Robert Neves to recieve IPC'S 2007 Hall of Fame award

IPC will honor Robert (Bob) Neves, chairman and chief technology officer of Microtek Laboratories, with the 2007 IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at the 2008 IPC Printed Circuits Expo®, APEX® and the Designers Summit on April 1 in Las Vegas. Based on exceptional lifetime achievement, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award is IPC's highest level of recognition, honoring members who make extraordinary contributions to IPC and the electronic interconnect industry.

Neves has been active in IPC since 1986 and been an important participant in nearly 50 committees. As a board member with the California Circuits Association (CCA), Neves was instrumental in CCA's joining with IPC in the late 1990s, ultimately serving as the first chairman of the IPC/CCA Council. Starting his IPC service leading the Lab Qualifications (IPC-QL-653) Task Group, he was singled out in 1992 for the position of chairman of the Rigid Printed Boards Committee and served nine years in that role. Recipient of the IPC Presidents Award in 1996, Neves chaired the High Density Interconnect (HDI) Committee from 1997 to 2005. Since 1992, Neves has participated in several subcommittees of IPC's highest policy group for standards activities, the IPC Technical Activities Executive Committee, chairing the group from 2004-2006. Neves recalls, "I started attending meetings in 1986 and haven't missed a major IPC event since. I can say that the friendships I have made and the bonds forged through my IPC participation mean the most to me."

Additionally, along with fellow Hall of Fame members Dieter Bergman and Doug Sober, Neves has represented the U.S. and IPC internationally at IEC meetings, and served as Convenor of Working Group 10 (test methods) of the IEC Technical Committee driving standardization in electronics assembly technology (TC 52/TC 91) for 10 years.

Committing the resources of his time and company, Neves involved Microtek in several IPC test programs. He has played an active role in IPC long-range planning and roadmapping sessions and has been a staunch supporter of the educational mission of IPC, serving as a workshop and tutorial instructor. Both of Microtek's facilities are certified IPC-A-600 training centers.

Neves began his career 25 years ago as a drill inspector, working his way up to quality engineer. In 1985, he became interested in PCB testing and formed Microtek Labs with a partner. The company now has offices in Anaheim, Calif., and Changzhou, China. According to Neves, "A strong desire to learn as much as I could about the industry led me to extensive involvement in industry programs. I saw that participation in IPC standardization efforts was vital to both personal and business growth."

When asked about his thoughts as he looks to the future of the industry, Neves says, "I have committed to helping TGAsia, the new IPC committee group in China, for terms and definitions, assembly and joining, and product assurance. As IPC's mission is global, I want to make sure I can pass on some of what I have learned and experienced."