productronica 2019 prepares to emulate 2017 success

Exhibition director Caroline Pannier cites figures forecasting a 1% increase in turnover for electronic production equipment in 2019, followed by a further uptick of 1.4% in 2020. Asia-Pacific represents almost half of this global market followed by Germany on 25% and the rest of Europe on 18%.

Exhibitors at productronica will reflect this global market. “The Chinese companies have already requested more space at the exhibition,” says Pannier, “and companies from India will also increase their representation in this year’s exhibition.”

One issue affecting the industry is the gap between electronics graduates and the number of jobs needing to be filled.

In Germany alone it looks likely there could be 100,000 unfilled vacancies for electrical engineers in the next 10 years affecting both major OEMs and small to medium-sized companies (SMEs).

Pannier is keen to use productronica to address that deficit and will be launching an “Accelerating Talents” feature. It offers a platform for students, graduates and young professionals which aims to encourage them to take up a career in electronics production. The concept is made up of three building blocks: A trail with entertaining features such as an escape truck to raise awareness of electronics production.

A co-working space for discussions between the exhibitors’ personnel managers and visitors will also be available. In the Speaker’s Corner, visitors will find not only brief company portraits but also specialist presentations that Pannier describes as “Tech Slams”.

Other highlights are also planned to maintain the interest of younger attendees. A hackathon in which participants will have 48 hours to come up with ideas, solutions and prototypes on location. Exhibitors will benefit not only from the results of the challenge but also from contact with potential new employees.

In return, the hackathon participants will have to opportunity to introduce themselves to a new employer and show their skills during the challenge.

Start-up companies will also get a platform to present their products and solutions in a separate area.

Other new features at productronica 2019 include the smart maintenance and 3D AOI (automated optical inspection) special shows, where visitors can find out about maintenance as the backbone of the factory 4.0. The exhibition which will feature a demo park will show how smart maintenance can help to reduce operating costs, increase profits and thus improve production efficiency.

The 3D AOI Arena in Hall A2 will provide an overview of the 3D automated optical inspection market. Leading providers such as Cyberoptics, OMRON, Viscom and Yamaha will present the latest solutions during daily shows and hands-on sessions.

Tapping into the latest technologies is key for any exhibition and Pannier believes there is a potential bonanza awaiting pcb manufacturers as the 5G market and automated driving markets work up steam.

According to the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI), last year in Germany the industry achieved record sales of 195bn Euro – a 1.9% increase on the previous year. The PCB industry benefited from this, with 1.4 percent growth to an estimated 1.8bn Euro, says consulting firm Data4PCB.

To emphasise the importance of pcbs, the PCB/EMS cluster will be centre stage populated by many leading pcb manufacturers as well as materials suppliers to the sector.