Steve Stafford, managing director of EBV-Electrical
Over the past two years the electronics industry, worldwide, has gone through some very traumatic times. Although in South Africa we have largely escaped the terrible global recession in the electronics sector, we are nevertheless not totally immune to the negative effects on local manufacturing, particularly where local manufacture is involved in the export arena.
After two years of very negative sentiment in the international electronics market and with no apparent end in sight to the unprecedented down-cycle, locally, we are still optimistic and there are real positive signs in the local market. And this despite the continued volatility of the rand.
The country's economy seems to be still growing and definitely seems to be stimulating our market as we are seeing increasing investment in certain segments - of course a lowering of interest rates would be very welcome.
For businesses who are fortunate to have broken into the export arena, the opportunities are excellent, although we need to counteract the move from Western Europe to Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific (particularly in the subcontract manufacturing sector) by really promoting the capabilities in South Africa. We have excellent engineering skills and manufacturing expertise, and these local resources need to be marketed offshore to attract business to SA. We need to continually harness the skills and resources that we have in electronic design and production.
It is our considered opinion that 2003 will bring more opportunities and changes to our market. The challenges for distribution will become even greater as the industry demands superior service and value-adds.
As the 'global village' gets smaller and smaller we will need to constantly review our business model and adapt to ensure that we position our customers competitively both locally and internationally.
For EBV-Electrolink we are predicting continued growth, but are under no illusions that it will be a tough challenge as we attempt to outpace the market.
For more information contact EBV-Electrolink, 021 421 5350, www.ebv.com
From the editor's desk: Exciting times ahead? Technews Publishing
News
There are many subjects that excite me in this world, but two of the larger technical subjects are, firstly, renewable energy, and secondly, the idea of artificial intelligence as it continues to evolve ...
Read more...Microchip expands partnership with TSMC
News
Microchip Technology has announced it has expanded its partnership with TSMC to enable a specialised 40 nm manufacturing capacity at Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing.
Read more...Huge SA grid battery project
News
A standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) has won preferred bidder status under South Africa’s Energy Storage Capacity Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (ESIPPPP).
Read more...Mouser sponsors NCP Cup 2024
News
The NXP Cup is an EMEA-based autonomous car competition, presented by NXP Semiconductors, which is designed to provide students with real-world experiences in autonomous vehicle programming and building.
Read more...TrinaTracker brings its smart solar tracking to SA
News
The Vanguard 1P is designed to provide customers with trackers that combine suitability for flat terrain, together with outstanding system stability and reliability, quick installation, and flexible external compatibility.
Read more...Invertek produces its three millionth drive iTek Drives
News
Invertek Drives Ltd, a global manufacturer of variable frequency drive (VFD) technology, has celebrated producing its three millionth VFD, just three years after its two-million milestone.
Read more...General-purpose MCU with RISC-V architecture EBV Electrolink
DSP, Micros & Memory
Renesas has released a general-purpose MCU to enhance its existing RISC-V portfolio, and this is its first MCU using a RISC-V core developed internally at the company.
Read more...AI-native IoT platform launched EBV Electrolink
AI & ML
These highly-integrated Linux and Android SoCs from Synaptics are optimised for consumer, enterprise, and industrial applications and deliver an ‘out-of-the-box’ edge AI experience.
printer friendly version