PCB and EMS Leaders to Discuss Ways to Thrive in 2010 at IPC APEX Expo

How do PCB manufacturers and EMS providers successfully negotiate the new business climate? Senior executives of PCB and EMS companies will convene on April 7, 2010 at the IPC Management Meetings to get answers to this question and more. The PCB Executive Management Meeting and the EMS Management Council Meeting are focused on the specific business issues industry executives face. These two, exclusive full-day summits will be held in conjunction with IPC APEX Expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center in Las Vegas, USA.

At the EMS Management Council Meeting, executives from companies in the US and China will share their strategies for success and open a dialogue for an insightful Q&A session. Wallace Leyshon, Operating Partner, Heartland Industries, will discuss the current market for micro EMS firms and reveal the factors that drive valuation and how they can be improved on. On the accounting side, Brian Throneberry, Vice President of Sales, API Technologies Corp, will navigate putting theory into practice as he makes sense of various cost accounting methods and explains how each impacts profitability specific to an EMS company. Attendees will also get expert advice on how to break into the new opportunities that solar/photovoltaics and LED technologies present as well as what it will take in terms of equipment, people, processes and capital. Finally, in "The Lean Surface Mount Line,” Kenneth Heifner, Vice President of Quality and Operations, SMS Technologies, will report on the industry’s best practices to develop a world class manufacturing environment.

Attendees of the PCB Executive Management Meeting will get an inside look at what consolidation truly means for the industry and PCB manufacturers from Jack Calderon, Managing Director, Lincoln International. Executives will also learn about new technological opportunities that are ripe for PCB manufacturers from John Dement, Technology Engagement Office/ORTA, NSWC Crane, and Pam Simonds, General Manager, Amphenol Printed Circuits. Sharing how to effectively protect a company’s most valuable asset-—intellectual property--Raj Kumar, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with DDi, will discuss all you need to know, from what is patentable to how to begin the process. Understanding where a company stands in comparison to its competitors is invaluable information that helps direct a company’s priorities and strategies. In "Where Should You Be? Results of the IPC PCB Executive Benchmarking Survey,” Sharon Starr, IPC Director of Market Research, will disclose some preliminary findings such as the industry’s average cash-to-cash cycle time, average cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales, and average capacity utilization.

Both meetings will have roundtable discussion sessions, where attendees can openly exchange thoughts on strategies and solutions to common issues.

The PCB and EMS management meetings are exclusively for senior executives from PCB and EMS companies. For more information, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/executives or contact Susan Filz, Director of Industry Programs, at SusanFilz@ipc.org.

www.ipc.org