Chinese delegation shows enormous interest in German printed electronics technology

Heidelberg, Germany, April 2023 – InnovationLab GmbH and Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG recently hosted high-ranking delegations from Henan Province and Zhengzhou, China. The delegations expressed serious interest in German technology and expertise, particularly in printed electronics. The visit was organized by Felix Kurz and Sieer Angar, Sino-German experts at the "Society for German-Chinese Friendship Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (GDCF MRN)". With a population of over 101 million, the Henan Province offers a huge market for printed electronics, making the visit particularly significant.

 "The potential for our technology to be used across dozens of industries in China is enormous," said Dr. Michael Kroeger, Managing Director of InnovationLab. "We had the unique opportunity to demonstrate just how innovative we actually are and how we can print miles of sensors on our machines".

The visitors were particularly impressed by two roll-to-roll printing presses, which can print faster, more flexibly, and without toxic chemical substances, making them more material-friendly and sustainable.

For its breakthrough technology, the iL team was also awarded with the OE-A prize in the category "Best Prototypes and New Products" at the leading international trade fair for flexible, organic and printed electronics, LOPEC, this year.

InnovationLab and Heidelberg Printed Electronics have received official invitations to the "World Sensors Summit 2023", which will be held in October in Zhengzhou, China. "We were very pleased about that,” summarized Kröger, “we will be represented at this leading Asian trade fair, complete with booth and presentation.”  The City of Zhengzhou has been hosting the World Sensors Summit since 2018, and this year, after managing the challenges presented by the Corona pandemic, Chinese economic development is once again picking up steam. 

Zhengzhou, known as "Sensor Valley", is home to around 80 sensor manufacturers, making it a hotspot for electronics production, particularly for the automotive industry. Large automotive plants, such as Nissan, Ytong, BYD and other major corporations are located in the city. Chinese battery and vehicle manufacturer BYD alone doubles its production at this location each year. This year, one of every three newly registered cars in China is an electric vehicle. Up from 1.82 million vehicles in 2022, a total of more than three million electric vehicles are expected to leave assembly lines in 2023. In addition to around 200 million smartphones for Apple and others, electronics companies there produce countless and a broad range of electronic household appliances and testing equipment. Printed  electronics offer a promising technology for this region and these industry sectors. It is widely accepted by experts worldwide that sensors are the "gold of digitization" today.

 

Joachim Klaehn

Head of Communications