CPMT PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

With the end of 1998 approaching, I thought it would be useful to summarize the status of the society. The Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology (CPMT) society grew in depth and breadth in 1998 with a renewed focus on the needs of Members, Chapters and Industry. The finances of the Society are healthy, allowing new programs to be implemented. Focused recruitment efforts, including a new membership brochure, resulted in a membership increase of 3.5% over 1997.
Two new Chapters were formed (Finland and Hong Kong) and new programs were implemented to support Chapter activity, including a subsidy program and Chapter-of-the-Year Award. For the third straight year, the Society supported and participated in the Divisions I and IV Region 8
Chapters meetings.
A major effort was undertaken to ensure the Society continues to address leading-edge technologies. Existing Technical Committees were strategically evaluated and restructured and five new Committees were created for a total of 19. Anyone who is interested in participating in a Technical Committee should contact the chairperson listed in the Newsletter. I encourage you to do so.
The three Society Transactions continued to feature the latest technology developments with Special Sections on electrical contacts, polymeric materials, thermal investigations and 3D packaging.
Over 20 conferences and technical meetings were sponsored, cosponsored or otherwise supported by the CPMT and showed strong attendance.
A partnership was undertaken with Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Science Foundation to support the development of packaging education programs that will meet the needs of our profession in the 21st Century.
We are living in a time of extraordinary change in our industry. Technical jobs are being eliminated and created at the same time. The CPMT is striving to provide its membership with the knowledge based programs so that the membership can thrive in this environment. I would encourage all the members to actively participate in both the Technical and Chapter programs of the CPMT. I believe that you will also find the networking that comes with active participation will be to the members advantage. The CPMT Executive Director Marsha Tickman (m.tickman@ieee.org) can assist you in identifying the CPMT Chapter nearest to you.
Finally the IEEE Society, as a whole, is looking to the future considering new models for Branding, Streamlining and a New Financial Model. Members of your Board of Governors will be serving on each of the above ADHOC Committees. Based on the ADHOC Committee findings, proposals are likely to be brought up for consideration at the next IEEE Executive Committee and Board of Directors meeting in February 1999.
My very best to you all for the coming New Year.
-- CPMT President John Stafford, Motorola