Denis Vigo is Ceo of DVS and member of the PCB Group of Assodel. In the run-up to the FocusOnPcb FairThe organisers of the event scheduled to take place in Vicenza on 18 and 19 May interviewed him and asked him why this might be a good time to dedicate an event to PCBs.
"It is necessary to restore the centrality of PCBs in the domestic market, to increase the knowledge of the printed circuit board and its importance," said Vigo. "The exhibition is a first step, the beginning of a path that we intend to develop over time, to tell the state of the art and to confirm the strategic value produced. It is true that PCBs are now considered a commodity, but this is precisely the crux of the matter: in order to create any device, you also need electronic components, and therefore the PCB. This is where we have to start, with the awareness that this sector can become a critical success factor.
The "Focus on PCB" development project is therefore impactful in the short term, but is experienced by the protagonists from a forward-looking perspective: "The printed circuit board is not just a product that is created and imported or exported: it drives the entire supply chain, from designer to end user, and claims its place in the world of advanced technology".
The PCB market grew in 2021, compared to 2019, after a difficult 2020. The good trend affected all application sectors, across the board. For the coming years, Denis Vigo expects less effervescent growth, but still steady, in trend with inflation. "We imagine a positive scenario for at least three to five years to come, with companies that, just in the last period, have structured themselves to manage a constant demand and therefore to support the market".
According to Vigo, the demand for PCBs in the future will be transversal, as they are now present in all commonly used technological tools, from thermostats to remote controls to car keys: electronics is everywhere. Some sectors are certainly leading the way, but we will see important changes: for example, the automotive sector, which has always demanded large volumes of printed circuit boards, will always play a leading role due to the market for electric cars, but it will no longer be the absolute protagonist. In the next few years, the theme of data management and everything related to connectivity for smart cities, together with the medical and sanitation sectors, will also make its appearance: "In a word, PCBs will be widespread in any instrument or object that is governed electronically".
