IPC SMEMA Council Steering Committee Elects New Members

Bannockburn, Ill., April 12, 2005 � IPC � Association Connecting Electronics Industries� announces that four new committee members have been elected to the IPC SMEMA (Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association) Council Steering Committee.

The new steering committee members, elected to three-year terms are:

� Alec Babiarz, senior vice president, Asymtek

� Robert Muller, general manager, commercial products, Teradyne Assembly Test Division

� Marc Peo, president, Heller Industries

� Jay Stepleton, general manager and vice president, Agilent Technologies, Manufacturing Test Business Unit

In addition to the new steering committee members, Pierre de Villem�jane, president, Speedline Technologies, has been selected as the chairman-elect. De Villem�jane will begin his term as chairman at APEX 2006. Gerhard Meese, executive vice president, Dover Technologies, currently serves as steering committee chairman and representative to the IPC Board of Directors.

The SMEMA Council Steering Committee is responsible for setting the agenda for the IPC SMEMA Council and is creating other new initiatives to improve supply chain efficiencies in the electronics manufacturing industry. One of its main priorities is the organization of the Council�s APEX show. APEX 2006 will take place February 8-10, 2006, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.

For more information on the IPC SMEMA Council Steering Committee, contact IPC Director of Government Relations John Kania at 202-962-0460 or jkania@ipc.org.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Biographical information on the steering committee members mentioned above is available.

About IPC

IPC is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2,200 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of a $40 billion U.S. industry employing more than 350,000 people. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China. For more information, visit http://www.ipc.org.