The new North American chapter will be an integral part of the international network while enhancing direct contact to leading global member companies and institutes. In addition, the OE-A conducts quarterly working group meetings for members to advance this important emerging industry in the US as well as worldwide. "The strength of OE-A is its global reach", says Andy Hannah, Vice-Chairman of the OE-A and President and CEO of Plextronics, Inc. "North America is an important region for the success of our industry, and we are fortunate to have Ms. Fisher supporting the industry."
"We look forward to the continued expansion of OE-A North America through additional growth in North American membership. The printed electronics industry benefits from the activities of the OE-A which include education, networking opportunities, strategic market understanding and the exchange of ideas to unite the entire industry and drive it forward", says Bob Zaccone, Executive Vice President of GSI Technologies, host of the last North American working group meeting of the OE-A.
The OE-A targets entities from the entire supply chain of organic and printed electronics; member companies range from material suppliers, equipment and device manufacturers to research institutes and end-users. Recent new memberships in the US reflect that the activities of the OE-A are important for the entire value chain: equipment manufacturer Kammann Machines and The Marketing Store have joined to drive membership in the OE-A over 100 members worldwide, more than tripling global membership in the association since its inception in 2004.