NEWS + HIGHLIGHTS Providing information during the Covid-19 pandemic Source: Kyzen Kyzen, a producer of innovative environmentally friendly cleaning chemistries, announces two important resources to help the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. During these A variety of resources to help the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic can be found in the company‘s E-Knowledge Center. uncertain and unprecedented times, the company stands out as a leader who continually converges care with science. Two free resources have been added to the company’s E-Knowledge Center. The first resource is a short summary including recommendations about current practices involving hand sanitizers and lotions in manufacturing production areas. This summary is based on a paper developed and presented at IPC Apex 2010 by Collins Aerospace. The second resource is a technical brief providing alternatives to Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA). Demand for IPA is spiking and, in these challenging times, demand and prices for IPA are likely to continue increasing rapidly due to IPAs’ disinfectant qualities. Information about alternative solutions can be difficult to come by for these types of applications. To address that information gap, the company has developed a technical brief to help understand the alternatives and options. The technical brief can be found in the E-knowledge Center by searching the keyword “IPA.” This resource includes useful information about safe alternatives to IPA as well as conservation techniques for those continuing to use IPA. “Our greatest hope is that all our industry friends, customers and partners stay well during this pandemic. While we figure out how to conduct business during this time, we want you to know that you and your families are in our thoughts,” said Tom Forsythe, VP, on behalf of the entire Kyzen Corporation. www.kyzen.com Impacts of coronavirus on electronics industry Electronics manufacturers continue to feel the impact of the coronavirus on their businesses. Companies experiencing supply disruptions report they expect five-week shipment delays on average. But a majority of electronics manufacturers and suppliers expect business operations to be “back to normal” by July 2020, and collectively 75 percent of all respondents expect business to be back to normal by October 2020, according to a new IPC survey on the impacts of coronavirus disruptions. “Although manufacturers and suppliers continue to be hampered by the impacts of the coronavirus, most companies do not intend to make major cuts in capital expenditures, which suggests companies anticipate demand returning,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “The delays will certainly impact sales for segments of electronics manufacturing, with consumer electronics likely to be the most impacted sector, followed by industrial and automotive.” Additionally, most respondents expect sales to decline in the first and second quarters of 2020 and for the entire 2020 calendar year as a whole. Roughly 56 percent of respondents expect sales to fall in the first quarter, 63 percent expect sales to decline in the second quarter, and 62 percent expect sales to be down for the calendar year 2020. Other key findings: • Nearly 40 percent of respondents report they are feeling worse about the impact of Covid-19 on their businesses than they were last month. • Roughly 69 percent of respondents report being told by their suppliers that there will be delays in shipments due to Covid-19, and some delays are growing. • Most respondents report they are identifying alternative sources of inputs (55 percent) and cutting back business travel (54 percent). Nearly 30 percent of firms are encouraging teleworking where possible. • Roughly 26 percent of respondents expect to cut capital expenditures in 2020, while 63 percent report capital investment will remain the same. IPC surveyed its members – industry professionals at electronics manufacturing companies, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies, and printed circuit board (PCB) fabricators.— for a second time between March 3 and 5, 2020 following an initial February survey. Almost half of the survey respondents represent the contract electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. This segment performs an estimated 25 percent of North American electronics manufacturing for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). www.ipc.org According to IPC‘s second survey, a majority of electronics manufacturers and suppliers expect business operations to be “back to normal” by July 2020. Source: IPC 6 EPP EUROPE April 2020
