Support program makes productronica more than a show

productronica's Innovation Award is celebrating its premiere and the winners will be announced on the first day of the fair. IT2Industry, which features a number of lectures on the industrial Internet of things, takes place at the same time as productronica while the last day of the fair features a program of special events dedicated to future professionals. productronica takes place at the Messe München trade fair center from November 10–13.

"Cyber Security—Challenges for the Manufacturing Industry" is the topic of this year's CEO Roundtable. Leading personalities from the industrial, scientific and political sectors will discuss the questions "How do I gain insights into our security situation?" and "How relevant is cyber security to companies that don't realize that they have sensitive data?" Besides focusing on office IT (attacks by viruses and malware), it will also examine aspects of cyber security in industry (smart factory). Discussion participants are: Prof. Dr. Claudia Eckert, Director of the Fraunhofer AISEC/TU Munich; Dr.-Ing. Lutz Jänicke, Technical Director at Innominate Security Technologies; Willy van Puymbroeck, Head of Unit (Components) of DG Connect in the European Commission, Günter Schindler, President of ASM Assembly Systems Placement Solutions and Lars Reger, CTO Automotive, NXP Semiconductors Germany.

Allowing others to experience production innovations—that is the theme of this special show, which productronica is organizing together with VDMA Productronic. The magic word is augmented reality. It not only makes machines easier to operate, it also increases overall acceptance of digitalization in the factory by allowing visitors experience Industry 4.0 visually. It is already used in several sectors such as the gaming industry and in automobile design—and at productronica you can see how much potential this technology has to offer electronics machine manufacturing. The following companies are participating in the show: Ersa, Philips Innovation Services, Seho, ULT and Re‘Flekt.

in addition to the many lectures in the SMT Speakers Corner in Hall A1, the PCB & EMS Speakers Corner in Hall B1 and the Innovation Forum in Hall B3 are being held within the scope of the Highlight Days Roundtable Discussions. On the topic "Industrie 4.0 meets EMS," among other things, representatives of Zollner Elektronik, cms electronics, BuS Elektronik, Limtronik, the CCS Group, TQ and BMK will discuss the question: "(How) Is Industry 4.0 changing the manufacturing and development services world and/or how smart will EMS be in the future?” The Automotive Electronics Manufacturing Highlight Day will be flanked by a panel discussion on the complex main theme of security through reliable electronics manufacturing. Discussion participants from the entire value chain—from semiconductors and assembly/packaging technology to EMS, tier 1 suppliers and OEMs—will discuss the latest issues that relate to safety and security in all stages of creating value, always with a focus on electronics manufacturing. The third highlight topic is industrial electronics manufacturing. This sector constantly needs new solutions to meet the market's requirements in areas such as complexity, just-in-time delivery, zero-defect strategy and price pressure. Intelligent software solutions, networking and Industry 4.0 are the latest catchphrases. The Roundtable ‘Industrial Electronics Manufacturing’ creates a link from the demands that customers place on industrial electronics using machine manufacturers as an example to electronics manufacturers as solution providers and suppliers of innovative electronics equipment, which makes manufacturers competitive. In hands-on sessions and workshops, visitors can gather information about various processes and technologies based on concrete application examples directly at the exhibitors' stands. During the last exhibition, several visitors participated in the IPC Handsoldering Competition. Organized by Messe München, IPC Europe and IPC USA, the competition is being held again this year—at Stand 405 in Hall A2. Participants must meet the challenge of soldering a functioning electronic assembly by hand in 60 minutes. The objective of this year's Cleanroom Event Stage is to give all visitors the most comprehensive range of information possible and to make it as easy and efficient as possible for everyone who is interested to get started in cleanroom technology. The following companies are involved in the Event Stage at Stand 151 in Hall B3: AAF Lufttechnik, cleanroom.de, Kemmlit, Reinraum Akademie, PPS Pfennig, profi-con and valis.sys.

Once again, productronica Student Day will take place at theSMT Speakers Corner (Hall A1, Stand 411) on the last day of the fair. More than 250 aspiring engineers from throughout Germany are expected to attend productronica and look for potential employers and training opportunities. Together with semica, Messe München and the sponsors, students can look forward to a program of attractive and interesting events all day: Besides a panel discussion titled "What should I be? Job profiles and opportunities in the industry", there will be a networking lunch where students can dialog with company representatives. The Job Area in Hall B2 will also give them an overview of the job vacancies of productronica's exhibitors and allow them to contact potential employees at the fair. This is also where semica and SchuhEder Consulting will provide individual career counseling to those who are interested.

IT2Industry, the exhibition and open conference for intelligent, digitally networked working environments, takes place at the same time as productronica in Hall B3. It features approximately 40 lectures about the industrial Internet of Things. Among other things, topics include IT Security, IT & Energy, and Mobile Working in the Industry. In his keynote titled "The Industrial Big Change" on Wednesday, November 11, Prof. August-Wilhelm Scheer, Owner of the Scheer Group, which explain what affects the digital shift is having on production and manufacturing. In Hall A4, NPL and the SMART Group are holding an event that focuses on automatic optical print and assembly inspection. There will be a live demonstration on stage showing how fine-pitch structures are printed on BGA, QFP, 0201 and 1005 assemblies and how inspections and measurements are carried out on different material combinations.