The last electronics trade show of the year has held on Dec. 14 for three days at Tokyo Big Sight.
The slumping semiconductor market in Japan remains slow; however, I could be optimistic that the trade show would reveal some signs of an upturn for the industry.
Usually, the last day of the trade show is the busiest. Engineers and technical staff request half day or full day exception time to attend the show with hopes of discovering some new business or technology trends. This year was not too busy – there was no buzzing about new products and the exhibition halls were very quiet.
The amount of floor space reserved was almost the same as last year, but there were more exhibitors. The larger-sized companies that always reserve space did not show up this year. A few of these no-shows were semiconductor companies, packaging companies and assemblers. On the other hand, there were a lot of new faces that reserved smaller-sized booths. These newcomers included smaller companies in the electronics manufacturing supply chain, students from local technical colleges, and a many small companies organized through local government. Usually, these small companies and technical colleges have no chance to promote their products any other way, so it is a great opportunity for them with plenty of upside. One problem they have is the inability to communicate and promote at this type of venue. Their technological savvy is fine, but their presentation and promoting skills are lacking in their small booth space.
There were not many foreign visitors. This is a big change from 10 years ago when there were a huge numbers of visitors from Korea and Taiwan. Nowadays, Korean and Taiwanese companies are leaders in the market and no longer look to Japan for industry ideas or breakthroughs. The common idea promoted by many companies was the Internet of Things (IoT). More than 50 companies presented something that involved IoT, and 50 more talked about IoT. However, the roadmap for IoT technology remains unclear, and presentations were not very helpful for to clear it up. It looks that the exhibitors and speakers did not have clear ideas about IoT.
Disco Corporation, a precision tool maker from Japan, had the largest and one of the best exhibit booths at the show. The booth drew a lot of attention from seasoned engineers as well as ordinary visitors. Applied Materials, a global giant in the industry also had an impressive booth, but they did not display or promote any new products or technologies. The booth was all flash, and few people stopped to look. Probably, demonstration of Minimal Fab had the largest number of audience. A new technology concept called Minimal Fab drew the largest amount of attention at the show. The new semiconductor production system was organized by AIST for small volume and quick turn manufacturing of the new semiconductor devices.
I was hoping to discover some new products or technologies targeted at the packaging and assembling industry. Unfortunately, there were not companies promoting to this segment. The only thing I discovered was a small display focusing on a flexible substrate with 8micron line/space provided by Raytech.
My itinerary was full this day, and I could not visit the entire show. What I did see was not new for the semiconductor industry in Japan, but there were a few signs of an improving business landscape.
Dominique K. Numakura, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DKN Research, www.dknresearch.com
DKN Research Newsletter #1636, Dec. 18, 2016 (English Edition)(Micro Electronics & Packaging) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.dknresearch.com
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Headlines of the Week
1. Tektronix Japan unveiled a new series of measuring equipment that provide secure data for volume resistivity and surface resistivity.
2. AIST developed a new type of transistor for large scale ICs. The new mechanism of the device minimizes the power consumptions of the semiconductor devices.
3. Showa Shell Sekiyu developed an artificial photosynthesis process that produces hydrocarbon molecules from water and carbon dioxide directly with 0.71% conversion rate.
4. Omron commercialized a new human being sensor “HVC-F”. The new sensor detects the numbers and positions of human beings with high accuracy.
5. Idemitsu plans to expand the manufacturing capacity of organic EL materials in Korea from 5 tons/year to 8 tons per year to satisfy the strong demands in Korea.
6. Sharp has started the business supporting service for the volume production of IoT venture companies.
7. Kyocera has developed the smallest hybrid home battery system with a large capacity (12kWh) introducing lithium ion batteries.
8. Sekisui Chemical started the business of the film base lithium ion batteries with large capacity. The battery was authorized by Kyocera’s solar power system.
9. DNP (Majwill strengthen the photo mask business for the next generation semiconductor manufacturing. The multi beam drawing system will realize 10 nanometers.
10. AIST developed a new non-contact measuring technology for the moisture of the agriculture products using electromagnetic wave.
Find the full articles here.
