Luciano Pini, President of ANIE Componenti Elettronici, the Italian association representing the active and passive electronic components industry and belonging to ANIE Federation and Confindustria, points out that the electronics sector in Italy is going through a particularly dynamic phase.

What are the most pressing challenges that the electronics industry will have to face in the near future?
While the pandemic years have brought several manufacturing sectors to their knees, the same cannot be said of the electronics industry. In Italy, the concern about insufficient plants and materials is being countered by a push for investment and relocation of production, which places electronics among the most dynamic and growing sectors in the coming years. Underpinning the sector’s development are the opportunities of electrification and renewables, which are fundamental for energy and environmental sustainability. These are supported by massive digitalisation, which also presents interesting development opportunities in triggering bottom-up transformation based on products designed with a view to servitisation.

Can you envisage some market prospects for the printed circuit board industry, also in view of the complex international geopolitical situation?
The current tensions between the US and China over the production and embargo of high-tech products is causing concern also in Europe, both in terms of its scale and its global economic repercussions. China is accelerating its quest for independence from Western supplies, with a real ‘risk’ of closing the technology gap with the Western world.
Despite the fact that most PCB production is located in China, there are many dynamic and flexible companies in our country that can offer quality printed circuit boards and a high level of service. The demand for PCBs in Italy continues to grow and the forecasts are very optimistic. The expanding sectors include automotive, in particular EVs, and all that regards the digital transformation of products and processes.

After having offshored the production for years, with all its advantages/drawbacks and consequences, many companies are thinking about reshoring it. This implies a focus on the promotion of national excellence and on investments supporting the European supply chain. What are your impressions on the subject?
Given the context of the APAC region (where the level of geopolitical tensions looks set to rise in the coming years) and the substantial demand in Italy, bringing PCBs back into the domestic market would be a strategic move. The fact is that PCBs are needed to create any electronic device. PCBs drive the entire supply chain, from designers to end users, and are part of the world of advanced technology. Reasoning from a supply chain perspective is the first step if we honestly engage in considering this issue.

What activities do you think are most effective to put in place at institutional, association and initiative level to contribute to the development and consolidation of the European supply chain?
Lobby, training and skills, technology transfer and collaboration with supply chains, implementing the value chain from technology to systems integration: these are also key aspects of ANIE Componenti Elettronici’s mission. The Association is the expression of the electronic components industry in Italy and, therefore, of the suppliers of technologies enabling the digital transformation and of innovative solutions for the industrial, economic and social development of the country. Its affiliation with ANIE Federazione – the National Association of Electronic and Electrotechnical Enterprises – and Confindustria makes of ANIE Componenti Elettronici a recognised stakeholder at national and international institutions and, at the same time, allows it to exploit synergies with all the industrial sectors of both the national and European system.

Do you see some interesting opportunities emerging from initiatives such as Focus on PCB, the trade show dedicated to the world of printed circuit boards?
Focus on PCB is a unique trade show in Europe, which aims to bring the printed circuit board sector to the forefront of industrial sectors with a high propensity for innovation. In this context, the meeting and dialogue of operators with the market and the possibility of bringing out new technological and business ideas represent the most interesting opportunities.

The forthcoming edition of Focus on PCB will take place in Vicenza on 17 and 18 May 2023. The show is organised by NürnbergMesse Italia and hosted by IEG – Italian Exhibition Group, with the patronage of ANIE Componenti Elettronici and Gruppo PCB Assodel.