Technical Committee

 

Conference Chair: Diganta Das, Ph.D., CALCE/ University of Maryland

Dr. Diganta Das (Ph.D., University of Maryland, B.Tech, Indian Institute of Technology) is a Research Scientist at the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering. His current research interests include electronic parts supply chain, counterfeit electronics avoidance and detection, light-emitting diode failure mechanisms, cooling systems in telecommunications infrastructure and their impact on reliability, and power electronics reliability. In addition, Dr. Das is involved in prognostics-based risk mitigation of electronics. Dr. Das has published more than 75 articles on these subjects and presented his research at international conferences and workshops.

He is the Founding Chair of the CALCE/SMTA Counterfeit Parts and Materials Symposium since 2007. He is chair of the SAE committee developing counterfeit assembly detection standards. He also participates in several other SAE standard development related to counterfeit electronics. Dr. Das leads the educational outreach of CALCE developing joint educational programs, training and internship, and professional development programs. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt and a member of IEEE, IMAPS, and SMTA.

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Ian Blackman,  Anti-Counterfeiting Forum

Ian spent more than thirty years in the Avionics and Defense Industry working in senior roles within Procurement, Component Engineering, and Obsolescence Strategy Development. He is the former CTO of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management and is a fellow of that organization He is also the co-owner of the UK-based but international Anticounterfeiting Forum which has more than 1100 active members.

 

 

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Roger Rogowski,  Anti-Counterfeiting Forum

Roger is a co-owner of Anti-Counterfeiting Forum, which has for over ten years provided a comprehensive online resource disseminating information on the threats and trends relating to counterfeiting in the electrotechnical industry and organized annual seminars and periodic webinars. Roger has worked in the industry for over fifty years, during which time he has fulfilled a wide range of management roles in sales, marketing, procurement, inventory, major bid, operations, and project management for companies such as Arrow Electronics, HCA Healthcare, Jermyn Distribution, Lex Electronics, Minco Technology Labs, Quantel, QinetiQ, and Zeus Electronics. He is a past Chairman of the Component Obsolescence Group and a director of the National Obsolescence Centre. For nine years, he provided the secretariat for the UK Electronics Alliance, a consortium of leading UK trade associations representing the UK electronic systems community, coordinating industry-wide initiatives, and working with government departments and agencies.

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Sultan Ali Lilani, Integra Technologies

Sultan has in-depth knowledge of Reliability Engineering, Testing and Qualification for Aerospace, Defense and Industrial applications for microelectronics products of various technologies. Sultan has served in various industry committees including being current SAE chair for PEMs Committee, current co-chair for Copper Bond Wire Committee, current co-chair for SAE CE-12 Counterfeit Committee and former co-chair of SAE G19A Committee which developed the AS6171 standards to detect suspect counterfeit components.

 

 

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Keith Bryant, KB Consultancy

A fully qualified engineer, Keith has over thirty years of experience in Electronics Manufacturing. He is well-known and respected for presenting technical papers at many high-profile events around the world and for his many published articles and interviews. He started his career in this industry with bare printed circuit boards in the early days of high-count multi-layer technology, moving through to running contract manufacturing operations. He had ten years of experience with advanced materials and soldering systems before working with high technology x-ray and AOI Systems, again for 10 years. Then for almost 3 years, Keith worked as a technology and business consultant, assisting many of the major industry names. From 2017 to 2019 he was the Global Sales Director of the leading X-ray manufacturer. Later on, Keith reverted to a technology and business consultancy role allowing him to pursue other interesting projects, including i4.0 and working with an advanced x-ray tube manufacturer. He was Chairman of the SMART Group for 11 years and is now Chairman of SMTA Europe.

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Maurice Dore, Valeo

Maurice (Moss) Dore has a long-standing career in process improvement, new product introduction, and electronics manufacturing. He has worked on projects involving root cause analysis, continuous improvement, and design for manufacturing, focusing on enhancing efficiency and delivering reliable solutions. His expertise extends to process qualification, reliability testing, advanced technology development, and equipment procurement. Maurice has played a critical role in optimizing layouts, implementing lean manufacturing principles, and managing training programs to improve workforce capability and process execution.

In addition to his technical skills, Maurice has contributed significantly to startups and business expansion programs, supporting the development and introduction of innovative solutions. His ability to identify gaps, implement process improvements, and maintain alignment with industry standards has been instrumental in driving project success. With a deep understanding of product development and validation, Maurice has consistently focused on delivering results that enhance quality, efficiency, and operational effectiveness.

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Giovanna Mura, University of Cagliari

Giovanna Mura received her PhD in electronic engineering and computer science in 2004 from the University of Cagliari, Italy. Since 2023, she has been an Associate Professor in the Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering at the University of Cagliari. She teaches "Reliability of electronic systems" and "Diagnostic of electronic devices" in the MSc courses on Electronic Engineering. Her research activity is mainly focused on failure physics, diagnostics of microelectronics, and reliability in harsh environments (automotive, space applications). Her current research interests include the physical detection of counterfeit electronics. Since 2012, she has been involved in the TPC of several editions of the European Symposium on Reliability of Electron Devices, Failure Physics and Analysis (ESREF). She is the author of more than 83 papers published in international journals or presented at international conferences. She is a member of the IEEE Reliability Society. She received the Best Paper Award at the ESREF in 2016 and 2018.

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Stuart Saunders, MTC (Manufacturing Technology Centre)

Stuart is a secretary and officer for the SMTA Europe Chapter. He has a lifelong experience in Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, starting out in a technical apprenticeship at GEC, The General Electric Company progressing through manufacturing, process engineering, and industrialization roles there and at Alstom, Celestica, Areva, and Rolls-Royce Nuclear. Now working as a Senior Research Engineer at the MTC, he technically leads a wide range of projects, either directly in support of industry clients or as core research and process capability development for the MTC and its members. Topics covered include, low stress, harsh and hi-reliability manufacturing, digital manufacturing/Industry 4.0/Smart Factory, Dfx/DfM (design for manufacture), process innovation, facility design and capability acquisition.

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Kevin Sink, TTI

Kevin Sink is the VP, Total Quality at TTI, Inc., the global authorized distributor of electronic components based in Fort Worth, Texas.  Kevin participates in three SAE committees developing standards for counterfeit mitigation, as a member of the SAE G-19D for Independent Distribution, G-19T for terms and definitions and is the Co-Chair of SAE's G-19AD for Authorized Distribution.   He has spoken at several industries and OEM symposia on the topic.  Much of Kevin's research is centered around the industry's experience with standards and outside regulations and the translation of these into specific company practices. Kevin holds a BBA and MBA from Texas A&M University and has served in capacities within TTI from Sales to Product Management to Sales Operations before assuming responsibility for Quality.  Prior to joining TTI, Kevin worked in Purchasing with General Dynamics.  Coupling his experience in the mil/aero and electronics industries since 1988 with his interests in the issue, Kevin brings the perspective of authorized distribution to bear on best practices in counterfeit risk mitigation.