SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1st International Forum, Sapphire Market and Technologies, organized by the "More than Moore" market research and strategy consulting company Yole Developpement (Yole) and hosted by the China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE), took place from August 31 to September 1, 2015 in Shenzhen, China and gathered close to 230 participants.
For the first time in its more than 100 year history, the sapphire community came together as an industry with its own event and place to discuss markets, applications, technologies, competitive landscape and long term prospects. The forum featured 20 international speakers from leading companies across the entire value chain. Attendance exceeded all expectations with close to 230 participants. The audience included multiple CEOs and high level executives representing the entire sapphire ecosystem, including investors and sapphire component users such as LED makers and consumer electronic companies.
The event came at a critical time. "Since the late 1990s, the growth of the sapphire industry has resulted from adoption of LEDs in small and large displays," says Eric Virey, Senior Analyst and author of the recent Sapphire Applications & Market 2015: from LED to Consumer Electronics market report (August 2015, Yole Developpement).
The forum covered all key aspects of the value chain in a stimulating format which, according to participants, provided a "perfect balance between market and technical content." The speakers were pleased with the opportunity to share and exchange and all "did a great job at delivering exciting, informative, and sometime challenging or provocative presentations." Attendees also enjoyed the multiple networking opportunities offered by the coffee and lunch breaks as well as the welcome cocktail party provided by the event sponsors Trumps and Zonewe. "I met essentially all my customers as well as new business prospects all in one place and 24 hours," says an attendee.
Overall, this 1st International Forum on Sapphire Market and Technologies demonstrated that despite being more than a century old, the industry is still evolving at a fast pace. Crystals of sizes that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago are now produced routinely. 300kg boules have been demonstrated on commercial equipment and one participant is confident that it will reach 1000 kg by the end of the decade. Relentless innovation in slicing such as Meyer Burger's wire management system, and also in lapping, grinding and polishing deliver constant performance improvements and cost reductions. "All contribute to speeding up adoption and reducing cost of ownership in existing applications as well as enabling exciting new applications that could trigger another industry growth cycle," comments Virey.
Feedback has been extremely positive and participants indicated that they are eager to attend next year. "Put it in your calendar, the second edition should be held in Shenzhen again in conjunction with CIOE 2016," announced Pars Mukish, Business Unit Manager, LED, OLED and Sapphire at Yole Developpement.
The Sapphire Forum, post short (full version) is available on i-micronews.com website, LED news section (click here).
About China International Optoelectronic Expo - http://www.cioe.cn/en/
With more than 3,000 exhibitors and 85,000 expected visitors, the CIOE is world's largest optoelectronic exhibition. As a part of it, LED Tech China features all major players in the sapphire and LED supply chains, from raw material and equipment providers to crystal growth, wafering and LED companies. Get more information about the event here.
About Yole Developpement -- www.yole.fr / www.i-micronews.com
Founded in 1998, Yole Developpement has grown to become a group of companies providing marketing, technology and strategy consulting, media in addition to corporate finance services. With a strong focus on emerging applications using silicon and/or micro manufacturing, Yole Developpement group has expanded to include more than 50 collaborators worldwide covering MEMS, Compound Semiconductors, LED, Image Sensors, Optoelectronics, Microfluidics & Medical, Photovoltaics, Advanced Packaging, Manufacturing, Nanomaterials and Power Electronics. The group supports industrial companies, investors and R&D organizations worldwide to help them understand markets and follow technology trends to develop their business. Press relations: Sandrine Leroy (leroy@yole.fr).
Contact:
Ms. Nie
+86-755-8629-0891
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SOURCE China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE)
