Siplace Training Center<br>inaugurated in Shanghai

The picture shows Dr. Peter Drexel, Group Vice President of Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems, (second from right) and Prof. Dr. Wang Gang, President of Tongji University, (third from right) officially inaugurated the new Siplace Training and Demo Center in Shanghai. With this facility, Siemens L&A is promoting the education and training of urgently needed electronics manufacturing specialists in China. At the same time, users who are already working with Siplace machines will find a training environment that features the latest technology and high-end placement equipment. During the inauguration event, almost 100 invited guests learned about the close connection between Siemens L&A and its Chinese partner Tongji University today and in the future. The speakers underscored the great importance of this day, which represented the culmination of a very long and trusting relationship. The new Siplace Training Center provides both students and teachers with an ideal learning environment. In addition, the close cooperation between the university and Siemens will enable innovative research results to directly benefit the development of new Siplace machines. To provide ideal training and research conditions, Siemens equipped the new training center with about three million dollars` worth of machines and accessories, including high-end Siplace X3, Siplace HF/3 and Siplace HS-60 machines and a complete SMT manufacturing line. Advanced accessories like the Siplace Productivity Lift further improve the training environment. Siemens L&A vice president Dr. Drexel explained the importance of this investment in the future: "We are experiencing a global shortage of highly qualified engineers and technicians for electronics and microelectronics manufacturing, especially in the rapidly growing Chinese market. Our goal is to train our own Chinese talent since we will urgently need these people for our business in the future. But our customers will benefit from hiring future Tongji graduates as well. The close cooperation of our specialists with Chinese universities makes this possible." As the leading manufacturer and supplier of SMT technology, Siemens L&A is represented in all markets of the world. Siemens has been active in China for many years and has established a good relationship with Tongji University, which has an outstanding reputation throughout the world and is considered China`s premier institution of higher education. With this latest endeavor in Shanghai, Siemens underscores once again its interest and willingness to invest in the continuing international development of high technology. The systematic and globally standardized Siplace training methodology works for students and users alike. The training program starts before the equipment gets installed and reaches deep into the operations phase in which users can be trained to become Siplace trainers. The underlying Siplace training concept is based on a modular, wide-ranging and individually configurable program. All courses build on one another and themselves consist of individual modules.