Balancing Global and Regional Supply Chains - Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer, IPC on EMS@C-Level

In this compelling conversation, Sanjay Huprikar shares insights into his expanded role overseeing IPC's global strategy across Europe, India, Southeast Asia, the US, and Canada. As the newly appointed Chief Global Officer for an association serving a $3 trillion global industry, Huprikar offers a unique perspective on how trade associations must evolve to serve increasingly complex, multinational member companies.

Key Discussion Points:

• The New Global Paradigm: How IPC is redefining "global" in an era where regionalization and supply chain resilience have become critical priorities
• Beyond Standards and Certification: IPC's expansion into areas like government advocacy, supply chain sustainability, and industry intelligence
• The Art of Listening: How building credible relationships with industry leaders creates the foundation for meaningful collective action
• Regional Manufacturing vs. Global Supply Chains: Why the electronics industry needs both approaches simultaneously
• Government Relations Success: Insights into IPC's growing influence in policy discussions across multiple regions
• The Connectivity Challenge: How multinational companies make decisions locally while needing global coordination

EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org)

You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.

Transcript

Introduction to IPC's Chief Global Officer

Philip Stoten 0:08

From my house to yours . Welcome to EMS at Sea Level . I am joined by Sanjay Hooprakar , who is with the IPC and has recently been promoted to the role of Chief Global Officer Fascinating title , a very appropriate role . You seem to spend your time globetrotting and taking care of international affairs . Tell me what the new role means , how it's changed from what you're doing and why choose the title Chief Global Officer .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 0:43

Well , thanks for having me on , phil , pleasure to be here . You rattled off some great questions there . Let me take them one by one . So we are the Global Electronics Association . So I don't think it should come as too much of a shock that a trade association of our size that's supporting the activities of the world would have an office that kind of promotes the chief know , the chief global view of the world . We're also serving close to a $3 trillion industry across the globe and that has all of its opportunities and challenges . And I think that's one reason why we're looking at this role is , you know , fundamentally we're here to promote growth for the industry . We're here to strengthen the supply chain for the industry .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 1:32

The word global right now in some circles is not a great word . I was trying to be delicate there . But I think we have a balanced lens . We are looking at things through a regional lens and we continue to look at it through a global lens . We fully support the work that's being done to promote regional manufacturing . You've seen many countries , many regions looking to strengthen their resiliency and we're supporting that where it makes sense .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 2:04

But I don't think anyone's blind to the fact that , at the end of the day , the different regions need the other regions as well . No one is going to be fully self-reliant . You're going to have to continue to work with other regions . Hence you're going to be working with the globe to build your products . So I think we look at this as a great opportunity , simultaneously to promote regional manufacturing where we can

Balancing Global and Regional Supply Chains

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 2:30

, but also recognizing and amplifying the fact that , at the end of the day , it's still a global supply chain and , as a global trade association , it's our job to serve that global supply chain . The reason for the change now exciting things are happening and we want to be at the front end of that global supply chain . The reason for the change now exciting things are happening and we want to be at the front end of that curve as these things begin to take place .

Philip Stoten 2:52

I think it's really interesting what you say about that globalization and regionalization thing , and I don't think globalization is a dirty word . I think we've embraced globalization . Many , many , many of your members are global companies and they continue to be global companies , and the fact that they , like you , as an association , act locally and are able to shorten some of those regional supply chains doesn't make them any less of a global company . So I actually think it's a really appropriate title of it . It's very important to have that balance . Much as the pendulum may have swung from a more global to a slightly more regional or slightly even more protectionist in some cases model , it's still a global market for most of the consumer products and it's important to reflect that in what you do . When you look at what you were doing previously , you were taking care of the European stuff . You're actually taking care of quite a lot of the Asian stuff and the Indian stuff . What else has come under your remit as a result of this role in terms of regions ?

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 4:06

That's a great question . So , as you said , coming into this before this announcement was made , I was responsible predominantly for Europe and for India . If you look at those two , that's a pretty wide geography right there Initially . The US and Canada will now be something that I look at as well as Southeast Asia as well . I suspect that eventually , as we get going here and we start talking about some of the other changes that are going to be upcoming , that eventually we will have to streamline everything . We'll have all the regions at some point reporting within this office of chief global . There are some timing things that we're working at looking at in Asia . There's some timing things we're looking at in Mexico . So I would say that right now , initially , I've got plenty of work to do with Europe , india , southeast Asia , us , canada . Eventually we'll start talking more about China and Mexico and the Far East as well , and I think for us this is a as I've talked to the team , as John , our CEO , dr John Mitchell , has talked about this with our team this is very much a renewal process for us .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 5:19

This is all about listening and learning . We every association can be better at understanding their industry . We are not omitted from that group . We we too , can be better at learning and listening and understanding our industry , and I think that's what this , a big piece of this role , is .

