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EPTE Newsletter from Japan: InterNEPCON Japan 2013

The 42nd InterNEPCON Japan, Asia’s largest exhibition and conference for electronics, was held at Tokyo Big Sight January 16-19, 2013. The show attracted more than 1,000 companies and organizations, making the show truly the largest gathering for the electronics packaging industry in the world. InterNEPCON is made up several individual shows, including:

• 3rd Micro Fabrication/Fine Process Technology Expo;
• 3oth ElectoTest;
• 14th Printed Wiring Board Expo;
• 14th IC Packaging Technology Expo;
• 4th Advanced Electronic Materials Expo;
• 14th Electronic Components Expo;
• 1st Automotive IT Expo;
• 5th International Automotive Electronics Technology Expo;
• 4th EV and HEV Drive System Technology Expo;
• 3rd Automotive Weight Reduction Expo;
• 1st Tokyo Design Lighting Expo and Conference;
• 5th LED/OLED Lighting Technology Expo; and
• 3rd LED/OLED Light Expo.

The electronics industry in Japan continues to struggle and remains in a slump. The show offered an opportunity to discover new business opportunities and review technology trends for the industry. The only drawback had to do with the size and scope of the show. The exhibition was so large that it was impossible for me to really explore all the events in three days. I had to prioritize my list and skip a few of them.

The early morning of the first day was the least busy. Later that day, visitors began to flock to the show,and the aisles were bustling with businessmen in suits and ties. Most in attendance were from Japan. Unlike previous years, there weren’t too many visitors from other countries.     

The most popular topics of conversation at the show swirled around electronic packaging for smart phones and tablet PCs. The conversation was popular, but the exhibitors had little interest in showcasing anything to do with mobile electronics. It is understandable because the consumer electronic market in Japan continues to shrink year over year.  

Many major circuit board manufacturers and IC substrate manufacturers that were at last year’s show didn’t bother to reserve space this year. Their replacements were new circuit manufacturers with specialized technologies that could take pages and pages to describe.  

Laminate and chemical suppliers for printed circuit manufacturing were well represented at the show; they secured a large amount of space and displayed new technologies and products.

I was a bit disappointed that I did not discover any new innovations or technologies. I did find many new vendors for specialty circuits--that’s about it.

A lot of buzz surrounded the automobile and lighting shows. The popularity of these two shows leads me to believe that much of the potential business could be generated from these segments. The common buzzwords I heard were energy saving, efficiency, and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). The staff working the booths in the automotive and lighting sections talked about their new technologies optimizing the efficiencies of materials and energies. Most of the automobile zones were occupied by domestic companies, while those in the lighting zone were represented by foreign companies. Unfortunately, there were too many companies and new technologies, and I did not have enough time really review everything in these zones.  

I always enjoy myself at this show and look forward to attending InterNEPCON JAPAN 2014.

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. NSSCC (Copper laminate supplier for flex circuits in Japan) 1/7 The supplier has agreed to a joint marketing venture with Chinese laminate manufacturer Shengyi Technology for China and Hong Kong markets.2. Showa Denko (Major chemical company in Japan) 1/10The company has co-developed a new graphene from thin graphite manufacturing process with Tohoku University.3. Nihon Superior (Major soldering material supplier in Japan) 1/16The supplier has commercialized a new nano silver paste, “Alco-Nano,” for the electrode generation of solar cells.4. Sharp (Major electronics company in Japan) 1/16The company has developed a new large capacity lithium ion battery, “JH-WB1201/1202,” for home use.5. Nippon Electric Glass (Major glass product supplier in Japan) 1/16The supplier has demonstrated a roll-shape thin glass sheet coated with ITO conductive layer assuming RTR production of large area flexible OLED light sources.6. Tokyo Gas (Major gas supplier in Japan) 1/17The supplier has co-developed a new low-cost fuel cell power source module with Panasonic for home use. The sales price is lower than two million yen.7. Innolux (Major display panel manufacturer in Taiwan) 1/18The manufacturer plans to invest NT $5 billion for R&D and automation in Taiwan targeting tablet PCs. The move will create 4,500 new jobs.8. Panasonic (Major electronics company in Japan) 1/21The company will roll out a new 7” tablet PC, “TOUGHPAD JT-B1,” with high toughness. The device passed a 1.5 meter drop test and MIL-STD-810G vibration test.9. Epson (Major electronics company in Japan) 1/23The company has commercialized a new large-size (A3 plus) flat bed scanner, “ES-G11000,” with high resolution (2,400 dpi).10. Mitsubishi Electric (Major electric & electronics company in Japan) 1/23The company will roll out new 8.4” and 10.6” reliable LCD panels with touch screen for industrial and business use. 

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