By Christine Siebert
WINTER IS COMING! Don’t worry; it’s okay. It’s a sign that the WHMA 27th Annual Wire Harness Conference is coming. By the time you are tired of winter, you will be heading to sunny Las Vegas to the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa. The WHMA Conference is being held on February 18-20, 2020. If you’ve never been to a WHMA Conference, this conference has become an investment that gives attendees an opportunity to learn, grow, share and discover new approaches to many aspects of the wire harness industry. The conference features presentations on topics important to wire harness manufacturers, OEMs and suppliers.
The WHMA conference committee has been working hard to deliver inspiring presentations, plenty of networking time with your peers, fun activities and of course an exceptional list of exhibitors. WHMA has added something NEW this year to our conference – a Technical Education Workshop!
This Technical Education Workshop, The Evolution of IPC’s Cable & Wire Harness Documents: IPC-D-620, IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC-HDBK-62, is being held on February 18 from 2:00 pm–5:00 pm. Presenter, Robert Cooke, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, will cover how IPC’s cable and harness assembly documents were created – from the submission of comments and technical content covering acceptance requirements for cable and wire harness assemblies in IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies; IPC/WHMA-A-620, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies; and IPC/WHMA-A-620x-S, Space Applications Electronic Hardware Addendum to IPC/WHMA-A-620; to the evolution of companion documents, IPC-D-620, Design and Critical Process Requirements for Cable and Wiring Harnesses; IPC-HDBK-620, Handbook And Guide To IPC-D-620 and IPC/WHMA-A-620; and separate design and acceptance documents for optical fiber, optical cable, and hybrid wiring harness assemblies.
This course will include:
- How can documents be used – and what does the acceptance code mean?
- How the design and acceptance documents work with the “Handbook and Guide to IPC-D-620 and IPC/WHMA-A-620”?
- What does a handbook do / not do?
- “Hot” topics that are included in the documents.
Throughout the conference, you will learn from a keynote presenter and subject matter experts. This year’s conference keynote presenter will be B. Gentry Lee with his presentation titled “A Passion for Space Exploration.” Lee is chief engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and successful science fiction writer. During his keynote presentation, Lee will talk about the highlights of his exploration career and touch on the role of wires and harnesses on the most memorable spacecraft.
Other presentations and topics to be covered at the conference:
- “Wire Harness Industry Economics – Managing in an Uncertain Economy” presented by Taylor St. Germain
- “Space Challenges from Wire Harness” presented by Robert Cooke
- “Megatrends of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electrification)”
- More…
Of course, it would not be a WHMA conference without the famous golf outing this year which will be held at the Tournament Players Course Las Vegas (TPC LV). Don’t forget to stop by and see the latest innovations from the top suppliers in the industry at the exhibit hall and take advantage of the four hours of best practice roundtables. This is one event you do not want to miss!
Stay up-to-date on the latest conference news and register for the event by visiting https://annualconference.whma.org/.
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