SAN DIEGO -- The second day of IPC Apex was quieter than the first, giving exhibitors more time to dwell on the state of the industry economy.

As noted yesterday, many equipment vendors have retooled their offerings for the high mix, high complexity market. In that vein, Panasonic showed a new printer (SPG), and the AV123 axial inserter.

Siplace and Panasonic joined Universal as placement companies indicating growth in 2012. Printer OEM GKG named Juki its 2012 distributor of the year.

Aegis very proudly rolled out FactoryLogix, a software suite aimed at coordinating the entire manufacturing enterprise outside of accounting and R&D.

Henkel is rebranding its materials under the Loctite name.

ECD has a new sensor-based system that aggregates humidity data from up to 25 points in the factory and consolidates it in a mobile ap.

Several exhibitors noted that visibility remains clouded for 2013, with those supplying to the automotive sector the noticeable outliers.

Traffic was sparser than on Tuesday, with a late pickup (starting around 3 pm) helping to end the day's activities on an up note.

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