Companies from the electronics industry, international experts, representatives of the Government, the academic environment, but also of the international donor community participated today in the 2nd edition of the Moldova Electronics Forum, organized in Chisinau. The interactive format of the event ensured an open dialogue between the forum participants and highlighted the perspectives of the electronic industry, from engineering, research and development to the production of electronic components and subassemblies.
Those present at the event discussed the challenges for the development of the electronic industry arising from the global semiconductor crisis, the trade war between China and the USA, and the war in Ukraine. The new circumstances are reshaping the Integrated Electronic Assembly Services (EMS)* industry – with companies having to shorten supply chains and accelerate the transfer of strategic supply chain from Asia Pacific to Europe. In this context, the Republic of Moldova has a unique chance to capitalize and capitalize on these circumstances and to integrate into the European value chain of electronic component manufacturers.
Present at the event were the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Dorin Recean, the Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Mr. Steffen Lohman, the President of the Association of Electronic Industry Companies of Moldova (ACEM), Mr. Vitalie Eșanu, the Deputy General Director of To the “Invest Moldova” Investment Agency, Mr. Ion Iordachi, who encouraged the development of the electronic industry and highlighted the development of technological products with added value.
The international expert, Mr. Dieter G. Weiss, founder of “in4ma EMS Market Statistics” listed the global trends in the EMS industry and emphasized the unique chance of the Republic of Moldova to connect and integrate into the European value chains dedicated to the EMS industry.
The electronic industry of the Republic of Moldova currently gathers over 170 companies with approximately 16,000 employees, being a promising sector in terms of contribution to GDP, job creation and attracting foreign direct investments. Hardware and software, electronic components and devices, smart meters, PLC, integrated circuits, micro and nano-conductors, SMD and THT mounting, EMS and ECM, electronic device design and production, nano- and micro-sensors, microwire, are part of the wide range of products of companies from the Republic of Moldova. Moldovan specialists have a high professional training, worthy of competing with other leaders in the field, and electronics manufactured in the Republic of Moldova are exported to dozens of countries of the world from all continents.
During the Forum, the official opening of the MicroChip Design Lab took place, which will support the integration of engineering from the Republic of Moldova in the chip development and production value chain. The laboratory is equipped with 10 computers that have installed the software suite used in the design and testing process of integrated circuits and 10 FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) modules that offer students the opportunity to observe the functionality of the integrated circuit in real life. The “MicroChipDesign Lab” laboratory is located in the premises of the Technical University of Moldova (UTM), within the Department of Microelectronics and Biomedical Engineering and will be used in the design and testing courses of integrated circuits. The MicroChip Design Lab was equipped with the financial support of the Governments of Germany and Switzerland, in collaboration with the Association of Electronic Industry Companies (ACEM) and the SafeLogic company.
During the event, a discussion panel was dedicated to Electromobility** solutions, where the participants presented the new technologies and innovative services for the sustainable and interconnected mobility of people and their goods. Both local and international companies present at the forum presented projects and industry trends related to electromobility. The Informbusiness company presented the pilot project of a trolleybus and bus assembly plant with autonomous driving and dynamic loading. The first trolleybuses manufactured in Moldova will be delivered to the Electric Transport Authority in Balti by the end of the year.
In addition to local companies, the Moldova Electronics Forum was also attended by international companies that have production units in Moldova, among them is Steinel Electronic – a world-renowned company, specialized in the production of sensors, hot air generators, soldering guns and lighting solutions. The Steinel Electronic production plant has a production entity in the city of Chisinau, where more than 300 people are employed, of which about 10% are people with special needs.
In a dedicated discussion panel, the Minister of Energy, Mr. Victor Parlicov, had an open dialogue with industry representatives, in order to identify domestic solutions to overcome the energy crisis. Among the solutions presented are industrial heat pumps, electrical energy storage systems, smart water meters, sensors and LED lighting solutions.
Moldova Electronics Forum was organized by the Investment Agency “Invest Moldova”, the Association of Companies from the Electronic Industry of Moldova (ACEM) and the Organization for the Development of Entrepreneurship with the support of the project “Strong Enterprises and Communities for Moldova”, financed by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ).
Event partners: Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization of the Republic of Moldova, Technical University of Moldova, Moldova Innovation Technology Park, AHK Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japanese Foreign Trade Organization (JETRO), Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and logistics (BME), German Business Association in Eastern Europe (OstAuschus der Deutschen Wirtschaft), in4ma Market Research and Analyses, Tekwill.
Sponsors of the event: ACI Partners, ADD Grup; Information business; Comsales Group; Preh; HR-Consulting; MOD Engineering; OTP Bank; Safe Logic; Sandra; Steinel Electronic; Purgatory
*EMS – Integrated Electronic Assembly Services – term used for companies that design, manufacture, test electronic components and assemblies for original equipment manufacturers (OEM).
Electromobility – concept of using the electric motor for the transport of people and goods in order to support sustainable development.
