A lonely outpost.
This year’s rebranding of the tech extravaganza formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show saw “International” dropped from the name. It’s now just CES, although it still bills itself as a “global technology event”.
Looking just at attendees and media, it certainly is an event with global pull. But the products on display overwhelming come from companies based in developed or near-developed countries, even though the actual manufacturing is often done in the developing world. China is well represented, of course, and there’s ample room to debate which category it falls into, but nevertheless it is exceptional in every sense of the word.
Every year brings a handful of exhibitors from ASEAN nations. This year, the total dropped significantly, with only 13 companies attending, including 10 from wealthy Singapore. Two were from Thailand and only one from Malaysia, Nationgate Solution, a contract manufacturer. Last year there were 15 from Singapore and five from the rest of the region. That’s out of more than 3,600 exhibitors total.
India held more or less steady with six exhibitors, one less than last year but the same as 2014. South America was barely present with one exhibitor, Student Genius from Colombia; past years have fluctuated between zero and two. Last year there was one African manufacturer, this year there were none on the show floor. One publisher from South Africa, IT News Africa, set up a stand though. It’s a good read and worth a look if you’re interested in following the African tech scene.
One thing the Consumer Technology Association could do would be to set up a special forum – there are plenty already – for contract manufacturers and similar providers of outsourced services. Among the 150,000 or so attendees, there are thousands of entrepreneurs, many of whom are on the hunt for someone to make their stuff.