“All in all, I would say that Italian market, apart from the Defence Industry, which is thriving, is not flourishing yet, still its alive and kicking. The activity is picking up, and many interesting projects are moving forward.” says Andrea Queirolo, Sales Manager Italy at CONFIDEE.
Recent industry events in Italy, including SPS Italia in Parma and Focus on PCB in Vicenza, highlighted both the challenges and opportunities currently shaping the European electronics sector.
“It was interesting to experience first-hand during the events the growing focus on AI, cybersecurity, advanced PCB technologies, and compliant supply chains,” says Queirolo.
While several industrial sectors remain cautious due to market uncertainty, defence, aerospace, industrial automation, and advanced electronics continue to drive activity across the Italian market.
“Within defence, aerospace, industrial automation, and advanced electronics, we continue to see strong demand for quality, traceability, and secure supply chain management. The discussions during SPS Italia and Focus on PCB clearly showed that companies are preparing for the future, even while navigating a challenging market,” he adds.
The global PCB and electronics supply chain remains under increasing pressure. The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and data centres continues to drive demand for advanced laminates, low-loss materials, and high-performance PCB technologies. This development has intensified the ongoing shortage of glass fibre cloth and other critical raw materials used in PCB laminate production.
According to Raymond Goh, COO at CONFIDEE, the material situation has become one of the defining topics for the electronics industry in 2026.
“The pressure on PCB materials is no longer limited to selected high-frequency laminates. We now see tightening availability across both advanced materials and standard FR-4 products. Lead times for several advanced laminates have extended significantly, while manufacturing capacity in both Europe and Asia continues to fill rapidly”, says Goh.
AI-related demand, combined with geopolitical uncertainty and constrained material production capacity, is contributing to extended lead times, material allocations, and pricing volatility across the market.
“In a market where material constraints are beyond our direct control, our focus is to create as much transparency and predictability as possible for our customers,” says Queirolo.
“We advise customers to plan proactively, release orders early, and allow flexibility where possible, such as equivalent laminates or prepreg alternatives. Dual sourcing for key articles is also becoming increasingly important. At the same time, customers should remember that orders can still be cancelled according to the agreed cancellation window”, he says.
