Circuits Assembly - June 2008 - (Page 23)

Nepcon China Folungwin’s Smart3 printer was made from high quality components, but to some competitors the view inside looked awfully familiar. As usual, distribution dominates. Those companies that develop strong ties to the top distributors tend to do the best. From a business standpoint, China is fairly easy to get into; actually developing leads and making sales is an altogether different story. The top distributors at Nepcon China – including WKK, Kaison and AmericanTec – outshone all but the largest of the placement OEMs. Perhaps surprisingly, interest in cleaning has ramped here during the past few years. The best guess is that Southeast Asia’s high volumes of Pb-free material use – and its accompanying higher soldering temperatures – result in baked-on residues that are hard to remove and, in turn, force local manufacturers to migrate to more aggressive solutions. Companies like Aqueous Technologies, Zestron and Kyzen were all very positive about their opportunities here during the next few years. The Chinese are also going upmarket in test and inspection. With Western customers demanding lower failure rates, there’s a greater emphasis on advanced technologies such as x-ray. A handful of EMS firms exhibited, including Circuit Service, Beijing Brio, Panda and FEI Asia. The much-maligned Everbright Convention Center sported certain noticeable improvements, including redesigned electrical that removed many – but not all – of the “speed bumps” common on the show floor in years past. The site also has been painted. For years, exhibitors have been prodding Reed Exhibitions, which produces the Nepcon show, to move or upgrade the Everbright. The show producer is beginning to listen. Security was also tightened, with fewer watch vendors and other solicitors peddling their wares on the show floor. Nevertheless, the occasional smoker could still be spotted in the aisles. Changes are taking place outside the venue as well. I’ve been coming to China since early 2000, and every trip here reveals something new. On the outside, for example, where I was once something of an oddity – while walking the Bund, Chinese nationals would approach to touch my hair – Westerners are everywhere today. Indeed, English signage is so rampant, I joked with local friends that while they may end up with all our manucircuitsassembly.com A Saejong laser dual depanelizer, one of a handful of Chinese-made versions at this year’s show. facturing, they’ll also end up with our language. (They don’t think that’s funny.) While MMI, the producer of Productronica, has been making noise lately about its China show going head-to-head with Nepcon, it looks for now that the Reed-produced show will hold its ground. All the large exhibitors I spoke with plan to return to the Everbright next year, as Nepcon’s history of bringing in the attendees outweighs lingering concerns over the venue – and antipathy toward Reed itself. As noted by BTU product manager for electronics assembly Rob DiMatteo, a veteran of Nepcon China, attendance was strong. “Nepcon is a good show,” he said. “We’ve been busy.” It’s an oddity: Exhibitors dislike the producer and hate the venue, yet by virtue of its location, Nepcon China remains likely the premier annual electronics manufacturing exhibition in the world. (Its concurrent technical conference is not yet world-class, however.) One final observation: China leads the world in noise. Either everyone here is deaf, or in coming years hearing-aid makers are absolutely going to clean up. For a recap of the new products at Nepcon China – and there were many – visit circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/ category/8/120/125/. n Mike Buetow is editor in chief of CirCuits Assembly; mbuetow@upmediagroup.com. Circuits Assembly JUNE 2008 23 http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/category/8/120/125 http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/category/8/120/125 http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - June 2008

Circuits Assembly - June 2008 Contents Letters Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Screen Printing Better Manufacturing China Goes ‘Upmarket’ Out of the Garage Improving Production Line Performance Manufacturing Steps Onto the Enterprise IT Stage Measuring and Controlling Wave Height and Dwell Time Wave Soldering Tech Tips Test and Inspection Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Eastern Advances Semicon West Product Preview Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - June 2008

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