Dear Sir or Madam, The productronica 2009 could not elude the general economic situation, of course. But this year’s low attendance was clearly compensated by the quality of the show: exhibitors and visitors are unanimous!  As the world’s leading trade fair, the productronica also fulfilled another key function, that of industry barometer. The trade fair started on a bleak note but slowly moved into more promising waters by the end! Medium-sized businesses signalized that investment budgets were available and decisions were being made. It is not yet possible to make any comments about the long-term effect of these signs, but we are pleased about the first positive results. We hope that you and your family enjoy what remains of the year. As for us, we will be back next year with more helpful tips and information in our productronica newsletter – hopefully under better economic conditions! Sincerley, Stefan Lotter Deputy Exhibition Director productronica News from the Trade Shows Markets and Trends Technology Product innovations People Business Life News from the Trade Shows productronica 2009 – The final report In 2009, productronica was also the central meeting point for the international electronics manufacturing industry. Although the general economic crisis left an impact on the world’s leading trade fair, the first signs of optimism for the future were visible. Read more      VIDEO: CEO Round Table – “Innovations as a driving force for surviving the current crisis” This year’s CEO round table and keynote from Ram Charan were recorded for you in their full length. Watch and listen what the “heavyweight round” had to say about the crisis and how to get through it thanks to innovations. Read more     AUDIO: Tours of the productronica Accompany podcaster Annik Rubens on her tours of the productronica 2009, where she met fascinating people and focused on topics from photovoltaics to automation, and ultra-thin interconnect devices to cable manufacturing. Read more      Markets and Trends IPC: The world market for EMS will continue to grow in 2010 The EMS sector was the last in the electronics supply chain to feel the impact of the global recession, but growth is expected to return in 2010. Read more     iSuppli: Thin-film technology’s share of solar panel market to double by 2013 Thin-film solar cells are rapidly taking market share away from the established crystalline technology, with their portion of Photovoltaic (PV) wattage more than doubling by 2013. Read more     Technology Working together to design robust silicon chips The EUREKA MEDEA+ microelectronics Cluster ROBIN project has resulted in much improved design methods for high performance silicon chips. Leading European semiconductor chipmakers, electronic circuit developers and design automation equipment manufacturers worked closely together to tackle a series of problems much earlier in the design phase. Read more     Self-organizing production in future Scientists from the fields of microsystems technology, information technology and production engineering have shown at productronica for the first time how the intelligent factory of the future could function. Read how the self-organizing production will make production more flexible, more efficient and more environmentally-friendly. Read more     Cost-efficient production process and homogeneous luminosity for OLEDs The lighting industry is looking for economic production techniques for organic lighting. In cooperation with Philips, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is developing an innovative, cost-efficient process for applying conductor paths to OLEDs. Read more     A delicate grip Solar wafers for use in the production of photovoltaic systems are extremely sensitive. In a test and demonstration center research is being conducted on grippers to determine the best way of handling delicate wafers in order to optimize the production process. Read more     Product innovations World premiere – fully automatic flash/IC multifunctional tester Read more     New “plug & work” production cell can be adapted to suit any kind of work flow situation Read more     Climate and Temperature Test for Solar and Photovoltaic Units Read more     Software simplifies complexity of SMD pick and place system Read more     Dispensing platform enables real off-line programming Read more     Inline test systems for the stress test at 85°C for PCBs and assemblies Read more     Wirereinforced hoses meet new TRBS 2153 rule Read more     People Arthur L. Schawlow Award presented to Valentin Gapontsev (engl.) This year, the Laser Institute of America (LIA) presented the highest price in the laser technology sector, the Arthur L. Schawlow Award, to Valentin Gapontsev, CEO of IPG Photonics Corporation. Congratulations! Read more     Business Life Seven tips for more productive meetings Meetings can provide a good opportunity to make important decisions, update those involved in a project or develop new ideas together. Read on to find out how these meetings can be made more productive. Read more     The seven types of wastage in production Established routines can make employees blind to a company’s deficiencies. It is then very difficult to identify where wastage occurs. A trained eye is needed. Read on to find out what types of wastage occur in production. Read more     9 Tips to Manage Your Time Better If your personal time planning regularly gets off course, you are using too much energy to manage your tasks. In the long run, this is a threat to your reputation and undermines your personal control. Read how to manage your time better. Read more           Issue No.11/2009, 02.12.2009 Imprint    www.productronica.com Supplier: Messe München GmbH Messegelände, 81823 München Tel.: +49(0)89/949 114 38 ISSN 1613-7310 Entry in the register: Registration Court Munich HRB 6311 VAT ID no.: DE 129424028 Names of persons authorised to represent the company: Manfred Wutzlhofer (Chairman & CEO), Norbert H. Bargmann (Managing Director), Klaus Dittrich (Managing Director), Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer (Managing Director), Eugen Egetenmeir (Deputy Managing Director) Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Martin Zeil Bavarian State Minister for the Economy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology www.messe-muenchen.de info@productronica.com