Attitudes were upbeat at the annual SMTA/IMAPS Upper Midwest Industry Appreciation Day on June 2, 2004, as attendees and exhibitors looked to network with customers and gather sales leads during the small exhibition. The one-day event is designed to showcase surface-mount materials and services from adhesives to laser stencils to flip chip underfills.

Hosted at 3M (St. Paul, MN) headquarters for the third time, the show sold out, attracting more than 170 attendees and 55 exhibitors.

"Compared to a year ago, business is picking up and we're a lot more hopeful than we were last year at this show," said Richard Brooks, technical manager at Indium Corp. of America, supplier of electronics assembly materials.

Representatives from other companies—including JMW Enterprises and 3M—agree that business has been picking up.

"We were fortunate that we remained busy even during the downturn due to the nature of our business [selling pre-owned electronic assembly equipment]," said Brian Ebbinger, sales manager for JMW Enterprises. "Electronics manufacturing is booming across the board. We're anticipating that business will continue to increase throughout the year." 

"Business in electronics has been very promising," said Greg Eick, market development manager for 3M Electronics Markets Materials Division, a supplier of adhesives, tapes, abrasives and specialty fluids and gases to electronics manufacturers. "We've seen double digit sales increases every quarter.  With the help of great networking opportunities like this show, we continue to gather solid leads and meet our goals."

"This is our first year exhibiting and we're pleased with the number of quality leads we've received," said Cris Smith, national sales manager for Global Stencil, a supplier of surface-mount stencils, inspection templates and customized parts. "The return on investment at smaller shows like this more than covers the cost of attending. The show also provides a personable venue to meet with current and potential customers, which aligns directly with our philosophy of offering a high level of customer service." 

www.smta.org

www.3M.com/electronicmaterials

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