Expanding Role and Collaborative Approach

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 5:40

You know , as you mentioned earlier , there's a lot of our members are multinational companies . They're global companies . They may be headquartered in one region , but they have operations all over . As much as we'd like to think that a lot of these are centralized companies , we are finding out that they are not as centralized as we think they are . So a lot of decisions on workforce training , workforce development , procurement issues , who gets to attend events and not get to attend events these are all still kind of done on a site by site basis , right ?

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 6:16

So if I have colleagues that are talking to , you know , ems company X on the other side of the world , and I have a team that's talking to that same company with their operations somewhere in North America , it doesn't make sense that we don't share that information . We should be sharing that information Because having all of that information at our fingertips allows us to make better strategic choices about what solutions should we be putting out there , what products should we be thinking about . So a lot of this is better collaboration . We're hoping to find better collaboration , build better community , learn from the industry so that we can be better at offering solutions that really maximize the benefit for the member . At the end of the day , this is not about IPC . This is about the industry . We are an actor in this play . We have a role to play and we are looking to be better at the role we're playing and we are looking to be better at the role we're playing .

Philip Stoten 7:16

Yeah , Sanjay , it's really fascinating . I always think of IPC as being kind of voice of the members in many cases , and where I interact with it is often in that environment where I'm talking to Sean as the chief economist or I'm talking to Dr John Mitchell as the CEO and talking about workplace training or talent development and all those issues . To be the voice of anything , you've got to be listening more than you're speaking . So that's really fundamental and one of the things I've learned as I've worked with you and I've interacted with you . You have this talent and this network of very high level leaders in the industry that seem to be happy to talk to you , happy to dig into their issues and challenges and share them with you . Listening and taking those messages and actually synthesizing them globally must be a really important part of the role . Do you see that as one of the tools that you have for success and one of the really important challenges to actually build upon that ?

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 8:25

Yeah , it's both . You captured it really well . Again , when you position yourself as an organization that's playing a role , again , you know , when you position yourself as an organization that's playing a role and you're here to help , we're here to serve , you know we can say those words , but at the end of the day , your audience has to believe that you are credible when you say those things , and I think we as an organization and me as an individual , I think we've earned that credibility when I say we want

Building Trust and Industry Connections

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 9:10

to learn , we're here to learn , we're here to listen to your problems , we want to see if we can figure out how we can make your life better . When you say that and then when you deliver upon that , they trust you more . That's basic blocking and we have as an organization .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 9:16

It's part of our DNA , certainly part of my DNA , and so , whatever I can do to utilize that skill set for the benefit of the industry , now that the role is more global in nature , I hope that I'm successful at building those channels and building those bridges with the other parts of the world as well , and then having the team look at that because , as you pointed out , the goal is to bring all of those voices to become a single voice , talking about their challenges and their issues at a very succinct level so that the right parties , whether it's media , government , even the everyday consumer , can understand that .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 9:56

And that can only happen when you have all those voices kind of shouting off the rooftops as a chorus and you have to earn your seat to get there . We've put in Europe as an example . We've put five years into that and we still have a ways to go . But , as you've seen , with the work we've done , that Allison has done in the EU , the work we're doing that you're going to be part of here in a couple of weeks , about the defense electronic summit that we're holding , when you see the types of companies that are there , that we've invited and that other parties have invited , it's a testament to the industry that they see the value in getting together and talking about these issues .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 10:36

We just we just lit a little flame was what we did , they're the story they're . They're the story , because they realize that they're a lot stronger when they act together than when they act alone yeah , I see you as a catalyst or as a an enabler that does bring those people together .

Philip Stoten 10:54

And I think when you look at leadership in the industry , when they come together they do realize that they have very similar problems and they can help each other with experiences . And without someone to be that catalyst , to be that glue , it's very hard for them to create initiatives that do allow particularly that very high leadership to get together . You mentioned the work Alison is doing in Europe and , as you say , we're going to be in Brussels together in a couple of weeks . I'm very much looking forward to that . With the changes that have been happening since the Trump administration , it's been a time where actually taking the requirements of different regions , synthesizing them together and bringing a strategy to play is really important , and Chris Mitchell's team of Alison , of Richard , have done a really good job of synthesizing that . That's really important to you as the chief global officer , but it's really important to IPC and its members , isn't ?

