A fresh beginning at a known place

From Sunday, March 29 to Wednesday, April 2 (show begins March 30), Apex will be the focus not only for the U.S. electronics assembly industry, but because of the presence of virtually all key players in this business; it has globally built up an outstanding position. The downside: some of those global players will however not be present, Universal Instruments just as an example, and electronics manufacturing is still in a deep crisis (except in some Asian countries). But this event will also at any rate see thousands of visitors in exhibition and conference, and will turn out to be a success for the electronics manufacturing industry. This year in November, Productronica in Munich will be much larger in size and visitors, but its focus is wider, encompassing some aspects of chip production, passive electro-mechanical parts, PCBs and circuit design issues, etc. But Apex, on the other hand, is strictly focused on the core subjects of electronics assembly such as paste print, placement, soldering, advanced packaging, just to name a few key areas. This difference and its impact allow the streamlining of the trade show, enabling concentration on covering the purely primary subjects. The advantage for visitors and exhibitors is that a complete overview is possible within a few days.

This trade show was established in 2000 by IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries and its Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association Council, having had some previous West Coast stops in Long Beach and San Diego. The U.S.-based electronics trade association organized the event in response to an industry need for a fair, cost-effective way of focusing on electronics assembly products and technology.

The Anaheim Resort which now hosts the exhibition and conference is a significantly enhanced facility. Landscaping, pedestrian avenues and traffic thoroughfares have been entirely redone. Major roadway projects have been completed and provide improved access to the facility. Hotel accommodations and availability have improved significantly and provide more options in a variety of price ranges. Nearby after-hours entertainment options have expanded considerably and include the Downtown Disney, which offers everything from sports to live blues and jazz to salsa dancing, plus a wide selection of domestic and international cuisine to match a variety of different tastes and requests.

The Anaheim Convention Center features about 1.6m square feet of meeting and exhibit space, presenting the Apex’s kaleidoscope of activities including a high-class technical conference with more than 110 papers in manufacturing and the environment, advanced assembly and technology roadmaps. Also included are 60 full and half-day professional development courses, providing hands-on training on such topical subjects such as lead-free technology, SMT troubleshooting, MEMS, optoelectronics, zero-defect soldering and many more.

Three speakers will present free keynote addresses. Robert J. Herbold, retired executive vice president and CEO at Microsoft, kicks off the week with ”Discipline at the core, creativity at the edge: a strategy for improving profitability and agility”. James Burke, science historian, will stir the visitors with ”Innovation and change”, an explanation of the shifting technological landscape and exploration of information’s key role in the process of innovation. Niels Warburg, professor of the University of Stuttgart, will enlighten his audience with ”The science of lead-free manufacturing”, addressing the lead-free issue from varying perspectives along the electronics industry supply chain. Apex will also offer free forums on an assortment of various subjects, for example, electronics manufacturing in China, industry recycling trends, supply chain communication, implementing boundary-scan in assembly test, etc.

Gerhard B. Wolski