IPC APEX EXPO: Tech Program Preview Nolan Johnson speaks with IPC’s Matt Kelly and Chris Jorgensen about what can be expected from the IPC APEX EXPO 2021 technical conference, which is centered around smart manufacturing, Factory of the Future, emerging technologies, and driving the electronics manufacturing industry forward. Nolan Johnson: Gentlemen, thanks for joining me to discuss IPC APEX EXPO 2021. I’ve heard that is this is arguably the best technical program ever at APEX EXPO. Why would that be? Matt Kelly: One of the main reasons we’re really excited about this year’s conference is the fact that we’re doing something that is pushing the envelope and driving the industry forward, and we’re talking about a lot of new subjects. We’re moving beyond our core technologies well known to the industry. Not that we’re not interested in them, we’re absolutely interested and they’re very important to our industry, but much of it is quite mature. This year’s conference is building upon that core technology—PCB fabrication, for example, quality, reliability, assembly, and test—but we’re really focusing in on new “Factory of the Future” type of topics.