Preparing for the future
Walter Roessger joined SEMI Europe in 1993 as Director of technology and industry relations. In 1995 he succeeded Paul Davis as President of SEMI Europe. Roessger has a long history as a European advocate representing IBM in then newly created consortium JESSI from 1989 until 1993. Roessger maintains an enthusiasm for the semiconductor industry that is hard to match. He has long talked of the need for European SEMI to develop for the needs of European companies. SEMI has been accused of an American focus in the past and Roessger is keen to highlight the changes occurring to the show and the trade organisation.
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Walter
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“European members need a different type of service,’ states Roessger. “ SEMI has to reshape its spectrum of services for its members. Information platforms are the key issue.”
In response to these concerns the European SEMI team have taken great strides to ensure the SEMI event in Europe remains relevant. Roessger points out that trade shows are the economic generator for SEMI and that basic income generating outcome may have taken precedence. As the market is maturing so is the industry body and this year’s Europa will see a greater emphasis on networking and information sharing rather than a traditional presentation platform.
“The trend is towards a leaner presentation in an effort to reduce costs,” explains Roessger. “To remain inclusive for all our members we need to develop a range of participation options based on each company’s needs and capacities.”
Roessger is excited regarding the upcoming show and is hoping the changes will be recognised and well received. He sees there are differences between Europe and the rest of the world and the requirements are therefore different. I asked him the biggest differences between Europe and the American approach to industry.
“That is easy,” said Roessger. “Europeans tend to describe challenges and problems they are facing whereas Americans tend to present solutions.”
Roessger is hoping the Semicon Europa show becomes the platform to discover the solutions to the challenges they discover together.
