productronica: Central gathering for the PCB & EMS industry

The world's leading trade fair invites visitors and exhibitors to gather information and join the dialogue about the latest hot topics such as Industry 4.0 at the PCB & EMS Marketplace, among other things at the various technical lectures on EMS Highlight Day on 11^th November 2015, which is being organised by the Central Association of the German Electrical and Electronics Industry (ZVEI). productronica takes place from 10^th to 13^th November 2015.

Germany's PCB industry has seen above-average growth this year. The ZVEI's PCB and Electronic Systems Division expects market volume to increase by some 8.3% to approximately 1.5bn euros for 2015: According to Dr. Christoph Weiss, Deputy Managing Director of the ZVEI's PCB and Electronic Systems Division, "This growth is being driven by strong increases in application sectors such as automotive electronics at approximately 10% and industrial electronics at some 9%. This development reflects Germany's strength in these areas compared to the rest of the world. According to our estimates, the global PCB market is only expected to grow by approximately 1.3%." The ZVEI feels that this overall positive development will also affect the German market for electronic assemblies (OEM/EMS/ODM), which it is forecast to grow by 8.5% to 27.8bn euros in 2015. "That will also be noticeable at productronica, when the entire cluster is being presented together in an entire hall."

During the past few years, the market in Europe and the Unites States has become increasingly specialised and differentiated. There is room for manufacturers that specialise in working with materials that are difficult to process. Such as Posalux, for example, a manufacturer of machines, among other things for PCB manufacturing, and a productronica exhibitor from the very beginning: "As a niche supplier, we benefit from this change in the market because our established customised solutions also allow us to meet special requirements," says Christof Kock, Director Sales & Marketing, Posalux. "Right now the market is very active and we have been receiving quite a few inquiries. For us, it is essential for Posalux to be present at productronica. We expect the fair to give our business important additional momentum for the coming year, especially for our new products."

In the EMS sector, manufacturers are increasingly developing into system suppliers because customers expect them to perform the entire range of tasks along the value chain, from development and series production to supplying replacement parts. The trend toward compact electronics and more complex assembly and packaging technology such as PoP as a foundation for the smart home or autonomous driving is continuing. Michael Pawellek, Managing Director of Eltroplan, confirms that the market is growing: "We have seen a considerable increase in sales of nearly 20% compared to the previous year. By developing and manufacturing compact electronic assemblies and systems for various applications, Eltroplan is satisfying market demand and is well positioned for the future." That will also be noticeable at productronia. Pawellek continues: "Having tasks performed by service providers, especially using state-of-the-art machines, delivers optimum results. Machine and system suppliers and EMS providers are all represented at productronica, and both groups profit from the synergy effects."

Despite the positive economic situation, companies are in no position to relax: Increasing raw-material prices, global crises and slower growth in China are challenges that can only be met with a great deal of flexibility, high quality, diversified production processes, sector-specific know-how and competent employees. "The PCB & EMS Marketplace is the perfect platform for content-related dialogue and networking," says Dr. Weiss. "The latest market developments, trends such as digitalisation and Industry 4.0 and topics such as reworking and repairing electronics assemblies, EMS providers' development services and PCB reliability are this year's hot topics."

The weekly trade journal Markt & Technik is holding a panel discussion on the topic Industry 4.0 meets EMS on EMS Highlight Day at productronica. It will take place at the Speakers Corner in Hall B1 from 15:00 to 16:00. Industry experts will discuss questions such as How is Industry 4.0 changing the manufacturing and development service provider world? How smart will EMS be in the future? How are working environments, strategies, technological approaches and best practices changing? Speakers include Johann Weber, Chairman of the Board, Zollner Elektronik; Thomas Kaiser, Group CEO, CCS Group; Michael Velmeden, Managing Director, cms electronics; Dr. Werner Witte, Managing Director, BuS Elektronik; Stephan Baur, Managing Director, BMK professional electronics; Alois Knöferle, Managing Director, BMK Group; Gerd Ohl, Managing Director, Limtronik/Smart Factory; and Rüdiger Stahl, Managing Director, TQ Group. At the end of EMS Highlight Day, Markt & Technik magazine will present the BestEMS Readers Award.