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ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING - APEX 2026 - FACTORY INSIGHTS & CO-NECT
Key Takeaways from the IPC APEX Expo 2026:
March 30th 2026
By Greg Benoit, Director of Business Development - Technology Partnerships
By Greg Benoit, Director of Business Development - Technology Partnerships
Fewer Crowds, Better Conversations, and Loads I’m Excited About
I just got back from APEX in Anaheim, and I'm still processing everything I experienced. It was a great show overall. Maybe not in the way you'd measure "great" by true headcount, but in the ways that actually matter.
The traffic was down. But the quality was way up.
Anyone who's worked a trade show floor knows the experience can range from exhilarating to exhausting. You're on your feet all day, pitching to everyone from serious prospects to "tire kickers".
This year at APEX felt different. Overall foot traffic seemed lower than previous shows, but here's the thing, virtually every conversation was substantive. We weren't doing a lot of "qualifying on the fly". People who stopped by had a reason to visit us. For me personally, that made for a more focused and more energizing experience.
I'll take that trade-off any day.
The traffic was down. But the quality was way up.
Anyone who's worked a trade show floor knows the experience can range from exhilarating to exhausting. You're on your feet all day, pitching to everyone from serious prospects to "tire kickers".
This year at APEX felt different. Overall foot traffic seemed lower than previous shows, but here's the thing, virtually every conversation was substantive. We weren't doing a lot of "qualifying on the fly". People who stopped by had a reason to visit us. For me personally, that made for a more focused and more energizing experience.
I'll take that trade-off any day.
The innovation on the show floor is still impressive.
Every time I walk APEX, I'm reminded of how much genuine engineering talent exists in our industry. The pace of innovation among vendors continues to be strong, and this year was no exception. It's one of the things that keeps this space exciting.
Some standouts include PARMI's AI-based auto-programming solution, which utilizes its unique laser scanning technology to enable automatic programming of an entire product without relying on a golden database.
Another highlight was Kurtz Ersa's new VERSAFLOW FIVE selective soldering machine, which enables two PCBs to be soldered independently within the same machine, greatly increasing throughput.
And a final noteworthy example would be Scienscope's IMS-200, a fully automated incoming material solution that scans, labels and registers reels without requiring any manual intervention by an operator. It even transports reels in and out of the station via AGV!
And speaking of material handling solutions...
Some standouts include PARMI's AI-based auto-programming solution, which utilizes its unique laser scanning technology to enable automatic programming of an entire product without relying on a golden database.
Another highlight was Kurtz Ersa's new VERSAFLOW FIVE selective soldering machine, which enables two PCBs to be soldered independently within the same machine, greatly increasing throughput.
And a final noteworthy example would be Scienscope's IMS-200, a fully automated incoming material solution that scans, labels and registers reels without requiring any manual intervention by an operator. It even transports reels in and out of the station via AGV!
And speaking of material handling solutions...
Smart material management is having a moment.
If there was a theme emerging from many of the conversations I had, it was around smart material management. Several vendors were showcasing exciting new solutions in this space, and the momentum from manufacturers is real. The ability to track, control, and optimize materials on the production floor is becoming more sophisticated, and far more accessible, with every passing year. It's an area worth watching closely.
AI and smart solutions are raising the interoperability bar
The broader push toward AI-enabled and smart manufacturing solutions isn't slowing down. If anything, it's accelerating.
And as these solutions become more powerful and more prevalent, one thing becomes increasingly clear: connectivity and integration are no longer optional – they're foundational. Every smart system needs to talk to every other smart system.
That's exactly the space Cogiscan operates in, and I have to say, being at the center of that conversation right now is genuinely exciting. It's a good time to be doing what we do.
And as these solutions become more powerful and more prevalent, one thing becomes increasingly clear: connectivity and integration are no longer optional – they're foundational. Every smart system needs to talk to every other smart system.
That's exactly the space Cogiscan operates in, and I have to say, being at the center of that conversation right now is genuinely exciting. It's a good time to be doing what we do.
Factory Insights is resonating
Julie Cliche-Dubois doing a live demo of Factory Insights
One of the highlights of the show for us was demoing Factory Insights, Cogiscan's visual and fully customizable analytics platform, and the reception from customers was genuinely encouraging. People got it immediately, and I think that's because the value proposition tells its own story the moment you see it in action.
The workflow that seemed to resonate most: start at the top, find your biggest issues, whether that's placement performance on the line or actual product quality and defect data, and then drill down, layer by layer, to isolate exactly where the problem is coming from. Was it the machine? The feeder? The spindle? The component? The platform is designed to surface that answer, not bury it.
But what really seemed to land was the next step: once you've identified the issue, you can go even deeper into the traceability data to see exactly which boards were affected. That's the moment when analytics stops being a reporting tool and starts being an action tool. You're not just understanding the past, you get guidance on precisely what to do next.
In an industry where the cost of a quality escape can be enormous, that kind of targeted visibility is hard to argue with. It was great to see customers recognize that in real time.
The workflow that seemed to resonate most: start at the top, find your biggest issues, whether that's placement performance on the line or actual product quality and defect data, and then drill down, layer by layer, to isolate exactly where the problem is coming from. Was it the machine? The feeder? The spindle? The component? The platform is designed to surface that answer, not bury it.
But what really seemed to land was the next step: once you've identified the issue, you can go even deeper into the traceability data to see exactly which boards were affected. That's the moment when analytics stops being a reporting tool and starts being an action tool. You're not just understanding the past, you get guidance on precisely what to do next.
In an industry where the cost of a quality escape can be enormous, that kind of targeted visibility is hard to argue with. It was great to see customers recognize that in real time.
Grateful for our partners… and thrilled to welcome two new ones!
Walking the floor and seeing the caliber of companies we work with is always a reminder of how fortunate we are. Having some of the top equipment providers in the industry as Cogiscan partners is something I don't take for granted.
And this year, we get to add two more great names to that ecosystem: Kurtz-Ersa and Scienscope. I'm really thrilled to be building those relationships and can't wait to see what we accomplish together.
All in all, APEX 2026 was a strong show. Not the loudest, but one of the more meaningful ones in recent memory. See you on the floor next year.
And this year, we get to add two more great names to that ecosystem: Kurtz-Ersa and Scienscope. I'm really thrilled to be building those relationships and can't wait to see what we accomplish together.
All in all, APEX 2026 was a strong show. Not the loudest, but one of the more meaningful ones in recent memory. See you on the floor next year.
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