Category Archives: Government Relations

An IPC Policy Roadmap to Economic Recovery

March 27, 2020 – 10:26 am

By Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations As the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, IPC is calling for a bold, sustained policy agenda to help the electronics manufacturing sector weather the economic downturn and support the economic recovery. There can be no doubt that governments all over the world should take extraordinary measures […]

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The Coronavirus Outbreak Will Likely Impact New Product Introductions

March 17, 2020 – 4:14 pm

By Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist and Matt Kelly, IPC chief technologist According to IPC’s recent Coronavirus impact study (March update), roughly 22 percent of electronics manufacturers and suppliers reported that the coronavirus outbreak will result in fewer new product introductions (NPIs) in 2020. In a normal year, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would be readying […]

By IPC | Also posted in Economy, education, electronics, IPC, Manufacturing, Market Research, Supply Chain | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Electronics Supply Chain in Flux Due to Tariffs, Epidemic, Other Factors

March 2, 2020 – 12:49 pm

by Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist Over the last year, electronics manufacturers have been adjusting their supply chains, driven by a variety of factors but especially trade tensions between the United States and China and the growing expectation that higher tariffs between the U.S. and its partners may be “the new normal.” More recently, the […]

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U.S. EPA Fees for Toxic Substances May Apply to Your Company This Year

February 26, 2020 – 7:55 am

By Kelly Scanlon, director of environment, health and safety policy and research Manufacturers and importers of “high-priority substances” and importers of articles containing these substances may be obligated to pay fees this year to defray the U.S. EPA’s costs for administration of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Many companies may be unaware of these […]

By kellyannscanlon | Also posted in Compliance, Environment, Health and Safety, IPC, Manufacturing, Supply Chain | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Key Takeaways from IPC APEX EXPO 2020 from a Government Relations Perspective

February 13, 2020 – 9:57 am

By Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations IPC APEX EXPO is always a fascinating kaleidoscope of electronics manufacturing excellence, and APEX EXPO 2020 was no exception. Most of the show’s content is relatively technical in nature. But it all comes down to making amazing things possible for the industry’s customers. Here are my top […]

By IPC | Also posted in Committees, electronics, IPC, IPC APEX EXPO, Manufacturing, Membership, Standards, Supply Chain, Trade Show | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

U.S. Congress to Approve Funds for R&D on Lead-free Electronics in Aerospace, Defense and High-performance Applications

December 19, 2019 – 10:38 am

In a win for U.S. taxpayers, defense readiness, and the electronics industry supply chain, the U.S. House and Senate are poised this week to approve a defense spending bill that includes $5 million for research and development on the issues surrounding lead-free electronics in mission-critical applications. IPC and dozens of its members and allies supported […]

By IPC | Also posted in electronics, IPC, Lead Free, Legislation, Manufacturing, Regulations, Technical | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Ceasefire Announced in U.S.-China Trade War

December 17, 2019 – 9:32 am

By Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations On Friday, December 13, the United States and China announced they had struck a “phase one” deal that effectively pauses the trade war that has flared between the countries over the last two years. The Trump administration says the deal “requires structural reforms and other changes to […]

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Rising Tariffs Put a Painful Squeeze on Electronics Manufacturing

December 13, 2019 – 8:37 am

To determine the effects the U.S./China tariff dispute has on U.S. electronics manufacturers, IPC conducted a survey of its U.S. members. The results reflect how difficult it is for a global industry to navigate this uncertainty. IPC President and CEO John Mitchell provides details in his monthly IPC president’s message.

By IPC | Also posted in Economy, IPC, Manufacturing, Membership, President's Message, Supply Chain, trade | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

IMPACT Europe 2019: IPC Members Call for Pro-manufacturing Policies to Strengthen the Competitiveness of the European Electronics Value Chain

December 10, 2019 – 11:07 am

Representatives of electronics companies from across Europe gathered last week in Brussels to call on European policy makers to ensure the right policy and regulatory environment to stimulate innovation in the electronics value chain and boost its competitiveness in Europe. Held annually, IMPACT Europe is our premier annual advocacy event in Brussels, giving IPC members […]

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Evaluating RoHS: What Works and What Doesn’t

October 29, 2019 – 1:12 pm

By Kelly Scanlon, director, EHS policy and research The European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, known as RoHS, aims to protect human health and the environment and maximize recovery of certain hazardous substances after their use. How well is the RoHS Directive working? We’re about to find out. Specifically, there are several opportunities between […]

By kellyannscanlon | Also posted in Environment, Health and Safety, IPC, Lead Free, Regulations, Supply Chain | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment