The German Engineering Federation (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau – VDMA) has united seven different professional sectors related to photonics under one roof.
With the support of a group of member firms comprising the market leaders of each industry involved, and renowned institutions from the world of research, the Photonics Forum is aiming to connect existing expertise on a thematically oriented platform.
Participants in the forum include:
- German Flat Display Forum (Deutsches Flachdisplayforum – DFF);
- Industrial Image Processing Sector (Fachabteilung Industrielle Bildverarbeitung);
- Working Group Laser and Laser Systems for Material Processing (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Laser und Lasersysteme für die Materialbearbeitung);
- Micro Technologies and Components Association (Fachverband Mikrotechniken und -komponenten);
- Organic Electronics Association (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Organische Elektronik – OE-A);
- Working Group Photovoltaic Equipment (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Photovoltaik-Produktionsmittel); and
- Productronics Association (Fachverband Productronic).
The network of these VDMA professional sectors – after adjusting for duplicates – includes more than 500 companies and research institutions along the entire value creation chain, so it is thought that about 400 of those members are generating their turnover in the photonics field.
The photonics subsidiary industries supported by the VDMA represent a combined turnover of nearly €14 billion, with some 56,000 employees.
