IPC Certification During COVID-19 Pandemic

Why IPC Certification Is Important During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Though facing challenges, the electronics manufacturing industry strives to cope—and thrive.  Considered essential, IPC member factories are responsible for supplying electronic equipment to the medical industry, among other vital sectors such as national security and infrastructure.

Ventilators, respirators, and blood pressure monitors are just some products that come out of healthcare-related manufacturing.  In this article, we’re going to look at why IPC certification is a critical factor in the recovery and stability of the EMS industry as the country begins to transition to the “new normal.”

The Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the EMS Industry

The World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Dashboard reports 11,874,226 confirmed cases, and 545,481 deaths worldwide, as of this writing.  In the United States, there are 2,982,900 cases and 131,065 deaths, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

What this means for the electronics manufacturing industry is apparent in the electronic component supply chains.  Movement restrictions result in four-to-twelve weeks of shipment delays, which leads to a shortage of components.

The high priority and high demand for medical-related orders put immense pressure on the distributors and content suppliers.  And the medical sector is not the only one.  The communications industry is also working to keep up with the increasing demand for wireless networks and overall connectivity, as many organizations shift to work from home culture.

This Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) survey reports an increase in sales of electronic components in June compared to previous months. But because of the bottleneck in the supply chain, EMS companies are struggling to keep up with the growing demand.

Steps the EMS sector is Taking to Recover from the Pandemic

As the United States starts to shift to a less restrictive environment, EMS companies need to have a reopening strategy.  According to this Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) survey,  electronic component manufacturers are making modifications to their day-to-day business operations in the following ways:

• Remote work environments are still to be maintained
• Travel needs to be limited – only the most necessary trips are allowed
• 75% of the workforce will return to the facilities

What Electronics Manufacturers Need to do to Move Forward

The industry’s situation right now is still considered unpredictable.  This is why adaptability, resilience, and sharp communication lines need to be maintained so the EMS sector can appropriately respond to the changing demands of the market.  And this is where the need for IPC certification and IPC online classes come in.

IPC certification standardizes the manufacturing process of all IPC member facilities.  This standardization allows for the smooth flow of the electronics supply chain across the world. To date, IPC has over 6,000 members worldwide who are supporting not just the medical sector but other critical industries as well.

In-person IPC classes from Blackfox are still available even during the COVID-19 pandemic with a thorough plan for student and instructor safety.  Blackfox also offers online IPC lecture-based classes for CIS, CSE, AND CIT certification, while testing is conducted via IPC EDGE 2.0 – remote proctored exam. 

Now more than ever, EMS companies need to place a high value on global coordination.  The cross border flows of electronic parts and systems require reliable manufacturing supply chains.  The need for stable communication lines between the companies is why the IPC standards are more critical today, and must not be compromised.