Made and sold in Asia

Nepcon China, held in Shanghai early this April, was undoubtedly the highlight for the electronics manufacturing industry in Asia in the past two months. The show brought together many familiar industry players vying for a piece of Chinaʼs, as well as the rest of Asiaʼs, electronics manufacturing market. While the list reads like a whoʼs who of top companies in the industry, a new group of smaller players from Asia are starting to emerge with offerings that they say, suit markets like China better.

The premise is simple for these equipment manufacturers. Use the same hardware and software platform as those found in higher end equipment, and package these to suit the relevant market segment, which is exactly what Icon Technology did with its i8 in-line printer. The companyʼs General Manager, Simon Leow, says that there is no difference between this printer, which is manufactured in China, and those from the West, apart from its angular frame. The printer, according to Leow, is targeted at the higher end of the domestic market and the lower end of the multi-nationals.

For a company like Icon, a heavy percentage of its business is done in China but Leow is looking well into the future, targeting markets like Southeast Asia, India and even Korea. Icon Technology is one example of a young brand that has progressed to establish a relatively stable and big installed base for a company of its age. This might well become the trend for many equipment manufacturers in Asia in the near future.

Before signing off, I would like to take this opportunity to, once again, congratulate all the winners of the inaugural EM Asia Innovation Awards. The event was a huge success and I hope to see an even greater level of support next year. The industry needs to come together to celebrate its success so let’s hope we will have plenty of reasons to do that next year.