Global PCB Connections: Rigid-flex and Flexible PCBs—The Backbone of Modern Electronics
Flexible Thinking: The Key to a Successful Flex Circuit Design Transfer
Happy’s Tech Talk #29: Bend-to-Install Semi-flex FR-4
Hannover Messe 2018 Report Details How Industrial Market Is Ripe for Digitization
May 3, 2018 | ABI ResearchEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The industrial market is ripe for digitization, and the impetus for aggressive pursuit is present, announced ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies.
ABI Research had several analysts from its Industrial research group on-site at the Hannover Messe 2018 conference in Hannover, Germany between April 23-27, 2018, and their observations have been compiled into eight brief reads: “Digital Transformation & Industry 4.0: Hannover Messe 2018 Report.”
The impact of technology and the pursuit of digitization was evident in full at the Hannover Messe conference. Some noteworthy findings from the whitepaper include:
- The industrial market is ripe for digitization, and the impetus for aggressive pursuit is present. Rather than market-based pain being the driving force, dwindling capacity headroom and a fear of losing competitive edge to a rival are forcing manufacturers to actively pursue a different model for driving profitability and growth.
- There is a clear timeline for applications and market segments that look set to form the vanguard of digitization. These are led by car makers and consumer electronics manufacturers.
- The manufacturing base is faced with several confusing decisions, and the supplier base is adding to the confusion, centered primarily around architecture and approach to digitization
- Platform proliferation is a problem. However, all platforms are not created equal. Very few are truly end-to-end, and many do not integrate easily with one another. Consequently, manufacturers must continue customizing and optimizing solutions to provide a truly integrated end-to-end solution.
- There is real concern over data ownership, management, and location from the manufacturer community, and still a massive desire to hold sensitive data on-premises and in closed-loop environments.
- The debate between edge and cloud computing is almost religious in its fervor. Successful technology providers will find the way to balance these approaches in the most optimized way for their clients.
In the report, “Digital Transformation & Industry 4.0: Hannover Messe 2018,” the following compelling transformative technologies impacting Industry 4.0 are highlighted:
- AR & Mixed Reality
- Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technologies
- Digital Security
- Intelligent Transportation & eFreight
- M2M (Machine to Machine), IoT (Internet of Things) & IoE (Internet of Everything)
- Robotics, Automation & Intelligent Systems
- Smart Manufacturing
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & Wireless Connectivity
About ABI Research
ABI Research provides strategic guidance for visionaries needing market foresight on the most compelling transformative technologies, which reshape workforces, identify holes in a market, create new business models and drive new revenue streams. ABI’s own research visionaries take stances early on those technologies, publishing groundbreaking studies often years ahead of other technology advisory firms. ABI analysts deliver their conclusions and recommendations in easily and quickly absorbed formats to ensure proper context. Our analysts strategically guide visionaries to take action now and inspire their business to realize a bigger picture.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
10/31/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Last week, the IMPACT conference took place in Taipei, bringing together advanced packaging experts from around the globe to share their knowledge. We’ll be bringing you post-conference coverage over the next few weeks, so look for that in our newsletters, and in the Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest. Other news seemed to have the U.S. at the center of the global discussions. My picks start in Phoenix, where TSMC, NVIDIA, and Amkor are all scrambling to establish new capabilities. There’s nothing like a strong demand signal to cause build-out, and AI chips are doing exactly that.
Real Time with... SMTAI 2025: Navigating Manufacturing Challenges with Akrometrix
11/03/2025 | Real Time with...SMTAIMarcy LaRont and Paul Handler of Aktrometrix share insights from the SMTAI show in Chicago. They address manufacturing challenges, particularly warpage issues, and discuss Akrometrix's solutions. Paul details three optical technologies for measuring warpage and thermal expansion, emphasizing the need for reliability and defect detection in production. The conversation also touches on new industry standards for board warpage, influenced by OEMs.
I-Connect007 Welcomes New Columnist: Leo Lambert, EPTAC
10/30/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce a column by Leo Lambert, an industry veteran with 40 years of experience, an award winner, and technical director at EPTAC. This column, Learning With Leo, will explore the evolution and related challenges of electronics product assembly, especially as it relates to training.
Better Sustainability Policies for Electronics
10/29/2025 | Diana Radovan, Global Electronics AssociationI joined the Global Electronics Association in August 2025 as the director of sustainability policy. Since then, much has happened in terms of geopolitics and in the development and re-envisioning of sustainability policies in the industry. While the European Commission has released several legislative packages to simplify sustainability requirements (“omnibus”), these developments haven’t yet settled and are not in effect. Given the many recent and ongoing public consultations, with often conflicting input from a broad range of stakeholders, final negotiations remain rather polarized among policymakers.
SMTAI 2025 Review: Reflecting on a Pragmatic and Forward-looking Industry
10/27/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007Leaving the show floor on the final afternoon of SMTA International last week in Rosemont, Illinois, it was clear that the show remains a grounded, technically driven event that delivers a solid program, good networking, and an easy space to commune with industry colleagues and meet with customers.