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42 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2019 Article by the PCB007 China Team The annual HKPCA Show, which has been renamed the 2019 International Electronics Cir- cuit Exhibition (Shenzhen), will be held from December 4–6 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. This year's exhibition will be jointly organized by the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA) and the China Printed Circuit Association (CPCA) and will provide a more efficient business platform for all visitors. The PCB007 China Team inter- viewed a representative from the HKPCA about the exhibition, the industry's current situation, and future developments. PCB007 China: From a global perspective, the demand for PCBs tends to be stable, and the growth rate is only in the single digits. As a unique industrial cluster, China has main- tained a greater growth rate than other regions in the past decade. If we want to continue to make profits, the industry needs to find a new entry point or move to a new market. Specific ways might include merger and acquisition, an increase in capital to establish companies, pro- duction expansion, and plant building. This is not only an optimistic expectation for future market growth from PCB companies, but also a necessity for the industry to move toward the advantages of large-scale development. What do you think about this trend, and how can HKPCA guide the future layout of the industry? HKPCA: The global economy slowed down in 2019, and the whole market is relatively weak. This year, the total output value of the circuit board industry is expected to decline slightly. Companies need to consider their technical capacity. The way of circuit board companies making profits by order volume has been grad- ually eliminated, the demographic dividend has been reduced, the environmental protec- tion policy has been tightened, and large cir- cuit board factories will face the risk of clos- ing down. Therefore, we need to avoid blind expansion of business scale. Today, only com- panies with certain technical abilities or com- panies that closely follow the market trend can have development. PCB007 China: A hot topic in the industry right now is PCB smart factories. New construction, reconstruction, and expansion are the prob- lems to face. Right now, cooperation in proj- ect demonstration, development, and standard