Even though a cyclone reduced fair trading days to three, the 21st electronicAsia, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and MMI Asia Pte Ltd, concluded on 16 October 2017 and attracted around 26,000 buyers. Exhibitors at the concurrent HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) also sourced electronics parts and components at electronicAsia.
During the fairs, an independent survey of 1,025 exhibitors and buyers, commissioned by HKTDC, reported that more than half (54%) of the respondents expect their overall sales to increase in 2018. For major markets, respondents were most optimistic about ASEAN (92%), followed by the Chinese mainland (91%), Latin America (85%) and Taiwan (85%).
electronicAsia 2017 introduced a new zone for Power Supplies, covering battery storage cells, power supply accessories, inspection & control systems. Speaking during the fair, Jenny He, Marketing Executive Manager, Battery and Material Division, Hunan Corun New Energy Co Ltd from the Chinese mainland, said, “We are promoting our long-life power type batteries for household and industrial applications as well as electrical vehicle battery power packs. A number of buyers from India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Russia, Singapore and Ukraine have expressed interest and we expect to conclude business with more than 20 new customers.”
The exhibition also covered other elements – printed circuit boards and EMS, display technology, sensor technology, keyboards & switches, and parts & components. Three Asia’s powerhouse electronics providers organised pavilions: the Japan Pavilion featuring exhibitors from Saitama City, the Taiwan Pavilion featuring 38 companies, organised by the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA), and the Hong Kong Metals Manufacturers Association Pavilion.
“electronicAsia can really help us expand our presence worldwide and that’s why many Taiwanese companies are keen to join the excitement here every year. We have seen more overseas buyers coming from USA and Europe this year, allowing our enterprises to capture new business development opportunities. Buyers expressed strong interest in our products including switches, resistors, capacitors and inductors,” said Louis Yang, Project Manager, Mainland Affairs Department, TEEMA.
Underlining the international nature of electronicAsia, Dr. Measure Hung, Chairman, Mobicon Holdings Ltd, Hong Kong, said, “The buyers’ feedback has been positive again this year. A number of new customers from Australia, France, Germany, India, Russia and USA have made enquiries about our Clover Display products. Several buyers from Brazil, Iran and UAE also expressed serious interest in the professional tools by Rigol brand such as digital oscilloscopes and spectrum analysers.”
Sungmun Electronics is a leading manufacturer of LED modules and switches in Korea, exporting worldwide. “We are pleased to be here again this year to promote our latest LED modules, rotary DIP switches and mini slide switches. The feedback has been positive and we met with 20 new buyers from the Chinese mainland, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Russia and USA shortly after the official opening of the fair. This fair offers a solid platform to reach out to more international customers and promote our products. We can also take the chance to exchange ideas with other exhibitors worldwide,” said Jewel Kim, Assistant Manager, Overseas Sales Department, Sung Mun Electronics Co., Ltd.
For many buyers, electronicAsia offers a new dimension in sourcing. Mariusz Sochacki, Product Manager, Semicon Sp. z o.o., Poland, which distributes various brands of electronic components in Eastern Europe, had sourced mainly from Germany, Switzerland and the UK. “electronicAsia offers a good sourcing alternative for us. I have identified at least 20 potential suppliers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan for different items such as connectors, power inlets and sensors. I would like to come again to explore more opportunities.”
BKL-ELECTRONIC Kreimendahl GmbH of Germany sells some 5,000 different products to wholesalers and manufacturers in Germany and other European countries. Alf Kreimendahl, Owner & CEO of the company, said “We have been visiting electronicAsia for many years to source quality products. This year, we have found six new suppliers from the Chinese mainland for different items including connectors, plugs and sockets. This is the best place for us to source electronic components and parts. We come here every year to find new suppliers and enrich our offerings.”
Ken Matsumiya, President, ICZOO Corp., Japan, echoes these sentiments. “We are trading various electronic parts and components to customers in Japan, Europe and USA. This is my third visit to electronicAsia and so far I have found two new suppliers for semiconductors through the organiser’s business matching meetings and will place initial orders after negotiation. This is a very good fair featuring a lot of interesting products.”
As an important electronics marketplace, electronicAsia provides enormous opportunities to the industry. The fair adds more value with networking events such as the Joint Networking Reception with the Autumn Electronics Fair, and activities such as the Product Demo & Launch Pad and the Buyers’ Forum for visitors to explore various markets in depth.
Informative events are important platforms for dissemination of industry developments. A seminar on ‘Latest Development on Sensor Technology’ was addressed by Prof Dr. Ing. Markus Haid, Head of Competence Centre of Applied Sensor Systems, Darmstadt University of Applied Science, Germany. “Sensor technology plays an important role in the era of digitalisation. You can now integrate sensors with smart products, smart factories and smart business models that represent three important pillars of the digitalisation process. If you want to realise a smart product, you need sensors. For a smart factory, you need sensors. If you want to fulfill customer needs with a new smart business model, you also need sensors.”
The Hong Kong Electronic Forum, co-organised by Hong Kong Vocational Training Council and Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association, presented six top experts in a discussion on flexible technology. One of them was Prof Zheng Cui, Director of Printable Electronics Research Center, China Academy of Science from the Chinese mainland, who said that flexible electronics was transforming the way we make and use electronic devices. “The way forward is to embrace flexible electronics to provide value-added products with new functionality at lower cost to stay competitive in the market. Flexible electronics technology will inspire innovation.”
The next edition of electronicAsia is scheduled for October 13 – 16, 2018.
