the Department of Defense and ANSI adopt IPC-J-STD-001, J-STD-004, J-STD-005 and J-STD-006.
• With the increasing interest in the growth and development of China, IPC sponsors a tour of PWB plants in Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, participants in the tour attend the China Printed Circuit Association International Printed Circuit Technological Equipment Exhibition in Shanghai.

1996

Individuals who attended the special statistical meeting at the World Convention. Click on the picture for a larger image.

Printed Circuit World Convention VII is held in May. Once again, technology and management executives from around the world have an opportunity to exchange ideas and information. In addition to the technical paper sessions and the special management sessions for PWB company presidents, there is a first time session for representatives from worldwide organizations to discuss details regarding the size and scope of the PWB markets in all major countries.

• IPC is successful in having HR537 introduced by Representatives Meeham, Farr and Esho. The bill allows machinery and equipment used in producing PWBs and electronics assemblies to be depreciated in three years instead of five years.
• IPC establishes a close working relationship with the California Circuits Association and begins staffing the CCA.
• IPC launches its first Web site www.ipc.org.
• IPC creates seven e-mail forums including Technet, ComplianceNet and DesignerCouncil. More than 2,000 technologists participate in these forums.
• The first comprehensive benchmarking study on the market for electronics manufacturing services is completed. The information on financial and operating performance provides an opportunity for EMS members to compare their activities with that of others in the industry.