Feb 28, 2012 Dennis Fritz Inducted
Since the "wild west" days of a relatively young printed circuit board industry when rules and infrastructure were not yet well established, Dennis “Denny” Fritz has been actively involved in IPC activities to help add structure, strength and vision to the industry. Today, he was honored with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award for his dedication and service to IPC and the industry. Presented at IPC APEX EXPO® in San Diego, the Hall of Fame Award represents IPC's highest level of volunteer recognition.
Fritz’s first encounter with IPC was as a representative of MacDermid, Inc. where he worked for 30 years. In 1978, he attended his first IPC Technology Market Research Conference meeting - and the rest is history.
Fritz quickly came to enjoy the sessions of forecasting expected sales and learning about new circuit board uses back in the days before the Internet. Initially, he was surprised by the openness he saw at IPC meetings. “Back then, companies were fierce competitors. Many were run by ‘wild west’ entrepreneurs who were real characters,” says Fritz. “IPC meetings were exceedingly open and these guys were ready to tell their competitors how they built boards, which often provided the basis for IPC standards. Their secret wasn’t in how they made the boards, but the level of service they provided their customers.”
It didn’t take long before Fritz recognized the possibilities and opportunities of the new frontier and expanded his IPC activities. Over the next few years, he started serving on various standards committees involved with solder mask, microvia, embedded component and surface finish standards. In addition, he participated in IPC Roadmap development and on the Technical Activities Executive Committee, and served as IPC’s liaison to the Jisso International Council.
Today, Fritz works for SAIC in Indiana, where he’s involved with technology and standards for the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane. An important aspect of that role is helping the Navy plan and prepare for future technological change. Participation in various IPC committees helps him stay abreast of technical trends. “Many of the IPC committees are working in areas that are relative to my job. Intellectual property and counterfeiting are both ancillary areas that are very relevant,” says Fritz.
Commenting on his accomplishment, Fritz reflects, “A bunch of people in the IPC Hall of Fame are among my heroes. I never write to my college alumni magazine or local paper, but you can be certain I’ll let them know about this award.”
For more information on the IPC Hall of Fame and other awards presented at IPC APEX EXPO, contact Anna Garrido, IPC director of marketing and communications, at +1 847-597-2804.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,100 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2.02 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; and Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, China.
»