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 11:56

it . Yeah , yeah . The industry benefits when government is paying attention to what their needs and challenges are . It's that simple . The work that Rich has done in the US , the work that Alison has done in Europe , the work that Chris has done to lead and guide this team of individuals nothing short of remarkable

Government Relations and Policy Work

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 12:20

. What they've achieved in four or five years and part of their success is not only their own talent and creativity , but this parallel effort that we've talked about earlier in the conversation , about bringing that unified voice of influential companies and their leaders together . That's the mix that's led to the success we've had so far . And I can be candid with you , phil , as we are with all of our internal teams we've only just scratched the surface . There's a heck of a lot of work we still have to do . We haven't won anything yet . Okay , we got the ticket to the dance , we've entered the dance hall , but can't talk about anything else beyond that at this point .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 13:09

Still a lot of work to do , and you know , I think , a lot of people in the organization and in the industry . Sometimes they get too caught up in the event , whether it's a workshop , whether it's a meeting we're calling this a summit here in Europe , to use this example it's the work that comes out of that event that's really important . Right , we can go to this event and have all these companies talk and show up and participate , but if nothing else comes from that , at the end of the day it's who cares ? Right ? The goal is to keep the dialogue going , keep the discussion going and as the dialogue continues , you have to start converging on that golden nugget , on that kernel that's going to make all the difference in the world , and I think that's what I keep reminding the team of is A be grateful that we've gotten to this point .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 14:01

A lot of hard work . We're not done with the race yet , and now the race gets tougher . It doesn't get easier , it gets tougher . Now the stakes are higher .

Philip Stoten 14:26

Yeah , these issues are never simple . They're complex and brought people together where you've actually got people to talk about a specific problem , but where you've actually developed committees and programs or whatever to resolve that problem and brought something to the industry . That has been game changing . And you know , I go back to CFX as a great example of that . Cfx might not have been the thing that changed the fourth industrial revolution , because I don't think the fourth industrial revolution changed too much , but it's a massively important foundation for the application of AI in the industry and I think that's a great example of the success that you have . And I think the role of chief global officer is just part of putting together a really clear infrastructure that allows you to do those things .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 15:25

Yeah , and I think , just building on what you said about the DNA of being the enabler , being the catalyst , putting the right people in the room together to solve problems , obviously , through the work we've done , our brand , our IPC brand , is so strong when it comes to standards and to certification and training , and that's a product of putting companies together in a room and kind of talking through what these best practices should be for a PCB or for a PCBA as an example . Or , you know , wire harness is actually the fastest growing standard we have is wire harness and cabling , and that's not a surprise because if you look at the amount of wire harness and cabling that's utilized in aerospace and in electric vehicles , those are two industries that are growing and so people want more certification in that . But the point I'm trying to make in terms of how we can expand that vision , we've created these standards and we've created this training . But part of this notion of strengthening supply chain and building resiliency , I think it comes down to three or four factors and building resiliency I think it comes down

Future Focus and Industry Solutions

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 16:30

to three or four factors . I mean , you know we want to put the right people together in the room to talk about things like how do you advocate for fair trade ? How do you promote regional manufacturing but still keep an eye towards what's going on around the globe ? How do you harmonize best practices ?

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 16:44

We've shown harmonization , you know , in limited capability with standards and certification , but there's so many other best practices across the board . What can we do to harmonize that ? What can we do to continue to foster technological innovation that's occurring ? The work that Matt Kelly's team has done as an example really hits home as to what our role can be . We've never said to anybody that we are creating this technology . That's not our , that's not in our purview at all . But by having the right technical people in our , in our organization , they can help leverage that technology to make everyone's lives better . And then , lastly , just sharing industry intelligence . You know whether it's data , whether it's reports developing those reports . So I think these are the areas you're going to see us . You know whether it's data , whether it's reports developing those reports . So I think these are the areas you're going to see us . You know , continue to expand in as we look to do more , as we look to become really this global trade association , and I think part of that responsibility will fall on the global office as well .

Philip Stoten 17:42

Yeah , no , absolutely . It makes complete sense because , as you alluded to , it's a global industry . It needs a global approach that is delivered regionally . That's something that IPC has been very good at , but doubling down on that makes perfect sense . Keep doing what you're doing . That's what I say . Keep doing what you're doing , keep clarifying the position . I love the way all the different cornerstones of intelligence , of advocacy , of standards , of workforce training interact with each other . I think that's a really important element of what you do . Everything has an impact on everything else . Nothing operates in a silo and it's really exciting to see all those things and all the events bring those together and kind of create that connected tissue . So yeah , there are no islands in this game .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 18:34

This is all about you you hit . You hit the magic word . It's about connectivity . It's about getting people organized , excited and enthusiastic about solving some of these problems , and what we're doing is we're taking the big step and saying we've shown our abilities to do these in certain areas , like standards and certification training . Now it's time for us to take the bigger step and talk about bigger issues in procurement , in supply chain sustainability We've already tackled that , started tackling that as well and whatever we can do as an organization to help the industry solve these problems . That's our role .

Philip Stoten 19:10

Yeah , absolutely that . And staying agile , getting ready for the next disruption , the next challenge , and having all the machinery in place to communicate and share and work through all those issues . Thanks so much for your time , Sanjay . Congratulations once again on the new title and look forward to seeing you in Brussels in June and chatting very soon . Thanks for your time .

Sanjay Huprikar, Chief Global Officer at IPC 19:36

Thank you very much , Philip . Thank you .