Editor’s Note: In 2004, the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, or German Engineering Federation), saw the potential for flexible, organic and printed electronics. To help grow this nascent field, the VDMA formed the Organic and Printed Electronics Association, or OE-A. Klaus Hecker was selected as managing director of the OE-A, and two decades later, still heads the association. Hecker discusses the progress the industry is making.


Printed Electronics Now: What led to the formation of the OE-A back in 2004?

Klaus Hecker: The OE-A was founded in 2004 in response to the growing recognition that flexible, organic, and printed electronics had the potential to revolutionize industries ranging from consumer electronics to healthcare, automotive, and beyond. At the time, there was a clear need for a platform to bring together players across the value chain – material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, research institutions and end users to foster collaboration, share knowledge and establish standards. This was critical to overcoming technical hurdles and accelerating commercialization. The OE-A was conceived as this collaborative platform.


Printed Electronics Now: Klaus, if I recall right, you have been OE-A’s managing director since its beginnings. How challenging was it to start up the group?

Klaus Hecker: We started OE-A as a new group within VDMA pretty fast. It only took half a year from the first discussions with major players to the inauguration. Which does not mean it was easy. But with the support from the right people in our mother organization VDMA and from the industry, we formed a core team to prepare the launch of the OE-A.

The vast diversity of applications, technologies, products, and target industries has been and continues to be a chance, but also a challenge. There is a huge demand for information about new approaches, technologies, and applications. Established industries such as semiconductors, automotive, and medical tend to be very resistant to change, often taking years before they are ready to integrate new technologies. However, once they are convinced of the clear benefits, they tend to adopt and scale these innovations rapidly.


Printed Electronics Now: What was the OE-A like in the beginning compared to now?

Klaus Hecker: I vividly remember the inaugural meeting of OE-A in 2004—a remarkable gathering of leading companies in a newly emerging field. At that meeting, 35 companies and institutes from Europe and the USA convened at VDMA to launch a new industry association dedicated to flexible, organic, and printed electronics. It was clear that this emerging industry required a space for meetings, networking, exchanging ideas, finding partners, developing strategies, and representing its interests.

Today, we have grown to over 200 member companies across the value chain and from all over the world, with nine active Working Groups. Additionally, we have ongoing roadmapping initiatives, and an annual flagship event, LOPEC—the largest exhibition and conference for flexible, organic, and printed electronics in cooperation with Messe Munich.


Printed Electronics Now: How has the industry grown during the past two decades?

Klaus Hecker: Over the past two decades, we’ve moved from lab-scale research to large-scale commercial production in key areas. Advancements in materials, such as conductive inks, organic semiconductors, and substrates, have made it possible to produce flexible and printed electronics at lower costs and in higher volumes. The integration of these technologies into consumer products, healthcare solutions, automotive systems, and IoT devices shows that the industry has reached a new level of maturity. The market has expanded significantly as more industries recognize the benefits of lightweight, flexible, and low-cost electronics.


Printed Electronics Now: What were some of the key developments over the past two decades?

Klaus Hecker: From a technology point of view, the continuous progress in functional materials concerning electrical performance as well as processability and reliability has been important. In combination with improved printing and patterning processes, this has been the basis for upscaling production.

The success and massive  adoption of OLED in consumer electronics, sensors in automotive and medicine, as well as hybrid NFC and RFID in retail and logistics, show the successful commercialization on large scales. To provide an overview of the status of products and technologies today and in the future the OE-A frequently publishes a roadmap for flexible and printed electronics. We clearly see that there is a lot in the pipeline.


Printed Electronics Now: How has the industry changed during that time?

Klaus Hecker: There is clearly a shift from a “technology push” to a “market pull,” driven by end-user needs, which has only intensified in recent years. When we first started, printed electronics was seen as a technology close to market readiness. Today, it’s integrated into a wide range of products, with significant penetration across industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, healthcare, printing and packaging, smart buildings, and even the Internet of Things (IoT). We see that more and more established electronics companies are entering the field. The shift from fully printed to hybrid electronics, coinciding with the increasing demand from customers for thin and flexible electronics, strongly pushed this development.


Printed Electronics Now: Who have been some of the key people at the OE-A and the industry?

Klaus Hecker: Building an association and a new ecosystem is always a group effort. There have been many key figures both within the OE-A and the broader industry who were essential to making it happen.

As the reason for this article is the founding of the OE-A, I would like to name a few supporters from the very beginning: Wolfgang Mildner, who approached the VDMA with the idea of an association; Prof. Reinhard Baumann, who was also involved in the founding phase from the mechanical engineering side; and Andy Hannah and Prof. Toshihide Kamata, who have done valuable work for OE-A and our industry in North America and Asia.

In particular, the OE-A board members over the years, as well as many additional representatives from our membership and beyond, were and are instrumental in building this industry. Not to forget academia, doing basic and applied research and in particular educating scientists and engineers urgently needed by the companies.

The success of printed and flexible electronics has truly been a collective effort, with many contributors collaborating to push the boundaries of what’s possible.


Printed Electronics Now: What do you see as the next steps leading to further growth for the flexible/printed electronics industry?

Klaus Hecker: In medicine, we anticipate a growing shift from prescriptive care to preventive care, as mentioned above, clearly driven by demographic factors. In the mobility sector, driven by electric vehicles and autonomous driving, we’re seeing new opportunities for printed sensors, integrated control and interface systems, and advanced battery technologies.

For details, I’d refer you to the OE-A Roadmap. It includes updates on key technologies and capabilities, with contributions from over 100 industry experts providing detailed forecasts for markets such as Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Printing and Packaging, Smart Buildings, and the Internet of Things. We’re currently updating the Roadmap, with the 10th edition set to be published in 2026.