This joint NEMI/IPC project was organized to create standards to improve the manufacturing assembly of optical fiber.

IPC's Photonics Manufacturers Association (PMA) Council identified fiber handling and carriers for containing and controlling fiber in the component manufacturing process as a fundamental issue that could be resolved by the creation of standards. Working in close coordination, NEMI and the PMA Council developed a specification which is now a proposed IPC standard: IPC-3841 "Specifications and Guidelines for Manufacturing Process Carriers for Optical Fiber." This specification defines requirements and guidelines to facilitate the use of fiber carriers in fiber optic component manufacturing, particularly in automated or semi-automated processes.

Standards