Organic and Printed Electronics Association Celebrates 5th Anniversary

"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."