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38 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2026 rising by more than 30%. He expects a massive demand for infrastructure, particularly for HDI PCBs used in AI servers. AI's impact on materials will be upstream volatility, with an oversupply of low-end products and a corresponding shortage of high-end products. Innovation is shifting from the chip to the package and the board, and the technology frontiers he antic- ipates between 2026 and 2030 include 800G optical interconnects becoming main- stream, further developments in advanced pack- aging and chiplet functionalities, glass substrates in mass production, and 6G telecommunications based on non-terrestrial networking technologies. Custer noted his four strategic imperatives for 2026 are to reduce single-source Asian depen- dency by diversifying supply, to counteract high labour costs by aggressive automation, to defend margins by passing on component price increases immediately, and to lobby the European Commission to level the playing field by addressing the inverted tariff structure on raw materials. Dieter Weiss has been acknowledged for many years as a leading expert market researcher. He has been compiling accurate market statistics for the European EMS and PCB industries through his brands in4ma and Data4PCB. He shared his latest observations in "European Insights Into PCB and EMS Market Data." Weiss focused on the EMS industry statistics, with an introduction to in4ma and its processes for collecting, collating, and reporting its market research activities. In4ma has identified and analysed 2,303 EMS companies in Europe in 2025, with total revenues of 54.19 billion euros. Weiss said that 72% of these EMS companies have revenues of less than 10 million euros and together account for only 7.5% of the market. Revenues collapsed in 2024 with more than 6,800 job losses, repre- senting 3% of the workforce. Most were in Central Eastern Europe, mainly in Poland and Romania. Weiss concluded that continu- ing business as usual is not the option anymore, and while other global areas are strongly grow- ing, the European PCB and EMS industry is losing ground. Cautious, uncertain market behav- iour reduces workload and creates cascading effects, leading to unstable profitability. Additionally, Europe needs a stable supply chain. He reminded delegates that the PCB & EMS Forum 2026 is scheduled for July 8–9 in Würzburg, and this is an opportunity to analyse the situation with colleagues from the industry and to discuss the development of strategies and what to watch out for. Technical Sessions The theme of the first technical session was "Minia- turisation and fine-line PCB production: From design to manufacturing." The session was moderated by EIPC Vice President Thomas Michels, CEO of ILFA in Germany. The theme of the conference is "Driv- ing the Future: Innovation, Energy, and Sustainabil- ity in PCB Technology." The opening presentation came from applications engineering specialist Dr. Roland Steim of Dyconex in Switzerland, who described how the company has addressed the challenges of miniaturisation and fine-line PCB production. The general trend for more functionality and smaller size, and the need for efficient signal transmission in high-frequency and high-speed communication, has led to requirements for increasing layer count and/or increas- ing density of lines, spaces, vias and pads, together with more precise trace edges and smooth surfaces. Steim said successful miniaturi- sation is not only about lines and spaces but includes consideration of thinner flex and rigid materials, improved bend-zone technologies for flex materials, fine-line production technologies and better registration, as T h o m a s M i c h e l s J o n at h a n C u ste r