Three questions for Dr. Klaus Hecker: Industry looking forward to LOPEC

Shortly before the start of LOPEC, taking place in Munich from February 24 to 26, the mood in the printed electronics industry remains positive. In this interview, Dr. Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of OE-A, presents his views on trends such as flexible electronics, sustainable production and future market opportunities. At LOPEC 2026, he will introduce the new OE-A roadmap in his lecture “Flexible and Printed Electronics—The New Roadmap”.

What is the mood in the industry just before LOPEC?

The mood among OE-A member companies remains positive. Printed electronics is growing significantly, even though global political and economic conditions such as geopolitical conflicts, new trade barriers and structural changes in the automotive industry are making long-term planning more difficult. Nevertheless, companies are optimistic about the coming year: The industry is showing a mix of realism and confidence.

The results of the current OE-A business climate survey show that companies are not slowing down in their strategic direction despite the uncertainties. Investments are being made strategically, particularly in production capacities and new technologies. In addition, more employees are being recruited. This shows that demand and trust in the long-term relevance and competitiveness of printed electronics are high.
LOPEC reflects this mood, and we look forward to welcoming around 160 exhibitors from the entire value chain.

What are your personal highlights at LOPEC?

LOPEC is the leading international showcase for our industry. It’s the meeting place for startups, which provide fresh impetus, established companies, which show the industrial scale-up process of printed electronics, and end-users from all over the world. I would especially like to highlight our OE-A booth with the OE-A Competition 2026 projects, including new ideas in the field of healthcare and creative design solutions for the vehicle interior.

At the same time, we are constantly including new topics at LOPEC. The Defense and Aerospace Roundtable on Wednesday, February 25 at the LOPEC Forum, addresses the growing demand for robust, lightweight and flexible electronics solutions for safety-critical applications. And in the Innovation Showcase, we will be presenting particularly visionary approaches and prototypes of printed electronics from companies such as Epishine and Heraeus Epurio.

I also recommend the LOPEC Conference. Together with the international Conference Board, we have once again put together an extensive program featuring a host of highlights from industry, technology and research. And let’s not forget the plenary speeches and application sessions on mobility and smart living.

The diversity of the industry is clearly reflected at the trade fair. We will see material innovations from Henkel, tesa and Heraeus, among others, new production systems from INO and IO Tech, product solutions such as displays and systems from E Ink, and medical technology applications from IEE. This mix impressively demonstrates how broad-based the industry now is.
We look forward to presenting the latest edition of the OE-A Roadmap at LOPEC. My lecture will take place on February 25 at 8:30 in the LOPEC Forum, which is open to all visitors to the trade fair and conference. This will ensure that they are well informed about the latest developments and future opportunities for printed electronics in the key target markets even before the exhibition opens.

How do you see the industry developing, both now and in the long term?

Positively. Today, printed electronics is in a phase in which there is a good balance between stability and growth across the various markets. The sector is also optimistic about its long-term development.

In the healthcare sector, we are seeing other products that are increasingly penetrating more regulated medical areas, such as biosensors for monitoring vital functions. In consumer electronics, larger, foldable and rollable OLED displays are continuing to drive technological development; at the same time, new applications such as curved user interfaces are emerging and becoming increasingly popular particularly in vehicle interiors.

In the mobility sector, we are seeing a clear trend toward integrated, lightweight and flexible electronic solutions: from sensors and OLED lighting to printed antennas and seat heaters. These developments concern more and more security-related sectors such as aerospace.