(November 30, 2022 - Taoyuan)
 

The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association Show (TPCA Show) and IMPACT Conference are the most important events on the annual calendar for Taiwan’s printed circuit board (PCB) industry. This year’s show was held at the end of October and was a tremendous success with 450 local and foreign exhibitors. The relaxation of border restrictions led to a noticeable recovery in the number of international buyers. Event attendance also reached a new high with 36,974 visitors, up 7.8% from last year.

Despite a generally conservative outlook among vendors due to the confounding effects of geopolitics and global inflation, the exhibition and conference provided a platform for greater industry cooperation. Activities focused on topics such as international exchange, platform innovations, sustainability, and net zero, and intelligent manufacturing reflected how the Taiwanese PCB industry is responding to global challenges by presenting a united front.

Taiwanese Companies Relaunch Global Strategy with Return of International Buyers

The most important theme at this year’s show was international exchange. The lifting of border restrictions meant there was an increase in the number of international buyers from Europe and North America once again. A number of Japanese equipment and material vendors staffed their booths with representatives from their headquarters as well. The representative offices of Southeast Asian countries were also invited to take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the TPCA Show and conference to strengthen the link between the PCB industry and Southeast Asia. The first TPCA International Outstanding Contribution Awards were held this year, as well, to recognize foreigners for their contributions to the Taiwanese PCB industry, and the award was presented to eight guests this years.
 

Global re-alignment is a hot topic among Taiwanese businesses right now. In the past, most Taiwanese PCB makers concentrated their production operations in Taiwan and China. Many producers are, however, actively evaluating the feasibility of new production locations due to global geopolitics and pressure from customers. Transportation costs is not a major issue for PCB blank panels, so the integrity of the supply chain is the principal factor for businesses looking to establish a new factory overseas. If this trend is inevitable, then Taiwanese vendors may be able to replicate the success of the Taoyuan and Kunshan clusters by making the move as a group. The forming of a team to assess new operating locations was therefore one of the most talked-about topics at this year’s TPCA Show.

Semiconductor Industry Takes the Lead: PCB Industry Bands Together on Advanced Packaging

The International Microsystems, Packaging, Assembly, and Circuits Technology Conference (IMPACT) held at the same time is second only to the Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) in the US in terms of size. A total of 198 speakers and authors of papers took part this year, including 61 from overseas. Keynote speakers this year included representatives from industry leaders such as TSMC, Qualcomm, Realtek, and Prismark dissecting trends in the development of advanced packaging and carriers.
 

Marketwise, the vibrant development of IC carriers over the past few years owed much to strong demand from high-speed computing; technology-wise, the development of new semiconductor processes in the post-Moore’s Law era now faces much higher costs, longer development teams, and decreasing returns on large chips. Chip development is therefore focusing on breakthroughs in advanced 2.5D or 3D packaging, a trend that is spurring increases in the surface area and layer-count of IC carriers as well.
 

The IC carrier is therefore a critical component of advanced packaging. A semiconductor packaging committee was therefore set up by the TPCA this year and a new IC carrier area added to the show. Taiwan’s top three PCB makers Unimicron, Nan Ya PCB, and Kinsus were also joined by AT&S, a top Austrian advanced carrier maker. The semiconductor packaging committee also met with the core members of the IMPACT committee during this conference to enhance connection and cooperation between the PCB and semiconductor industries.

Embracing ESG to Realize Sustainable PCBs

Climate action and ESG are now being rolled out with alacrity across the world due to the effects of climate change. Planning of this year’s TPCA Show followed the “low-carbon exhibition” concept for the 13th consecutive year, and 82% of exhibitors incorporated green concepts into the design of their fit-out; when we spoke to the exhibitors, many companies indicated that they have begun installing rooftop solar panels, or upgraded their offices/production equipment with LED lights and energy-saving motors. Some companies indicated that are already making provisions for higher electricity costs due to rising energy prices.
 

TPCA launched its first carbon inventory this year. The current situation and challenges facing the Taiwanese PCB industry in terms of carbon emissions were also revealed for the first time during the Sustainable PCB forum. An action plan and strategic blueprint for the low-carbon transition of the Taiwanese PCB industry is set to be announced at the general meeting in March next year.
 

The cultivation of talent is a key element of corporate sustainability. The PCB industry has always had a close working relationship with universities and the scope of cooperation was expanded beyond technology R&D to sustainability topics this year as well. Kinsus and National Central University for example signed a “Letter of Intent on Cultivation of Talents of Semiconductor Carriers and ESG” in October this year. TPCA Environment Foundation (TPCF) and the Graduate Institute of Environmental Education at National Taiwan Normal University also signed the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cultivation of TPCF Sustainability Talent” during the TPCA Show. The exchange of information, sharing of resources, and administrative support will hopefully lead to windfalls for the people, universities, businesses, and the industry.

Coming of Intelligent Manufacturing Sees AIoT and 5G Kick Off Innovative Business Model

Another highlight from the TPCA Show this year is the hardware shift towards AIoT. A number of equipment vendors emphasized that PCB manufacturing will becoming increasingly similar to that of semiconductors in that improvements to precision and efficiency will no longer be enough. The priority now is to reduce unnecessary human intervention. IoT will now be used to remotely monitor the operation of production lines. AI will also simultaneously analyze production data to reduce the rework rate, boost production line tick rate, and increase yields. At the same time, shortcomings in existing WiFi technology’s transmission rate and stability are becoming increasingly evident with the widespread adoption of AIoT technology. 5G communications promise advantages such as ultra-wideband, low latency, and high reliability. TPCA and TEEMA have therefore teamed up under the direction of the MOEA Industrial Development Bureau to launch an innovative leasing model for 5G private networks. A pledging ceremony was also held during the show to help lower the initial setup cost for PCB makers looking to introduce 5G.