Press Releases OE-A 2011 (English)
OE-A’s 5th Anniversary
From Pioneers to a Global Industry Association
Frankfurt, Germany, March 10, 2010 –– „With its 135 members all over the world, the OE-A has become a highly dynamic and constantly growing network of leading international companies and institutes in the past five years”, said Wolfgang Mildner, Chairman of the OE-A and Managing Director, PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, on the occasion of the 5th anniversary celebration of the OE-A – the industry association for organic and printed electronics – in late February at the Holst Centre in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. In December 2004, 35 members founded this working group within VDMA. “One of the founding principles of the OE-A five years ago was the goal to build an international industry association to jointly develop this future multi-billion Euro market”, emphasized the Chairman of the OE-A. “Cooperation all along the value chain is essential in this phase; no company can achieve it alone.”
Organic photovoltaics, OLED lighting, flexible displays, printed memory, RFID or sensors, as well as integrated smart systems are just a few examples of new applications which are made possible by organic and printed electronics.
Network has driven international cooperation
"When OE-A was created five years ago, printed electronics was an industry known to a small number of pioneering companies,” said Andrew W. Hannah, Vice Chairman of OE-A and CEO of Plextronics. “Now, we are part of a global industry and OE-A has led the way in that transformation. The OE-A has helped raise the visibility of printed electronics which is invaluable to its member companies."
OE-A continues to grow activities in Asia
The next step in globalization after OE-A’s inception in Europe and establishing the North American office in 2008 is the continued growth of activities in Asia. An important milestone is the recent addition of Sumitomo Chemical, a leading company from Japan, to the OE-A.
"Sumitomo Chemical has joined OE-A in the belief that for an emerging technology such as organic electronics, a strong body representing the interests of companies engaged in the technology is essential," said Dr. David Fyfe, Sumitomo Chemical, Tokyo, Japan. "We have chosen OE-A in view of its growing global strength."
About the OE-A:
The OE-A (Organic Electronics Association) is a working group within the German
Engineering Federation (VDMA) and was founded in December 2004. The OE-A is the
leading international industry association for organic and printed electronics and
represents the entire value chain of this emerging industry. Our members are world-
class global companies and institutions, ranging from R&D institutes, component and
material suppliers to producers and end-users. More than 130 companies from Europe,
North America, Asia and Australia are working together to promote the establishment of
a competitive production infrastructure for organic electronics. The vision of the OE-A is
to build a bridge between science, technology and application. More than 3,000
member companies from the engineering industry make VDMA the largest industry
association in Europe.
The OE-A is the host of the premier international conference and exhibition, LOPE-C – the Large-area, Organic and Printed Electronics Convention, which addresses end- users, manufacturers, investors, engineers, and scientists. In 2010, LOPE-C will take place from May 31st to June 2nd , 2010 at Messe Frankfurt, Germany.
Additional information at: www.oe-a.org and www.lope-c.com
For additional questions, please contact Dr. Klaus Hecker (Tel.: +49-69-6603-1336, klaus.hecker@vdma.org) or Barbara M. Fisher (Tel.: +1-412-828-0370, barbara.fisher@oe-a-na.org).
Photo: Flexible, light-weight and robust: organic and printed electronics enable new applications.
Sample of a printed solar cell (photo: Holst Centre, The Netherlands).
