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VDI Nachrichten in Germany is a weekly newspaper
with 170,000 copies read by engineers and engineering management.
www.vdi-nachrichten.com
The paper is the official medium for the German engineering community
in the field of electronics, manufacturing and construction as well
as environmental and pharmaceutical engineering. For almost 16 years
Jens D. Billerbeck has been the dedicated editor following the semiconductor
industry. His articles take a close view of the industry. He also
covers the PC-hardware business and electronics manufacturing as
well as the new field of biometrics. Mr. Billerbeck lives in Solingen
near Duesseldorf with his wife and one daughter. His passion is
choral music and the theater: he directs two stage productions a
year to keep the balance with his professional life.
Globalpress: What areas of
technology are you most interested in right now?
Jens Billerbeck: Semiconductor-Technology:
What materials, what processes and what tools are necessary to stay
in tune with Moore’s Law? Is this affordable or is the economy
– and not physics – the real “show-stopper”
for new billion-transistor chips?
Computer-Hardware: The ongoing trials to overcome limitations of
the PC technology born in the early ‘80s...
Computer-Software: The competition between established operating
systems and the open-source community.
GP: What trends or innovations do you see
as the most important or intriguing?
JB: The cost of developing and manufacturing
the above-mentioned new chips. And the question how EDA can keep
pace with semiconductor manufacturing. On the other hand: Will there
be enough demand in mobile-communication, computing, automotive
or industrial electronics to pay for the huge investments in new
chips? What kind of consolidation will happen throughout the industry
in the next couple of years? Will there be a fundamental shift from
hardware to software? From components to systems? From IDMs to foundries?
etc. ...
GP: What’s your biggest challenge
in covering U.S.-based companies?
JB: The large companies with great PR
departments and/or Europe-based offices are easy to cover. But small
start-ups are difficult to discover from abroad. That's one of the
great advantages of the Europress Tours: To meet companies you have
never heard of before.
GP: How do you feel about meeting U.S.
company representatives at European trade shows?
JB: Good, if they have an interesting
story to tell about. No need for “marketing blah-blah.”
GP: What advice would you give to U.S.
companies and PR people about setting up, handling, and following
up after trade shows?
JB: Hold press conferences only if there
is an interesting story. No need for press conferences telling only
“we are the greatest.” I like one-to-one or round-table
interviews to get an inside view of new technologies and company
strategy. And for follow-up: white papers, background material,
etc. available on the web site. Marketing brochures, flyers on glossy
paper, etc. are definitely not helpful and will end up quickly in
the garbage! At trade shows, the schedule is always tight. Therefore,
press conferences should start on time!
GP: Do you prefer to work with U.S.-based
PR people, or those based in Europe/Asia? Why?
JB: There is no clear preference. Time
lag is not an important issue when communicating via e-mail, but
European PR people often have a better knowledge of the publication
I write for and for my special needs.
GP: Without naming names, what is the most
creative or helpful thing that a U.S. company or its PR representatives
have done recently to make your job easier?
JB: Providing lots of materials on their
web site. For example: Transcripts of keynote speeches, webcasts
of important events, background material and things like that.
GP: Without naming names, what is the most
UNhelpful thing that a U.S. company or its PR representatives have
done recently to make your job more hellish?
JB: It's often difficult to find good
pictures of products, people or technologies.
GP: What are some specific tactics that
U.S. companies might consider to get your attention?
JB: It's always good to have some kind
of personal relationship. After meeting management or PR people,
it's easier to communicate via e-mail or phone. For my publication
the “person behind the technology” is always interesting.
It's also helpful to visit a company/fab/lab to get a feeling about
the people behind the story.
GP: What is the one thing that you wish
U.S. technology companies would do that they aren’t doing now?
JB: Providing the newest information as
quickly as possible is more important than a German translation.
And to say it again: Information does not mean “marketing blah-blah.“
If you would like to check out Globalpress' home page,
please go to: www.globalpresspr.com
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