Despite a significant change to entry requirements shortly before it was due to take place owing to rising numbers of Covid-19 infections in Germany, Productronica 2021 went ahead as planned on 16–19 November 2021 in Munich. According to organisers, a total of 894 exhibitors from 36 countries and about 20,000 visitors from nearly 70 countries attended the international trade fair for electronics development and production. This compares to over 1,500 exhibitors and 44,000 visitors in 2019, the last time the fair was held. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of participants came from Europe, with 40 per cent of all visitors coming from Germany. After the home nation, the countries best represented at the fair were (in this order) Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Spain, Turkey, Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Netherlands.
“We are really very happy that we could hold Productronica as an in-person event,” Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO of Messe München, said. “As you might expect, this year’s exhibition turned out to basically be Europe’s leading trade fair. But its appeal extended well beyond the region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as the large number of visitors from Italy, France, Israel and Turkey demonstrated.”
“Productronica demonstrated once again that it is actually something more than the leading trade fair for electronics production,” Rainer Kurtz, the Chairman of the Advisory Board for Productronica and the CEO of Kurtz Holding, said. “For our customers and business partners, there is no alternative to personal contact. The industry lives from this showcase of innovation. Considering the current pandemic situation, we think the trade fair was a complete success.”
Volker Pape, a co-founder and member of the Supervisory Board at Viscom AG, also commented: “We are happy that we could meet face to face with our customers once again and make live presentations of Viscom technology, even amid all of the restrictions. productronica proved its importance as a leading trade fair even in these times. The number of visitors was certainly below the levels seen during ‘normal’ times, but it was still much higher than expected.”
Innovation awards
The event was once again split into industry clusters called: ‚PCB & EMS‘; ‚SMT‘; ‚Cables, Coils & Hybrids‘; ‚Semiconductor‘; and ‚Future Markets‘ / Smart Factory. For each of these clusters, one company was awarded with the Productronica Innovation Award, presented in partnership with Hüthig Verlag. The winning companies at this year’s event were:
- Cluster “Cables, Coils & Hybrids”: Schleuniger AG
- Cluster “Future Markets”: Koh Young Europe GmbH
- Cluster “Inspection & Quality”: Alfamation S.p.A.
- Cluster “PCB & EMS”: IO Tech
- Cluster “Semiconductor”: AP&S International GmbH
- Cluster “SMT”: SMT Maschinen- und Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG
On top of awards and live product demonstrations, the expo also offered a broad program of presentations, round tables and discussions focusing on market and future technology trends for various industry sectors, as well as lectures on wider topics such as automation, electromobility and ethics.
Semicon Europa
In addition to the Semiconductor cluster of the event, the annual SEMICON Europa trade show, dedicated to the European microelectronics industry, was once again co-located with Productronica. Hosting around 230 exhibitors from the sector, the event also offered an auxiliary forum for global executives to discuss insights into the European market and its future opportunity and shared their perspective of the industry. Attendees could also attend the TechARENA in which global industry leaders, market research organizations, suppliers, and highly influential experts from every segment of the electronics supply chain had the opportunity to meet and discuss innovation and strategy.
Productronica online
As you would expect from a fair taking place in the midst of a global pandemic, Productronica also offered a substantial virtual platform for attendees. Making its debut in 2021 ‘productronica online’ was created to help exhibitors and visitors digitally connect to one another. According to organisers, the platform went live on November 8 and will remain online until November 26. All individuals taking part in the in-person event in Munich automatically had access to it, and by the final day of the show, about 5,000 participants had used this new service.
Productronica 2023
The next event, Productronica 2023, will be held from 14 – 17 November 2023 in Munich.
