NEPCON East/Electro 2004 to Feature Four Free Educational Sessions, SMTA Boston Conference, and Free IEEE Electro Technical Program

Assembly East Co-Location Provides Solutions for the Entire Assembly Process

NEPCON East/Electro, the Northeast’s leading source for electronics manufacturing solutions, will provide direct access to innovative solutions for every stage of the manufacturing process both on the show floor and in the conference classroom. The exhibition will feature leading suppliers displaying the full range of electronics manufacturing solutions including adhesives, advance microelectronics, test equipment, rework, wire and cable assembly, and active components. This year’s conference program not only includes the annual SMTA Boston Conference but will also offer visitors four free educational sessions and a free six-part IEEE Electro Technical Program. The exhibition will take place on May 5-6, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA. The three-day conference begins one day earlier on May 4.

As in 2003, the Assembly East Exhibition and Conference will again co-locate with NEPCON East/Electro. Together these three events will provide the region’s manufacturers with a single, convenient source for leading edge manufacturing solutions at the board, component, and final product assembly levels. In addition, attendees can see even more new products with the concurrent running of The Vision East Show featuring automated machine vision solutions.

“The multi-faceted educational experience presented at NEPCON East/Electro is designed to make attendees better informed, and their companies better equipped to master today’s diverse assembly challenges,” said Kelvin Marsden-Kish, Vice President of the Assembly/NEPCON family of events, produced by Reed Exhibitions.

Four FREE Special Events
The feature keynote, Professor Deborah Nightingale, PhD. of the MIT Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI), will present, “Transforming the Lean Enterprise Value Steam,” on Thursday, May 6 at 12:00 pm. The presentation will focus on the need for contemporary networked enterprises transforming the entire value stream, including suppliers and partners. Dr. Nightingale will share how applying lean principles to all life cycle, enabling, and leadership processes will be required to achieve value for the total enterprise.

Assembly magazine will present a panel discussion, “The Productivity Challenge: Can U.S. Manufacturers Sustain Improvements?” on Wednesday, May 5 at 10:00 am. Assembly Senior Editor, John Sprovieri, will chair a panel of consultants, academics and key personnel from leading regional manufacturers discussing the remarkable gains in productivity made by U.S. manufacturers during the past decade. The goal of the discussion is to provide practical information to help engineers increase productivity at their assembly plants.

“Technological Advances in the Electronics Adhesives Industry,” sponsored by Adhesives and Sealants Industry Magazine and the Adhesive and Sealant Council, will be presented on Wednesday, May 5 at 1:30 pm. Industry experts will discuss how technological advancements in electronics adhesives involves aspects of both formulation and application to meet demanding end-use criteria and present an overview of adhesives used in surface mount assembly applications.

On Thursday, May 6 at 1:30 pm, The Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership will present a panel discussion, “The Human Aspect of Lean: Looking Beyond the Tools.” Chaired by Bruce Hamilton, GBMP President and Vice Chair of the Shingo Prize Board of Governors, a panel of lean professionals from five leading Northeast manufacturers will share their experiences on how lean has changed the way they do business. Attendees will hear compelling discussions on how they made a difference by empowering their teams.

SMTA Boston Conference
The SMTA (Surface Mount Technology Association) will again present the SMTA Boston Conference, May 4-6. SMTA Boston will provide conferees with the latest technical solutions that they need to stay competitive in today’s market. The comprehensive program will consist of three free special events, the three-day SMT Processes and SMT Systems Certification Programs, and seven full and half-day SMTA Academy sessions.

The three free special events the SMTA will present include:
· Headline Panel Discussion – “The Americas Manufacturing and Assembly Initiative,” Chaired by Ron Daniels of CircuitNet and Co-Chaired by Greg Reed of Reed Business
· Panel Discussion – “Surface Finishes/Black Pad Issues,” Moderated by Srinivas Chada of Jabil Circuit
· Lecture – “Advanced SMT - Fine Pitch Assembly,” Presented by Alan Rae of Cookson Electronics

The SMTA Academy sessions include:
· Applying SPC and Six Sigma to the Surface Mount Manufacturing Line
· Surface Mount Technology Fundamentals
· Outsourcing Lead Free Assembly
· Troubleshooting the SMT Assembly Process
· Lead Free Rework
· Implementing Lead-Free Assembly at Your Facility
· Implementing the Pin in Paste Process

Rounding out the conference program will be, “Signal Switching in Functional Test,” presented by Bob Stasonis and the American Society of Test Engineers (ASTE).

For complete session descriptions and to register for the SMTA Boston Conference, visit www.smta.org or www.nepconeast.com

FREE IEEE Electro Technical Program

The IEEE Electro Educational Program Committee, in partnership with the Boston Chapter of the CPMT (Components, Packaging and Manufacturing, Technology) - IEEE Society, will present a free educational technical program on new and advanced manufacturing technologies on Wednesday, May 5. The one-day, six-part program is free to all attendees and will feature the following presentations:
·  Material Issues of Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic Fine Pitch Chip Scale Package Designs
· Silver-Filled Polymer Flip Chip Assembly - An Overview of Current Technology, Applications and Trends
· Commercial Wireless Industry Overview 2004
· Introduction to Micro Machining Using Lasers
· Laser & Saw Dicing of Low - K/copper Wafers
· Intellectual Property Strategies for Engineers and Entrepreneurs

For complete session descriptions and to register for free show admission visit www.nepconeast.com.