Less than one week to go until productronica 2013

Among other things, productronica 2013 will focus on the international exchange of ideas and information within the electronics production sector. Discussions on all highlight topics and exhibition sectors will happen in the productronica Forum and the Innovations Forum Lectures. Special shows on Automotive Electronics and Coilware Production, the Cleanroom Event Stage and the Cleaning and Contamination Testing Centre will give participants insights into the industry's latest hot topics. Upcoming professionals will also have their own forum, thanks to Student Day.

CEO Roundtable

Held in the productronica Forum in Hall A1 on November 12 (11:00 – 12:15), the topic of this year's CEO Roundtable is "Industry 4.0 – Opportunities and Challenges for a Competitive Production of Tomorrow". The prominent leading executives in the electronics manufacturing sector that will be participating this year include Kurt Sievers, Managing Director of NXP Semiconductors Germany, Prof. Wolfgang Wahlster, Managing Director and Scientific Director of the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Stephan Häfele, Director of Sales at Valor (a division of Mentor Graphics), Gerd Hoppe, Member of the Executive Committee of Beckhoff Automation, and Volker Pape, CEO of Viscom.

Special show: Automotive Electronics

Based in Hall B2, this year's special show on Automotive Electronics will use a Liebherr excavator to demonstrate the unique demands that automotive manufacturers place on electronics manufacturing. In keeping with the motto "new technologies and extreme environments", it will present the solution approaches of machine manufacturers, alongside current challenges facing electronics in automobiles and large mobile machinery. Spread across four sectors, themed "Reliability", "Power Electronics", "Sensor Technology" and "Interiors and LEDs", products, test systems, special-purpose machines and a number of software solutions including "Industry 4.0" will be on display. Organized by VDMA (German Engineering Federation) Productronics and Fraunhofer IZM, companies participating at the show include ASM Assembly Systems, DEK, F&K Devoltec, ifm datalink, kurtz ersa, PolyIC, Trumpf and Viscom. Also in Hall B2, the VDMA special show titled "Blue Competence" deals with the sustainability aspects of electronics production.

Special show: Coilware Production

Very important in the electronics industry, the production and use of coilware requires new standards in the areas of energy efficiency and sustainability. High fill factors, high energy efficiency and reduced waste (or the use of less material) are all critical success factors. These factors do vary, however, dependant upon the specific applciation. In Hall B3, Messe München is organizing a special show on this topic with the Electrical Winding & Insulation Systems Division of the ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association). From refinery through materials, distributors, machines and to final applications, it will depict the entire value chain in coilware production. Companies participating in the special show include ABM Greiffenberger, Aumann, BMW, Euro Group, FUR, SH Elektrodraht, Synflex and Wevo.

Forums and live demonstrations

A platform for the professional exchange of information and open on all four days of the show, the productronica Forum and the Innovations Forum are being held in Hall A1 and Hall B2, respectively. There will be panel discussions and series of lectures on sector-specific market and technology topics, aside from this year's highlight topics - "Cable manufacturing and connectors", "Coilware production", "Efficient production management and Industry 4.0" and “Electronic Manufacturing Services”. Part of the PCB & EMS Marketplace and held in Hall B1, the Speakers Corner aims to illuminate visitors on the entire PCB and EMS industry. Hands-on sessions and workshops will allow visitors to gather information about various processes and technologies based on concrete examples directly at the exhibitors' stands.

IPC Hand Soldering Competition

Who is the best of the best hand soldering specialists in Europe? Organized by Messe München, IPC Europa and IPC USA, a hand soldering competition will take place at productronica for the first time ever. Ensuring zero-defect soldering results is hard to achieve when hand soldering high-density circuit boards, highly skilled operators are required. Recognising the best skills for hand soldering complex PCB assemblies, participants will compete against one another over three days to build a functional electronics assembly within the 45-minute time limit. There are cash prizes available for the top three: the Gold winner gets €500 (EUR), the Silver winner €300 (EUR) and the Bronze winner €100 (EUR). The Hand Soldering Competition takes place at Stand 318 in Hall A3.

Cleanroom Event Stage

Reducing the concentration of particles in the air is a prerequisite for producing electronic components. Therefore, manufacturing under cleanroom conditions is indispensable in electronics manufacturing. Held in Hall B2, the Cleanroom Event Stage provides this sector with its very own platform. Key factors include structural requirements such as airlocks and air filtration as well as protective clothing and its cleaning. Interactive live sessions will give visitors multidimensional insights into the various segments.

Cleaning and Contamination Testing Centre

The Cleaning and Contamination Testing Centre will be at productronica for the first time ever, in Hall A2. In conjunction with Bob Willis and the National Physical Laboratory, the centre will provide practical support in the implementation of solutions in the areas of cleaning, contamination monitoring and overcoming common reliability failures.

Awards

This year, productronica will once again play host to a number of award ceremonies. The winners of the GLOBAL Technology Awards will be announced at the productronica Forum on November 12. The Sustainable Development Awards will also be presented there on the same day. Then, Markt&Technik will present the BestEMS Readers' Award in the Speakers Corner on Wednesday.

Student Day and the Job Area

Friday, November 15 is the last day of the fair. In the productronica Forum in Hall A1, semica, Messe München and their sponsors, the VDMA Productronic and the ZVEI, are organizing Student Day. 200 future engineers from throughout Germany can attend a networking lunch where they can exchange information directly with company representatives. There will also be a panel discussion on the topic "What should I be? Job descriptions and opportunities in the industry". The Job Area in Hall B2 offers an overview of the job openings of productronica's exhibitors as well as a chance to contact potential employees at the fair. As part of the Job Area, semica is also offering personal career counselling to all interested parties.