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SMT Celebrates VISION Awards on a Grand Scale
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
It was a time for black tuxes, laser lights, and glittery gowns when SMT celebrated the VISION Awards on February 8, 2006, at the Anaheim Marriott during the APEX/IPC Printed Circuits Expo. For the past 14 years, we have awarded the most innovative products and services in surface mount technology. However, this year represented the biggest event ever. Last year saw 15 critical areas with a winner in each. In 2006, we presented awards in 20 different categories: adhesives/coatings/encapsulants/underfills; assembly tools; cleaning equipment; cleaning materials; device programming; dispensing equipment; EMS providers; environmentally friendly products/services; inspection; mass soldering equipment; passives & connectors; pick-and-place; printing; process control tools; rework & repair; selective soldering; software; soldering equipment; soldering materials; and testing.
The night kicked off with a keynote from Denny McGuirk, IPC president. He graciously recognized the many years that SMT Magazine supported their organization’s event. “Working together has been rewarding and successful for both the magazine and the IPC,” McGuirk acknowledged. The IPC and SMT have partnered for the good of the industry in support of innovation.
To make the event extra special, many of last year’s winners presented awards to this year’s winners, and offered a few words about what receiving the award meant to their company during the past year. Each told of the marketing opportunities the award presented, and of the pride that employees felt in receiving this recognition. The evening ended with music, dancing, and toasts to the presenters.
The audience comprised award entrants, members of the IPC, guests from around the world, EMS providers, OEMs, and one unidentified group: the judges. Judges often are chosen from the ranks of professors at engineering schools, consultants with lengthy backgrounds in SMT, and those in management positions at OEMs involved in the technology. Each year, I look for two or three of these distinguished, trustworthy, independent experts to evaluate each submission carefully based on its ability to meet a significant industry challenge. Five judges remain in place, and two leave to make way for new panelists. Each judge uses an online method to view and rate submissions, giving each a 1-10 rating in the following categories: innovativeness, cost-effectiveness, speed/throughput improvement, quality contribution, mantainability/repairability, ease of use, and environmental friendliness. As with any courtroom judge, those who have a prejudice of any kind in favor of, or against, a product or company must recuse themselves, and cannot judge in that particular category. Judges’ names are not revealed to protect them from undo influence. In the final analysis, the product or service with the highest score wins. SMT thanks these judges, who remain behind the scenes, but play a critical role in the awards.
We salute the visionaries of the SMT industry for their submissions. SMT Magazine recognizes the value of the many pioneers who looked at what already existed and extrapolated from that point. Next year’s event promises to be even grander.
Gail Flower Editor-in-Chief