(October 31, 2003) Never have there been so many new machines to see, and so much to learn about new materials, as at Productronica 2003 which takes place in Munich from 11 to 14 November. Nearly 30 new SMD pick-and-place machines will celebrate their première this year. The manufacturers of screen printers, automatic placement machines and soldering equipment, electrical and optical test systems – to take just surface mounting technology by way of example – have mustered all their know-how and pulled out all the stops for plant construction and operator-friendly software tools, so as to maintain their position on the global market. Many new developments, which a year ago were still taking place in great secrecy, are now ready to be released.

An economic upturn is certainly on the cards. Even though the tightrope walk between high tech and affordable market prices is getting harder all the time, there is now hardly any product that has not made an appearance at Productronica. All the gaps have been found and filled in a professional way. All the present technologies, and many of those of the near future, are there to see and touch – on the trade-fair stands, in the special shows and the model production lines, the forums and other events accompanying this year’s global meeting point for the electronics industry.

Lead-free from 2006
The date is fixed. The RoHS, the February 2003 guideline for restricting the use of certain harmful substances such as lead in electrical and electronic equipment, will come into force on 1 July 2006.

Asia and Europe have already decided on a substitute for lead solder: a eutectic tin/silver/copper alloy with a melting point around 217°C (see www.lead-free.org). Solder, solder pastes and preforms are now available from nearly all the major suppliers. Manufacturers of machinery, in particular soldering plant, have completely adapted to the stricter regulations. It just remains for increasing numbers of users to follow Japan’s example and make use of lead-free products to gain a competitive advantage.

Lead-free electronics is also the subject of the Productronica Forum panel discussion on the first day of the fair. Seven experts from industry and research will be discussing the subject of “lead-free electronics – the consequences for EMS providers and for the supply chain”.

China: a challenge for the world electronics market
The world electronics market has undergone a considerable change in the past three years, involving a shift of investment from Europe and the USA to Asia, especially China. The Chinese share of the world-wide electronics market rose from 10% in 2000 to roughly 30% in 2002. Credit Suisse estimates that it will reach 70% of total world electronics production in three to five years. The confidence of many multinational companies in the Chinese economy rose rapidly following China’s membership of the WHO. All the suppliers in the electronics industry are devoting special attention to this country. Interestingly, roughly two thirds of the investment in mainland China comes from companies in Taiwan.

The standards that the world expects from Chinese products are very similar to those applying in Europe and the USA. However, the pressure on international suppliers to lower their prices has greatly increased as a result of Chinese competition.

As a result, many global manufacturers are presenting their “Chinese models” at this year’s Productronica: in quality every bit the equal of previous equipment, but lacking certain functional details. The goal is to offer prices that will still be attractive to the Chinese, while maintaining the quality that the world demands.

Some of the “big names”, international manufacturers who develop their production machinery in the USA or Europe, are already successfully manufacturing their systems in China, and several of them are represented at Productronica. For users all over the world that can only mean lower prices for comparable performance.

Further information:
www.productronica.de

Back to top of page