Productronica 2005Productronica 2005: Significantly More Attendees than Expected and Clear Signs of an Upswing on the Global MarketWith 44,000 attendees, Productronica 2005 has underscored its role as the world's leading trade show for electronics production. Compared to the last time the event was held, the trade show has made further gains in strengthening its international character: 38 percent of the exhibitors and 42 percent of the attendees are from countries other than Germany. More than 1,500 exhibiting companies presented the entire spectrum of electronics production. Microproduction became markedly larger. The amount of floor space booked by the exhibitors remained at the same level as in the previous event. Both the exhibitors and attendees give Productronica a very positive assessment: 83 percent of the exhibitors and 92 percent of the attendees rated the event as excellent to good. 
Upbeat Mood in the Industry The positive atmosphere at the trade show was confirmed by the exhibitors and attendees in their assessment of the current worldwide market situation: 73 percent of the attendees (2003: 54 percent) and 65 percent of the exhibitors (2003: 36 percent) rated it as excellent to good. Numerous exhibitors were able to conclude business transactions at the trade show, as was the case, for example, with ASYS Automatisierungssysteme, which – according to Werner Jonke, sales management– received several commitments for orders, which had not been the case in 2003. For MYDATA, too, Productronica was the first trade show in years at which the company was able to sell several machines right at the event. Moreover, the company is extremely satisfied with the introduction of the stencil-free solder paste printer that it just launched. Mats Magnell, director of marketing & sales, comments: “Productronica is a fantastic show for releasing a product, as it is very international, with attendees coming from all over Europe, America and Asia.ö The positive atmosphere could also be felt at Vitronics Soltec. This company experienced healthy demand in the area of green electronics. Marketing manager André Myny, explains: "Productronica 2005 has shown that the electronics industry is much more positive about the coming years. Lead-free is reaching its climax as the July 2006 deadline approaches. We have had more leads over the past days than was the case two years ago." Globalization in Electronics Production Shapes the Character of Productronica The increase in the number of exhibitors from outside Germany to 38 percent as well as the rise in the share of attendees from other countries to 42 percent clearly illustrate the trend towards increasing globalization in electronics production. At nearly 19 percent, Productronica experienced a particularly sharp gain in the number of exhibitors from the U.S., which rose from 81 in 2003 to 96 in 2005. This development was recognized in a special way through the visit of a U.S. trade delegation led by the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, William R. Timken Jr. As far as the attendees were concerned, particularly significant gains were recorded for India, Brazil and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. As one of the pioneers in globalization, the electronics industry relocated production capacity to the Far East during the last century at the end of the 1960s, and thus took the first step towards contract manufacturing. As an independent area for electronic manufacturing services, the second edition of the EMS Village was able to continue its development with great success and – with 104 exhibitors from 14 countries – it fully reflected the increased significance of the role that EMS companies play in electronics production. The trend toward globalization at Productronica 2005 was also confirmed by Siemens Automation and Drives. Overall, the company recorded a significant boost in the number of visitors and was able to welcome many new customers from the Asian-Pacific region and especially from China. The executive roundtable that was dedicated to the topic of globalization and was held on the first day of the trade show with top executives from the industry examined the diverse aspects associated with this development. Productronica Addresses Growth Markets MicroNanoWorld was very well received as an industry platform for microtechnical production. Jürgen Rumberger, head of sales in Germany for TRUMPF's Laser Technology division: "We are very satisfied with the response from the attendees at Productronica 2005 in Munich. Nearly half our visitors were new contacts who were interested in our innovative solutions for micro and precision processing with lasers and for laser marking for electronics manufacturing." The theme was presented in a very concrete and informative manner in live demos, and it was the subject of lively discussions in the MicroSystemsTechnology User Forum. The "Seven Steps to a Polymer Circuit" production demonstration in Hall B5 showed the possibilities for employing additive printing techniques and roll-to-roll processing for the inexpensive manufacturing of flexible polymer electronics circuits. Enhanced productions technologies for intelligent tickets, "talking" breakfast cereal packages, electronic postal stamps or such developments as "smart" medical bandages will certainly play an important role at the next Productronica. The combination of an exhibition and a program of lectures with leading representatives from the industry was well received by the exhibitors and attendees. Thomas Schädler, vice president, Solectron EMEA Service Operations, was highly satisfied: "At this trade show, the combination of booths and forums offers an excellent platform for getting our customers and potential customers seriously interested in our innovative concepts and solutions." "Global electronics Lounge" By establishing the "Global electronics Lounge" Messe München's recently launched "Global electronics Club" initiative created a meeting place for club members. The main purpose of the club – which succeeded in signing up over 1,500 members from more than 60 countries within just eight weeks of its founding – is to provide its members with access to a network that is always available and enables them to make new business contacts, find qualified partners for cooperative projects, and open the door to new sales markets around the world. Conclusion Klaus Dittrich, managing director of Messe München, was highly satisfied with the way that the trade show went: "We are, of course, very pleased that we were able to welcome more attendees to Productronica than we expected, and that the number of exhibiting companies at the trade show remained constant despite the consolidation process. What is even more important to us is the fact that the attendees represent a highly qualified group. This means that our worldwide marketing activities have achieved the desired result. Another factor that contributed significantly to the success of the trade show was the excellent quality of the highly relevant forums, some of which were new. We were able to implement them through the support of the industry associations VDMA, ZVEI, IVAM, SEMI, IPC, SMTA and iNEMI and numerous national and international media partners. The wide range of 127 individual events covered almost every topic of current interest in the field of electronics production." Volker Pape, board member at Viscom AG, confirmed the trade show's successful concept: "For us, Productronica remains the central location at which the production technology for electronics is presented in a way that is more comprehensive than is the case anywhere else in the world. The level of technical expertise and the decision-making authority of the visitors to our booth is very high, and the international mix has also strengthened significantly again following a slow down in recent years. Consequently this year's Productronica has completely fulfilled our expectations – and even surpassed them in some areas." The next Productronica, the world's leading trade show for electronics production, will be held from 13 – 16 November 2007 on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Center. The next events in Messe München's "Global electronics Network" are Componex/electronicIndia from 23 – 25 January 2006 in the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre in New Delhi, India, and electronica & ProductronicaChina 2006, which is being held in conjunction with LASER. World of Photonics China from 21 – 23 March 2006 on the grounds of the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) in Shanghai, China. You will find this press release and additional photographic material from Productronica 2005 on the Internet at www.productronica.com/presse and www.presseagentur.com. About Productronica and "Global electronics" Productronica is the world’s leading trade show for electronics production. Messe München International (MMI, Munich Trade Fairs International Group) organizes this event as part of its "Global electronics" network, which includes the electronica, Productronica, and LASER.World of Photonics events – which are the world's leading trade shows in their relevant industry sectors – as well as the leading regional trade shows electronicAmericas, electronicAsia, electronica & Productronica China and componex/electronicIndia. In March 2006, Laser. World of Photonics China will be held in Shanghai for the first time. The Internet portal www.global-electronics.net is the online platform for the international electronics industry. The "Global electronics Club" is the platform for sharing information and for networking. "Global electronics" is a powerful network with over 6,500 exhibitors and more than a quarter of a million attendees worldwide. About Messe München International (MMI) Messe München International (MMI, Munich Trade Fairs International Group) is one of the world's leading trade-fair companies. It organizes around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and key high-tech industries. Each year over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part in the events in Munich. In addition, MMI organizes trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and South America. With four subsidiaries abroad and 75 foreign representatives, looking after 97 countries, MMI has a truly global network. Further information: www.messe-muenchen.de. |
