Real Time with... productronica 2025: Looking Ahead to productronica, and a Stronger European Electronics Ecosystem

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Productronica is one of the largest electronics shows in the world, taking place Nov. 18–21 in Munich. The Global Electronics Association Europe will be there in force, hosting a full program each day of the show at their booth in Hall A1.

Philippe Leonard, head of the Association’s European office, recently shared what’s happening for our industry in Europe, details of the Hand Soldering World Championship at the show, a preview of a new Cable & Wire Harness competition kicking off in 2026, and information about the impressive lineup of speakers at the Electronics Industry Forum at the Association’s booth.

He also discusses the shifting landscape of electronics manufacturing in Europe and the Association’s critical role in working with policymakers and industry members to secure the European supply chain and support vital parts of the electronics manufacturing supply chain, chief among which are printed circuit boards.

The Association booth is a not-to-be-missed destination while at the show. No matter how busy your schedule is, make sure to stop by.

Marcy LaRont: Philippe, let’s start with an overview of the European electronics manufacturing landscape, which has seen some significant shifts. What is Europe's current position in the global supply chain?

Philippe Leonard: Europe is following a global trend where, for nearly 40 years, manufacturing for electronics shifted from Western to Eastern countries. Now, many countries want to protect their sovereignty and relocate what's possible so they can redevelop local industry, capacities, and abilities to produce critical products. Europe is exactly at that point. We had been shipping entire industries, manufacturing processes, technical knowledge, and competencies away from Europe to Asia and other countries. However, the pandemic was a tipping point, during which we all witnessed the over-dependency on global trade. The result was numerous supply chain disruptions across many industries, which has had a major impact.

Today, it's extremely difficult to envisage a totally self-sufficient autonomous sovereignty for this industry. There is a crucial battle in Europe to relocate what can be relocated to protect the electronics manufacturing industry’s supply chain and ecosystem, especially those verticals that can remain active, dynamic, and efficient in Europe. These include EMS providers, OEMs, equipment manufacturers, and, of course, the PCB manufacturing industry, which is very critical and really in danger in Europe.

LaRont: How is the proposed Chips Plus Act, or Chips Act 2.0—which is similar to the proposed U.S. PCB and Substrates Act—meant to address the reality that chips don’t get there by themselves?

Leonard: That's a space where the Global Electronics Association has been extremely active over the past five years. The initial European Chips Act promoted action aimed at recreating industrial capacities to produce silicon and chips on European soil, but without a full understanding of how electronics work. We've been actively advocating for and promoting not only that the chips should be the target, but the entire electronics ecosystem should be protected and supported, meaning everything around the chip.

There is this saying that silicon or chips don't float. They need to land on the board, to be soldered, and have an interconnection. They only operate as part of a system. Europe really needs the Chips Plus Act to encompass everything that promotes and supports each aspect of this ecosystem, allowing European industry to design, produce, and manufacture these different, critical elements of the whole system.

This recent evolution of the Chips Act is about sovereignty and security, and promoting and supporting local solutions for critical security and critical industry. That's where we are. Unfortunately, timelines do not work in our favor—the timeline for policymakers is not very compatible with that of entrepreneurs and industry. That’s the landscape we’re navigating.

With this approach, the Global Electronics Association has successfully repositioned itself as the pan-European voice for the electronics manufacturing industry, and that is extremely positive and important for the electronics manufacturing industry in Europe.

LaRont: We're all trying to create a more robust domestic manufacturing base to create more resilient and secure supply chains. It’s been noted that there’s a distinct difference between Europe and the United States in that Europe is more balanced and realistic about its place in the global economy and the need for global partners for various purposes. How do you envision European manufacturers striking a balance between the need for localization and the realities of global interdependence?

Leonard: There are two aspects to this question. First, you have two kinds of European players: the purely domestic players, and those that are international and eventually global with operations and factories in different regions in the world. Both are realistic about their capacity.

Additionally, everything done in Europe must be more consensual. There's not a single decision maker, but rather a complex and sometimes difficult decision-making process that must be followed to enforce a decision in Europe. That being said, we should focus on where we can still have an influence, and I believe that comes from OEMs at the manufacturing level, boards, assembly, and wire harness.

There is a desire to support, protect, rebuild, and regain some of these capacities, but everybody knows that the solution for the European industry may be more in diversifying the supply chain and product component sources to balance and manage the risks, rather than expecting industrial autonomy in certain portions of the process. In my opinion, this reality is widely accepted in Europe.

LaRont: What can or should European policymakers do differently?

Leonard: There are two aspects of policymaking that we could improve in Europe. The Global Electronics Association is working to bridge the awareness gap by informing policymakers about what electronics manufacturing truly entails, as many of them are unfamiliar with the industry. They don't really understand the difference between chips and a complete working system.

So, a big part of our job is to highlight and elevate their knowledge and understanding of how equipment is designed and manufactured, and explain the key elements in this process. This understanding is critical. Lacking this knowledge led to the first Chips Act, a decision to invest billions of euros in chip production, but without considering the whole system needed for a chip to operate.

The second point concerns critical industries and the industrial risks associated with managing the existing supply chain effectively. Although not everything is made in Europe, it's about making conscious and informed decisions about what we can subcontract securely outside the borders of the European Union. Where do the security and supply chain risks within your electronics products lie? This is a crucial driver for the next steps in European policy in this area. Many discussions are taking place about what is critical and what is not, as well as what constitutes a risk. Ultimately, PCBs are part of this discussion because they include a lot of IP and a significant potential security risk.

LaRont: Philippe, let’s turn our attention to next week’s productronica. What can you tell me about your booth this year?

Leonard: The Global Electronics Association booth will be located in Hall A1, Booth 321, and offers visitors a variety of resources. First, we will provide a meeting place where industry professionals can gather, visit, relax, and discuss a range of topics important to their businesses.

A second area will be dedicated to our Hand Soldering Competition World Championship, an event we have hosted in six regions worldwide. In addition to the regional hand-soldering competition for Germany, all regional winners have been invited to participate in the world championship competition, taking place on Thursday and Friday. Fifteen regional champions will “cross irons,” as they say, battling it out to be crowned best in the world. They have 60 minutes to produce a very complex circuit board assembly with more than 130 tiny components that must be soldered manually, and their work must be in full compliance with IPC-610 Class 3. It is both a great challenge and a great honor to win. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday. Please check our website for the full agenda.

LaRont: That sounds exciting and fun to watch. What else is happening at the booth?

Leonard: In 2026, we will be adding a cable and wire harness assembly competition to our roster, with the first competition scheduled for February 2026 in the UK. So, one section of our booth will feature a mockup showcasing the new competition, allowing future competitors to see what’s in store. Some of our master IPC trainers who are skilled in IPC-620—which covers cable wire harness and connectors—will be the competition judges next year, and it will be very interesting to watch them exercise their talents and understand the specific skill set required to complete a wire harness assembly. That will take place on each of the four days of the show on booth A1-321.

LaRont: That sounds like a great new addition to the program. What are some of the educational presentations being presented? 

Leonard: We will have four different sessions on specific topics each day, presented by industry experts. Presentation topics include technology solutions, digital manufacturing, design, sustainability, supply chain resilience, and industry intelligence and market outlook. They start at 10 a.m., last 60 minutes, and there will be an hour break between each one. Again, visit our website for the full agenda and specific presentation times.

LaRont: That's a lot going on at your booth. It's safe to say, however busy you may be as an attendee, make some time to stop by the Global Electronics Association booth.

Leonard: Yes, absolutely. Thank you very much, Marcy. See you next week.