Originally launched as part of the electronica trade show, productronica has since evolved into a leading international platform for electronics development and production. Over the decades, it has grown into a central meeting point for the European electronics manufacturing community. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, CEO of Messe München, emphasized its importance, stating: “Productronica plays an indispensable role by setting the pace for the entire industry.”
At the last edition in 2023, productronica hosted 1,400 exhibitors from 45 countries and welcomed 42,000 industry professionals. Germany, the United States, and China were the top three exhibiting countries, with China accounting for 80 exhibitors. For 2025, organizers expect a similar or even larger turnout, with around 1,400 companies presenting solutions across the fields of PCB and EMS; SMT; semiconductors; inspection and quality; future production and smart factory; as well as cables, coils, and hybrids.
Running alongside productronica, SEMICON Europa will once again occupy Halls B1, C1, and C2 of the Munich trade fair grounds, creating one of the largest combined platforms for electronics manufacturing and semiconductor innovation in Europe.
Advanced packaging
The event will delve deeply into advanced packaging, a cornerstone for next-generation electronics. Unlike traditional chip encapsulation, advanced packaging leverages methods such as 2.5D and 3D integration, chiplet technologies, and wafer-level packaging to maximize performance and efficiency. These approaches are key enablers for high-performance computing, AI accelerators, 5G and IoT devices, automotive systems, and medical technologies.
As semiconductor scaling approaches physical limits, advanced packaging has emerged as the critical pathway for higher performance. Technologies such as heterogeneous integration, system-in-package designs, and multi-chip modules allow multiple processing units to be integrated on a single substrate, significantly improving power density and bandwidth.
However, these innovations come with new challenges:
- Increasingly complex supply chains require tight coordination and digitalization.
- Testing and inspection processes must adapt to ultra-fine structures, raising costs and risks.
- Process capabilities and cost efficiency are essential to scaling production effectively.
At productronica, the VDMA Special Exhibit (Hall B2, Stand 461) will highlight collaborative research efforts in this area. Visitors will encounter contributions from Silicon Austria Labs, PhoenixD, and Schweizer Electronic, showcasing applications such as micro-optical systems for tap-proof telecommunications and embedding technology for power electronics.
Market analysts from Yole predict the advanced packaging market will grow to $69.5 billion by 2029, underscoring its strategic importance.
Focus on power electronics
Power electronics underpin critical applications in e-mobility, renewable energy, industrial automation, and high-frequency/high-voltage systems. By utilizing wide-bandgap materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), manufacturers are able to reduce power losses, shrink component sizes, and improve thermal management—all while ensuring high reliability.
Although GaN and SiC devices remain more costly than conventional silicon-based IGBTs or MOSFETs, their superior switching performance and efficiency advantages are driving rapid adoption. Their wider bandgaps (3.4 eV for GaN and 3.2 eV for SiC, compared to 1.1 eV for silicon) provide: Higher switching frequencies; better heat dissipation; stronger breakdown resistance; and lower power consumption. At the VDMA Special Exhibit, visitors will see real-world applications of these technologies:
- Schweizer Elektronik will demonstrate how Si-MOSFETs can optimize inverters for starter generators.
- Silicon Austria Labs will showcase energy converter control panels for wind turbines, made more efficient through modern power components.
- Elektra Solar will present an electrically powered aircraft, illustrating the potential of power electronics in aviation.
Secure microelectronics
The third focal point of the trade fair is secure microelectronics—a theme that has gained urgency as supply chains globalize and connected devices proliferate. The objective is to develop and produce semiconductor technologies that are safe, dependable, and tamper-proof, ensuring integrity and trust across the value chain.
Secure microelectronics are especially vital in safety-critical industries such as automotive, medical technology, industrial automation, and defense, where data authenticity, cybersecurity, and resilience against attacks are non-negotiable.
Current trends shaping secure microelectronics include:
- Hardware-based security: Growing use of secure enclaves, physically unclonable functions (PUFs), and trusted platform modules (TPMs) to provide root-of-trust protection at the chip level.
- Supply chain integrity: Efforts to trace component origins through digital twins, blockchain, and serialization, ensuring that counterfeit or tampered parts are identified and excluded.
- Post-quantum security: Research into encryption methods resilient to quantum computing, which threatens to undermine today’s cryptographic standards.
- AI-driven threat detection: Integration of machine learning into microelectronics to enable real-time monitoring and anomaly detection at the hardware level.
- Sustainability and regulation: EU initiatives such as the European Chips Act emphasize both local semiconductor production and security-by-design principles to safeguard critical infrastructures.
At productronica 2025, exhibitors will present solutions that address these challenges, from chip-level hardware root of trust to secure manufacturing processes and tamper-resistant packaging techniques. This area of the show will highlight not only the technological advances but also the cross-industry collaborations necessary to strengthen resilience in the electronics ecosystem.
Recognizing innovation
As tradition dictates, Messe München will present the Productronica Innovation Awards during the event. Scores of exhibitors have submitted products and solutions across categories such as Cables, Coils and Hybrids; Future Markets; Inspection and Quality; PCB and EMS; and Semiconductor andS MT. An independent jury will evaluate the entries, and winners will be announced during the show.
Ideal platform for exchange
The VDMA Innovation Forum will provide visitors with the opportunity to attend expert-led lectures on the latest packaging, power, and security technologies. Discussions will cover not only technical developments but also economic and policy perspectives.
Complementing the exhibition and conference program, networking events at both productronica and SEMICON Europa will allow industry professionals to connect, exchange ideas, and build collaborations in a relaxed setting.
The event is expected to set the pace for the next era of electronics manufacturing. From advanced packaging and power electronics to secure microelectronics, the 50th anniversary edition brings together global innovators, research leaders, and industry pioneers.
Once again, over a period of four exhibition days, Munich will be the place to discover breakthrough technologies, forge strategic connections, and shape the future of electronics.
