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EPTE Newsletter from Japan: NEPCON Japan 2014

NEPCON Japan 2014 is Asia’s largest electronics packaging trade show. The three-day event was held at Tokyo Big Sight, January 15-17. Lighting Japan 2014 and Automotive World 2014 were held concurrently with the show. More than 1,800 companies and organizations squeezed into the venue and all aisles were packed with visitors from open to close all three days. Navigating through the show proved to be challenging; the unofficial visitor figures reached upwards of 60,000!

The show has evolved through the years. Previously, anything having to do with electronic packaging or even related to electronic packaging could be found in virtually all trade booths. It was the main product or service on display and the center of conversation. Most of the companies that reserved these booths made their money from materials, PCBs and manufacturing equipment, assembling machines, solder-related materials and machines, and EMS companies.Most of these companies no longer participate in the show with the exception of suppliers for mounting machines (they had magnificent trade booths). This is a direct reflection of the current trends in the electronics and PCB industry in Japan. The predominant industries represented at the show hailed from the lighting devices segment (mostly LED products), car electronics, and electric vehicles (EV). The companies that featured products from the aforementioned industries reserved relatively large booths and occupied more than half the floor space. These segments are now trending to become the main sources of revenue for the Japanese electronics industry.

Most of the applications were germane to LED arrays for area lighting, car interior devices, safety systems, and navigation systems. Almost the same as last year--nothing really new. It seems like the electronics industry comes out with new products and ideas and just improves on them for the next five years or so.

Most of the major circuit board manufacturers and related material and machine suppliers were a no show at NEPCON Japan. Surprisingly, flex circuit manufacturers made their presence known. I recognized more than a dozen flex circuit manufacturers at the show. Most had small, conservatively-sized booths, but they displayed very unique products such as copper-free circuits and elastic flexible circuits.

Another change at the show was an increase in the number of small booths. I counted several hundred smaller sized booths that replaced the footprints left behind from larger companies that required larger and more elaborate booths. Most of these smaller booths were occupied by small local companies organized through the business community plan of a few cities and prefectures. They were subcontractors for specific technologies such as cutting, grinding, surface treatment, plating, molding, forming, laser process, etching, printing, lithography, and more. Their technologies are not very new, but they optimized performances over the years and their technologies became unique. The exhibition provides a great opportunity for such companies to showcase their processing technologies and they may be thrown some business when a larger manufacturer needs to outsource some of its own manufacturing.

And that’s what this show boils down to: A place to be seen, showcase your hard work, and build a network. Only good things can come from being seen, showcasing your hard work, and building a business network!

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. Tanaka Denshi Kogyo (Specialty metal supplier in Japan) 1/8The supplier has rolled out a new heat-resistant aluminum alloy bonding wire, “TALF,” that features higher reliability and equivalent conductor resistance.

2. JEITA (Industry organization in Japan) 1/10The organization has released the second edition of the Guideline of Reliability Certification for automotive semiconductor ICs.

3. Rohm (Major device manufacturer in Japan) 1/10The manufacturer has created the Kyoto Fuel Cell Alliance for solid hydrogen fuel cells with 16 other companies. Several prefectures also support the alliance.4. Toppan Printing (Major printing company in Japan) 1/14The company has built a new manufacturing line of thin FC-BGA substrates at its Niigata plant. Operations will begin before the end of 2014.

5. Sharp (Major electronics company in Japan) 1/16The company has unveiled new 70V/60V touch panel displays, called “Big Pad,” that feature smooth touch.

6. Yano Research (Market research company in Japan) 1/21The company estimates the global market size of automobile network devices to hit 219.2 billion yen in 2013, 464.8 billion yen by 2020.

7. SEAJ (Industry organization in Japan) 1/22The organization announced the December book-to-bill ratio of FPD manufacturing equipment was 0.42. Shipments increased 131.2%, but orders decreased 19.7% from the same month of the previous year.

8. ASE (Major packaging material supplier in Taiwan) 1/23The supplier expects a 10 to 15% revenue decline in the first quarter due to wastewater trouble. Orders have been shifted to SPIL and others.

9. LG Electronics (Major electronics company in Korea) 1/22The company has rolled out a new smart phone, called “G Flex,” that features a 6” curved OLED panel for the Japanese market.

10. Stratasys (Printer supplier in the U.S.) 1/23The supplier, in cooperation with a local stationary store, will open a Production Lab in Fukuoka, Japan. 

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