-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Conversations with STI Electronics' Dave Raby at IPC IMPACT Washington, D.C.
July 1, 2016 | Patty Goldman, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Dave Raby is president and CEO of STI Electronics and an eager participant at this year’s IMPACT Washington, D.C. event. We talked early on the first day of the event, before a heavily scheduled day for the attendees.
Patty Goldman: Dave, what are your thoughts about this year’s IMPACT event, overall?
Dave Raby: I’m excited. I came to this event for the first time last year and have been looking forward all year to coming back. It’s really great to meet the other people in here. It’s all senior executives from companies in our industry from all over the country. Whenever senior executives from the same industry get together, we usually find out we share many of the same concerns and that is true with this group. Washington, D.C. is also a foreign world to most of us, and it’s great to get up here and see what’s going on here and see what our representatives are thinking. What is even better is, through the efforts of IPC, we can actually have an influence on some things and can give them our opinions. As Americans, it is what we’re supposed to do but I don’t think most of us do anything unless there’s a group like this supporting it and organizing it.
Goldman: Yeah, there’s some reluctance.
Raby: It’s hard to come up here as a lone wolf and just say, “Hey, I want to support this bill.”
Goldman: First of all, how would you get to see anybody?
Raby: That’s a good question but also how would you even know what bill was out there? IPC does a great job of scheduling visits with key people from all over the country and also with the representatives from my states. STI has employees in four states and tomorrow I’ll be visiting both senators from one of the states and our U.S. representative from two others. IPC staff does a great job of keeping us informed on the legislation that is at various levels of the process and gives us a very good idea on where the people we are meeting with stand. We can then express our views and let them know we appreciate their support and encourage more support, or let them know why we see their particular stance as a problem. My opinion may or may not change their opinion but I’ve been impressed with how they really will listen and consider how a certain piece of legislation will affect my company and their constituents. It was fascinating to me when I came last year just to see how the government works. We often complain about how it doesn’t work, but in reality, it has done a pretty good job over the last 240 years or so.
Most of the legislation starts for a good reason. I compare it to my shower thoughts at home. I’ve come up with what seemed like some of the world’s greatest solution or idea as I’m getting ready to go to work in the morning. I’m so excited when I can get to the office and tell my staff about them. Most of the time, as soon as I start saying them out loud I realize that it may actually be the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. The legislation starts for a good reason and seems like a good idea at the time and, by the time you get through the process that they go through, there’s hopefully people like us that have come in to say, “Yeah, this really is a good idea but could you add this to it?” Or, “We really don’t like this. Have you thought of what this would do to business? While it seems like a good idea overall, maybe if you took out this line, then it really would do what you want.” Right now, you’ve got the unintended consequences that are going to happen.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of SMT Magazine.
Suggested Items
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: My Role as a Technology Solutions Director
05/02/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOPeter Tranitz, senior director of technology solutions at IPC, shares insights into his role as the design initiative lead. He details his advocacy work, industry support, and the responsibilities of the design initiative committee. The conversation also covers the revamping of standards, the IPC Design Competition, and the implementation of design rules in software tools.
HQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics Debut on the International Stage for Electronics Manufacture at IPC APEX 2024
05/01/2024 | PRNewswireHQ NextPCB of HQ Electronics, a leading Chinese-based multilayer PCB manufacturer and assembly house showcased its industrial prowess on the international stage for the first time at the IPC APEX Expo 2024.
IPC's Vision for Empowering PCB Design Engineers
04/30/2024 | Robert Erickson, IPCAs architects of innovation, printed circuit board designers are tasked with translating increasingly complex concepts into tangible designs that power our modern world. IPC provides the necessary community, standards framework, and education to prepare these pioneers as they explore the boundaries of what’s possible, equipping engineers with the knowledge, skills, and resources required to thrive in an increasingly dynamic field.
North American EMS Industry Down 4% in March
04/29/2024 | IPCIPC announced the March 2024 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.31.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: A Global Presence in PCB Manufacturing
04/29/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPORob DiGiovanni, VP of sales for the Americas at STARTEAM Global, discusses the company's global presence in PCB manufacturing. As he explains, the firm operates facilities across Europe, Asia, and North America, specializing in serving contract manufacturers in the automotive and medical industries. They emphasize quality and meeting OEM standards, focusing on offshore supply and non-Chinese factories in the North American market. The company has grown through acquisitions and rebranding to offer multiple products.