Dedicated to Electronics? Join the SMTA

If you work in the electronics industry, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard about the SMTA.

Although SMTA stands for “Surface Mount Technology Association,” they prefer to go just by their abbreviation of SMTA as their scope and focus reaches far beyond SMT and manufacturing.

“As the electronics industry evolves, we find ourselves addressing topics on emerging technologies and technological advancements. As technologies and manufacturing processes begin to converge, the need for education and training has grown and SMTA wants to assist companies and individuals to fill these gaps,” says director, Tanya Martin.

SMTA identifies themselves by their tagline, “A Global Association Working at a Local Level.” A bold statement; and one they live up to. The SMTA is in fact a global organization, with over 43 professional chapters and 12 student chapters all over the world. This global organization is all managed from a small Headquarter office outside Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.

An interesting and impressive note is that outside of the Headquarter office, every person that participates and contributes to the SMTA, from the chapter officers, technical experts, to the Global Board-of-Directors, are volunteers who believe in the SMTA mission and initiatives.

The goals of the SMTA are simple, focused, and necessary: Preservation, Education, Knowledge, Networking, Career Acceleration, & Community. SMTA strives to use these initiatives to improve the industry by providing practical, real-world solutions. SMTA offers exclusive access to a local and global network of experts, as well as accumulated research and training materials from thousands of companies dedicated to advancing the electronics industry.

SMTA is continuously looking for ways to improve and enhance member benefits. A few examples of things their members currently enjoy are:

• Technical Knowledge Base
• Member Q & A Forum
• Membership Directory
• Career Center
• Local Chapter Meetings
• Social Events
• Local Vendor Expositions/Trade Shows
• SMTA International Annual Convention
• Discounts on Meetings and Events
• Online Webinars
• SMT Processes Certification Program
• Volunteer & Leadership Opportunities
• Scholarship & Grant Opportunities
• Cross-Promotional Networking

There are other membership benefits projects in the works, including a mentor program and a job referral network. SMTA is putting forth efforts to help find solutions to the challenges in hiring and AI recruiting skilled workers and young talent into the electronics manufacturing and assembly field.

“Being a member of the SMTA is not just a form of job security, but it is "career security." As a member, you take the friendships, network, and resources of the SMTA with you wherever you go. The SMTA is a family. A family works to help each other out. That's what families do” - Steve Greathouse, Sr Staff Microelectronics Engineer, Plexus

SMTA is not just another professional electronics organization. It is a dedicated team of volunteer professionals that are helping to make the world of electronics a bit more accessible and collaborative every day. It is a team of people that will remember your name, care about your needs, help you with challenges and go the extra mile for you. It is a family of people that care about this industry as much as you do.

You belong here! For more information please visit www.smta.org or email: tamara@smta.org