Is the biggest electronics exhibition of interest to us?
03 November 2008
Well I think so or I wouldn’t have dedicated this week’s issue of EMTww to next week’s Electronica exhibition in Munich.
Electronica was in fact the ‘mothership’ from which Productronica, the one truly global electronics manufacturing event, was launched from in 1979. The reason for this was to find a natural fracture which could be used to break down an event that was, after 24 years of growth, was just too big for its home in the old Munich showgrounds.
Productronica, run in the odd-numbered years, is the staple diet of EMTww, but where does this leave the relevance of Electronica to those with more than one eye on the assembly side of the industry?
There could be very specific reasons for going in terms of meeting suppliers and partners. Not many of the leading names in production will be on show, but most of the test companies will be. So if you are after any form of ICT, functional test, benchtop equipment, AOI and AXI, flying probes and all the rest, then there will be a full portfolio of equipment on show. Equally , the audience (predicted to be about the 78,000 mark) contains enough business decision makers to attract a reasonable number of EMS providers among the exhibitors. And at a time when so many companies, EMS and OEM alike, are trying to save money by streamlining the supply chain, every leading supplier will be represented and might provide some useful contacts or ideas for purchasing personnel.
The real reason for going, however, is the technology. Every component that is on show needs to be assembled; every piece of equipment needs to be used, and every bit of software needs to run on something and be used by someone. And the person at the end of the line who has to use that equipment, assemble the components and integrate the new technology will be found in the electronics manufacturing environment.
It might take a while before the design engineer comes up with the products that use these new components and technologies, but companies – particularly those involved with EMS – are more likely to win business if they are familiar and knowledgeable about the technology.
Electronica will also have a number of special features, not least of which is Hybridica – a celebration of all things hybrid branded as its own exhibition. Be warned if you go along expecting to find out about thick and thin film circuits – in Munich, hybrids are classed as components that are constructed of both metal and plastic.
Other features include the Automotive Conference, which starts a day earlier than the main event, the Wireless Congress and the MicroNano Systems forum. With four whole days to visit these special features and drop into all of the 3000 or so exhibitors, the trip to Munich could be well worth it. I shall be there with an extra pair of insoles to help me survive it!
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