MUNICH, Germany — When in mid-November electronics manufacturing technology fair Productronica will open its gates, many visitors will note that the event has shrunk significantly. Nevertheless, manufacturing experts and managers can expect food for thought and and insights in trend-setting technologies, the organizer promises.

One week ahead of the Productronica starting signal, organizer Messe Muenchen GmbH (Munich) announces that 1150 exhibitors have booked the event that claims to be the leading trade fair for electronics manufacturing worldwide. 1150 exhibitors are almost 20 percent less than in the latest event two years ago. In addition, many exhibitors have reduced the size of their stands in order to save money, admitted Messe Muenchen CEO Klaus Dittrich in an interview with EE Times.

Since June, the bookings have started to rise again after a steep dip earlier in the year. Nevertheless, Dittrich does not expect that the fair will again see 40.000 visitors as it was the case two years ago when the industry was in a strong — and seemingly continuing — uptrend. This time, it is almost certain that fewer manufacturing experts and managers will find the way to the fairground. "Many relevant companies have tight restrictions on their travelling budgets", notes Dittrich.

All segments have shrunk, Dittrich acknowledges. The ones that still fared best are test and measurement technology as well as soldering technology.

One of the Productronica highlights will be the SOPRO special show, focusing on self-organizing production environments: So called e-grains or small electronic units already used today for data acquisition and communication purposes can be connected and controlled by advanced software algorithms. Intelligent objects in this context are manufacturing equipment, work pieces, tools and other entities capable of communication. Compiled by the German machine building industry association VDMA along with several research institutes, SOPRO plans to demonstrate how it believes will the future in manufacturing look like.

Another highlight for decision makers in the industry will be a 'CEO Roundtable'. According to Dittrich, top executives from leading companies such as Assembleon, Aston Martin, Marvell Tyco and Siemens Assembly Systems will discuss the situation of the industry and potential solution strategies, accompanied by renowned management consultant Ram Sharan. "We plan to organize this CEO roundtable in the future on a regular basis, also during the electronica fair," Dittrich explained.

With regard to displacements within the global electronics production industry, Dittrich said he regards the role of the Productronica as stable. While this time France shines with a significantly stronger participation, other relevant regions such as Japan and USA have reduced their presence somewhat. But this is a symptom of the crisis, not a hint to a changing production landscape, Dittrich said. "Productronica is the only trade fair globally that covers the entire value chain," he affirmed. Even subsidiary events such as Productronica China or Productronica India have resulted in a stronger position of the Munich event. "It's there where we find new exhibitors," Dittrich said.

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