IPC Meeting to Equip EMS Executives with Tools for Success

NORTHBROOK, Ill., January 31, 2003--IPC�Association Connecting Electronics Industries will address many of the vital issues at the heart of the Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) industry at its EMS Management Council Meeting. The exclusive meeting for presidents, owners and senior executives of EMS companies will take place Sunday, March 30-Monday, March 31, 2003, in conjunction with IPC SMEMA Council�s APEX� in Anaheim, Calif.

The two-day event begins with a message from Wall Street about the state of the EMS industry. John McManus, Needham and Company, will present industry projections for 2003 and beyond and cover ways for executives to best present their EMS companies for growth.

Next, David Bair, Raven Industries; Robert Blumberg, SMS Technologies; and Jim Herring, Circuit Service; will present �The Great Purchasing Debate: Customer or Commodity.� The distinguished panel of EMS executives will explain their own purchasing models and discuss the fierce debate over which business conditions dictate whether to purchase by customer or commodity. The trio will also analyze the feasibility of a hybrid system before opening up the forum to audience participation.

In Sunday�s final session, representatives from Travelers Insurance will delve into the complex web of insurance concerns in the EMS industry. Attendees will discover the proper amount and right type of coverage for their company. Key insurance coverage topics, such as errors and omissions, contractual risk transfer, transportation and property coverage, will all be investigated.

Robert Herbold, retired executive vice president and chief operating officer at Microsoft Corporation, will begin the second day of the EMS Management Council Meeting with his keynote address, �Discipline at the Core, Creativity at the Edge: A Strategy for Improving Profitability and Agility.� An unsurpassed authority on business operations, Herbold will share many of his remarkable experiences as an executive with Proctor and Gamble and Microsoft.

Following Herbold�s lecture, a three-person panel will analyze the rapidly evolving landscape of the EMS industry. The industry experts will focus on the role that off-shore regions will play in the future of the North American electronics industry, particularly in the areas of distribution, outsourcing and relationship-forming.

Lastly, attendees will be able to participate in the development of a survey for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The EMS Management Council is undertaking this project to provide EMS companies better insight into their customers� in-depth needs. IPC will distribute the completed survey to OEMs and share the results with participating executives of member EMS companies.

A multitude of organized networking opportunities, from the VIP Dinner to the roundtable discussion sessions, will also be interspersed throughout the two-day IPC EMS Management Council Meeting.

For more information, visit http://www.GoAPEX.org or contact Susan Filz, IPC�s industry programs project manager, at SusanFilz@ipc.org or 847-790-5384.

About IPC SMEMA Council�s APEX

APEX has been organized by the IPC SMEMA Council in response to an industry need for a trade show that is cost-effective and fair for exhibitors, and highly focused on the products and technology of the electronics assembly industry. This approach, coupled with a premier conference program, organized by the industry, delivers the most attractive package to exhibition visitors. APEX features all segments of the electronics assembly industry, from bare boards to tested assemblies, and is the only show in North America that showcases machinery from every major pick-and-place equipment manufacturer. APEX has been named to Tradeshow Week magazine�s top 200 tradeshows based on net square feet of exhibit space.

About IPC

IPC is a Northbrook, Ill.-based trade association dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2,400 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly. 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 a $44 billion U.S. industry employing more than 400,000 people. IPC maintains offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Garden Grove, Calif.; and Shanghai, China. For more information, visit http://www.ipc.org.