The latest reports from the local chapters.

This month’s column highlights the Monterrey Designers Council Chapter located in Monterrey, Mexico. The chapter was established Nov. 23, 2017, which makes it a younger chapter compared to several other global chapters currently in existence. I also share news about a new chapter forming in Nogales, Mexico.

Luis Saracho is president of the Monterrey Chapter and an IPC Certified Advanced PCB Designer (CID+) with a true passion for designing board layouts, not to mention leading and organizing chapter meetings. This chapter has yet to establish a solid leadership team, so Luis is basically running the show on his own and has been doing an awesome job keeping this chapter active and successful. The chapter meets quarterly, with an average attendance of 12 to 18 attendees. Chapter meetings are typically held in the evening at a local university (ITESM Campus Monterrey), and most meetings consist of a technical presentation. The chapter is looking into getting government support through CANIETI – an organization that supports technical initiatives – but has had poor results to date.

The latest reports from the local chapters.

This month’s column highlights the Orange County Chapter, the largest IPC Designers Council (DC) chapter and one of the most active and thriving. Scott McCurdy, Orange County Chapter president, describes the successful format the chapter follows to reach local designers and PCB professionals. There is also an update from the IPC DC Executive Board as its collaboration with the new IPC Education Foundation continues.

Orange County Chapter

By Scott McCurdy

The IPC Designers Council is alive and well in Southern California. The Orange County Chapter was active long before I took over as president in 2003. We are proudly the largest active chapter in existence based on attendance at our quarterly meetings. We average 50 to 65 attendees at our meetings, and occasionally have 80+ in attendance.