ANAHEIM, CA — Another Apex has come and gone, and what have we learned?

That the industry is busier today than it was a year ago.

That most -- but not all -- companies expect another solid year in 2006.
That the buzz over lead-free shows no sign of abating.

That suppliers should be thinking now about what to do once that buzz does abate. 

That in ongoing lead-free evaluations, the affect on component placement is being overlooked.

That traceability is starting to take center stage, but there is no clear standard industry solution yet (and we need one).

That some old friends, like DEK's Rich Heimsch and Valor Inc.'s Chuck Feingold, will be missed in ways big and small.

That materials suppliers big (Henkel, Cookson, etc.) and smaller (Indium, Electrolube) are looking to provide full solutions, not discrete products.

That the decision by IPC to move the show to Los Angeles for the next three years has made exhibitors either really grumpy or downright mad.

In this reporter's humble opinion, the star of the show was the MS2 surfactant from P. Kay Metal. The dross-eating surfactant is like an elixir for electronics soldering. Several seriously large OEMs are showing great results with it. It's the right product at the right time, and serves as yet one more reminder that not all the best ideas come from the biggest players.

Ed.: This column is reprinted from the PCB UPdate e-newsletter. For more Apex news, visit the newsletter archives.