On its return to the cozy resort atmosphere of Anaheim in early April, the electronics manufacturing industry proved it is anything but sleepy. Over 3 days, 412 exhibitors and 3,723 attendees (a total of 7,245 visitors) from 57 countries gathered across 13,000 m2 to network, exhibit the newest technologies, and discuss the sector’s most pressing issues. Among these, of course: skilled labour shortages, AI, sustainability, and advanced packaging.
Foot traffic
Most will want to know how traffic was in the exhibition halls – particularly owing to concerns about the change in venue. Feedback was mixed – with some claiming stands were busier than 2023, and others suggesting leads were slightly down. Overall, IPC says, numbers were up by 5.1% on 2023.
“Something that we found very encouraging is that the content of the conversations from the attendees was much more focused,” said Joe Clure, Head of Application/Demo Center, Kurtz Ersa after being surveyed by IPC. “It was obvious that there had been a good deal of research done before they traveled to the show, so they were able to identify the key items of interest and ask much more specific questions about those topics. And as a result of their preparedness, the quality of our leads was so strong that the show was very successful for us.”
Workforce challenges
The 2024 show was certainly more comprehensive than ever before in terms of accompanying programme. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to advancing the global workforce, IPC had organized an extensive schedule of professional development lectures beginning on Sunday 7 April. These covered topics such as artificial intelligence, PWB design engineering, 3D printing and li-ion battery technology. As skilled labour shortages continue to threaten the US industry (there are more jobs vacancies in the manufacturing sector than there are unemployed workers), the need to attract new talent as well as invest in existing employees was a central theme throughout the expo. In November last year, IPC celebrated its approval by the US Department of Labour as the first Registered Apprenticeship Program for the US electronics manufacturing industry. The potential business advantages of embracing diversity were also widely discussed – with new initiatives to support neurodiverse individuals, among others, being launched in the sector.
In his keynote address, IPC CEO Dr. John W. Mitchell allayed concerns about the future of human workers amid the advent of AI. He remarked that, although some repetitive operational jobs may be supplanted, if workers continue to actively develop their own skillset, these new technologies will only empower them to become even more valuable members of the workforce.
ECWC16
International representation was greater than usual thanks to the Electronic Circuits World Convention (ECWC16) international PCB symposium held in conjunction with the Apex event this year. Formed in 1998, the World Electronics Circuits Council (WECC) is a strategic partnership of ten international trade organizations for PCBs representing the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Europe, Taiwan, India, Korea and Thailand. Catering for this, the technical conference programme was of a higher standard than usual – boasting nine topic tracks, 26 sessions and 84 papers, with peer-reviewed content from 14 countries. “From attendees, I received positive feedback on the quality of technical programme offerings, many stating that sessions covering sustainability, next generation packaging and EV electronics were welcome additions,” said IPC’s Mitchell. “The paper presenters, international subject matter experts, eagerly shared their knowledge and expertise and provided attendees with quality technical content not found or presented anywhere else. We are very proud of the technical conference and set the bar high for paper submissions.”
Sustainability
As the expo made clear, the shift towards sustainability will be responsible for huge upheaval in the industry in the next few years, and the decades to come. Within the past year, IPC has scaled up activities and advocacy in this area, including by founding the Sustainability for Electronics Leadership Council, as well as by clearly identifying four key focus areas in which the industry will need the most help in terms of strategic planning – namely: value chain resiliency, workforce development, natural resources and waste, and reporting and disclosure. By 2025, major European companies will be required to publish their first sustainability statement under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. In 2026, US companies will be required under the new SEC rule to report scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. The topic was thus given ample airtime in Anaheim. The expo hosted more standards development activities in the area of sustainability than ever before – surrounding issues like materials declaration, supply chain transparency, reporting and the communication of information. An executive panel discussion hosted by Global SMT TV’s Trevor Galbraith, entitled ’ESG and sustainability in an EMS world’ shed light on the key priorities for companies across the board.
Next year, IPC Apex Expo will be held on 15-20 March 2025 in the Anaheim Convention Center.
