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EPTE Newsletter from Japan: CEATEC Japan 2013

The Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, (CEATEC), is Japan’s largest IT and electronics exhibition and conference. The five-day show was held at Makuhari Messe, a convention center outside Tokyo. The show is held every October, but  this year’s show was much different from those in the past, as the electronics industry has dramatically slowed.

The theme of CREATEC Japan 2013 was “Smart Innovation – Technology for Future Society and Lifestyles.” The exhibits lived up to this slogan came from car electronics, 4k TV, and healthcare.

More than one-third of floor space was occupied by automobile manufacturers and module manufacturers. These companies showcased their products and demonstrated the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and telematics technologies (car electronics). A large section of space was reserved for concept vehicles of the future.  Nissan’s car on display featured a commercially-viable autonomous drive technology. The driver did not touch the steering wheel or break and gas pedals while the car was running. The car detects traffic signs and other vehicles in traffic and chooses the safest route. Toyota and Honda also showcased concept cars that looked more like moving robots.  

The most popular product on display from electronics exhibitors were 4k TVs, or ultra-high-definition televisions. The large-panel TVs on display were LCD screens and OLED screens and were very appealing to the eye with their clear resolution and brightness; however, there was not much difference among the manufacturers. 3D TVs seem to have evaporated from the scene completely; it seems everyone forgot about the aggressive advertising campaigns and promotion a few years ago touting the benefits of 3D TV. Most Japanese electronics companies at the show did not present very much about smart phones and tablet PCs. Could this mean they are giving up on this segment of the market? Unfortunately, alternative business avenues are not very clear--it seems the only viable candidate is 4k TV.

Manufacturers of passive components, connectors, and materials were very aggressive with sales pitches during the show (semiconductor manufacturers not so much). They promoted modules or systems to use instead of simple components that moved upstream and downstream. Their targeted audience for some of their applications were customers who dealt with healthcare equipment including medical devices. Their products were uniquely different from manufacturer to manufacturer. Kyocera, a major device manufacturer, featured a high-quality film speaker based on a unique piezo material.

In summary, the exhibitors included Japanese automobile manufacturers, large electronic companies, and device manufacturers. The automobile and device manufacturers developed new electronics that should carry them into the future. Japanese electronic companies have no clear vision for either long- or short-term markets. Let's hope the 4K TV is their lottery ticket.

Dominique K. Numakura, dnumakura@dknresearch.com DKN Research, www.dknresearchllc.com

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Headlines of the Week

(Please contact haverhill@dknreseach.com for further information on the news.)1. Denso (Major car electronics company in Japan) 9/12The company will invest 21 million euros to expand the capacities of R&D centers in Germany for European customers.2. Teijin (Major material supplier in Japan) 9/13The supplier has developed a new phosphorous-based flame retardant reagent for styrene and polyamide resins used for electronics and automobile applications. 3. Hitachi Appliance (Device manufacturer in Japan) 9/13The manufacturer has commercialized a new photovoltaic cell module (210W) with a single crystal silicon for home use.4. DENKA (Major material supplier in Japan) 9/17The supplier will build a new manufacturing plant for high-purity carbon black used as the conductor material of electrodes in lithium batteries.5. Fuji Film (Major film and camera manufacturer in Japan) 9/26The manufacturer has co-developed a new photo resist with sub micron resolution for the lithographic process of organic semiconductors.6. Toppan Printing (Major printing company in Japan) 9/27The company has co-developed a new heat-resistant IC TAG for use in severe situations such as construction. The new tags survive 450 degrees C for 10 minutes.7. Panasonic (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/The company has opened a new R&D center in Singapore for encapsulation materials used in power semiconductor devices.8. NEC (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/1The company has co-developed a new, next-generation lithium ion battery with a high energy density of 271 Wh/kg using Fe/Mn electrodes for electronic vehicles.9. Toray (Major material supplier in Japan) 10/1The supplier has developed a new photo resist for use in the photolithography process of power devices. It will simplify ion implantation process of SiC-based semiconductors. 10. Kyocera (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/2The company has completed the acquisition of Toppan NEC Circuit Solutions, a major manufacturers of PCBs and semiconductor substrates.11. Panasonic (Major electronics company in Japan) 10/3The company has rolled out a new, low-cost connector series, “L2,” for LED lighting system wiring.

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