Membership drive attracts 30 Founding Members
By Leo Valiquette
It’s become common practice in politics and business to judge someone new to their position by what they accomplish in their first 100 days.
The team at the Canadian Printable Electronics Association (CPEIA) have taken this to heart.
Since making its official debut in November at IDTechEx’s Printed Electronics USA conference, the CPEIA has wasted no time driving its membership and taking the reins of the nation’s premier industry event, the 2015 Canadian Printable Electronics Symposium (CPES2015), taking place in Montreal, April 21-22.
Thirty-two public and private sector organizations have signed on and earned the distinction of becoming a CPEIA Founding Member. These organizations represent a strong cross section of the PE industry, from materials, devices and prototyping, to manufacturing and printing.
They include: PE-focused small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); R&D organizations; universities involved in PE development; large multinational companies with PE product lines and R&D; companies in vertical markets (such as intelligent packaging, secure printing, medical, health and wellness, and consumer electronics) that can use or integrate PE into their current products or solutions, or create new product categories based on PE; and services providers to the PE industry.
The founding members list can be found here »
One Founding Member, as well as a Gold Sponsor for CPES2015, is Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC). This is a leading materials research centre, home to a team of scientists and engineers with broad expertise in materials chemistry, formulation design, prototyping, testing, and chemical process engineering.
“There is a fantastic opportunity for Canadian companies involved in PE across a number of industry verticals,” said Paul Smith, Vice President and Centre Manager for XRCC. “But it’s imperative for PE innovators to work hand-in-hand with end-users and manufacturers of traditional electronics to reinvent existing products and applications, and create new ones. Anyone with an interest in this sector should consider membership with the CPEIA to help grow this vital ecosystem.”
Texas-based NovaCentrix, a leading product innovator in PE manufacturing and conductive inks, is also a Founding Member and Gold Sponsor for CPES2015.
“There has been activity in Canada related to printed electronics for some time now,” said Stan Farnsworth, NovaCentrix’s Vice-President, Marketing. “The creation of the CPEIA extends that legacy and provides a valuable framework for Canada’s industry stakeholders moving forward, both locally and internationally. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the CPEIA, supporting companies already in our network, and working with organizations new to us.”
Building strategic relationships
The CPEIA is also pursuing Memorandums of Understanding with industry organizations across Canada that represent end users in its target market verticals for PE-enabled products and applications. These verticals include Aerospace and Defence; Medical, Health and Wellness; Secure Printing; Marketing, Advertising and Commerce; Packaging; and Consumer Electronics (including Wearables and Intelligent Buildings).
“A key part of the CPEIA’s mandate is to connect the creators of PE-enabled technology with the end users, so they can work together to create products and applications with strong commercial potential,” said Executive Director Mark Majewski.
Making a splash with CPES2015
In addition, the CPEIA is spearheading the 2015 Canadian Printable Electronics Symposium, the nation’s premier industry event. Six major sponsors have already been secured.
CPES2015 is an excellent way to learn about the convergence of research and development, industry expertise, commercial effort and government support that gives Canada a tremendous opportunity in this explosive global market.
“We have accomplished much in a short period of time, but a great deal of work still lies before us through 2015,” said Kallai. “In addition to making CPES2015 a truly world-class event, we will continue to grow our Membership, establish linkages with the academic community, and build our relationships with industry associations and end users.”
Register now for CPES2015 to enjoy an early bird discount ».
Deadlines for paper and presentation submissions is January 31.