BOSTON – The big news from Nepcon East was what was happening away from the show floor. Most businesses, while noting a general slowing of growth this year, indicated that they were in hiring mode going into 2008. 
Several firms were either openly seeking new hires or indicated they had positions to fill. Lightspeed Manufacturing, a suburban Boston EMS company, for example, posted a sign in its booth announcing several new positions. It wasn’t alone.

This year, the show organizer co-located Nepcon East with the OEM New England. The move increased attendance at the two-day show, although it made it difficult to discern exactly who among those walking the floor were there to see electronics manufacturing gear.

Precious little in the way of new equipment was introduced. For years, companies have treated Nepcon East as a regional show aimed at showing previously released equipment and materials to potential customers who might not have traveled to other, larger exhibitions. Still, while this reporter looked on, one EMS company had individuals from no fewer than three different companies approach and express interest in its services during a 10-minute span.

Circuits Assembly spoke with most of the 11 EMS companies exhibiting, all of which were New England based. Most concurred that finding good employees has been tricky at almost every level – from operator to engineering to sales. Most, including Sendec, Technical Manufacturing Corp., Princeton Technologies, Sunburst EMS, Janco Electronics and Lightspeed, reported solid growth over 2007, and felt the prospects for 2008 were strong. Just where demand was coming from was apparent: guns and germs. In the words of one, “military and medical are the best things about the industry.”

Counterfeit parts remain a bugaboo. Component suppliers – direct and at the distributor level – are typically counted on to screen for bad parts, but more and more assemblers have been forced to take matters into their own hands, lest they risk field failures. The reporting back up the supply chain has improved, but countless bad parts continue to find their way to the factory floor.

Among the exhibitors, most of the leading placement equipment companies were present: Juki, Panasonic, Fuji, Siemens, Samsung, Mydata, Universal, Sony, etc. A handful of notable rework companies, including VJ Electronix and Finetech were on hand. Test and inspection notables included VJ, Viscom, YesTech, X-Tek, Innov-X, Thermo Fisher Scientific, RMD Instruments and others. Soldering companies included Rehm and Pillarhouse. The major printer companies steered clear or used distributors.

Next year’s Nepcon East is scheduled much earlier in the year: the end of April. The rescheduling had a few exhibitors scratching their heads as the event will land on the heels of Apex. A few suggested the show be moved to June, while allowing that exhibition hall availability well may have played a role in the timing.

In general, while many exhibitors reported trade-show fatigue from the litany of events this fall, most seemed to feel attendance was strong enough to merit continued presence.

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