Product category:
Recruitment, Reports and Resources
News Release from: Frost and Sullivan
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 31 March 2006
SMT placement equipment booms in Europe
The development of high-growth end-user industries is opening up lucrative opportunities in the European surface mount technology (SMT) placement equipment market.
The development of high-growth end-user industries is opening up lucrative opportunities in the European surface mount technology (SMT) placement equipment market Industries such as telecommunications, automotive and medical electronics are developing at an accelerating rate, thereby hiking demand for SMT placement equipment
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 28 Jul 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
MEMS Microphone Markets Overcom initial inertia
Developers of micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphones are aggressively focusing on establishing themselves in the cell phone markets
Engineers and technicians must be trained
Leading UK engineering and technology firms, with a combined multi-million pound spend on training and development, will assemble at the IEE 'Investing in Technical Teams' forum on 4 November 2004.
New analysis from Frost and Sullivan: "European surface mount technology (SMT) placement equipment market", reveals that revenues in this industry totalled $368.5 million in 2005 and is estimated to reach $550.5 million in 2012.
"Fast-moving commercial markets, which demand a succession of sophisticated high-technology products, are dominating the electronics manufacturing scene today", says Frost and Sullivan Research Analyst P Santosh Kumar.
"This trend is compelling manufacturers to keep pace with the continuous miniaturisation and convergence of different technologies by developing increasingly flexible, modular SMT placement equipment".
Further reading
Workshop gives complete picture on CE.NET 5.0
A UK-based workshop will give embedded software development engineers hands-on experience in running the new 5.0 release of Windows CE.NET on next generation processors.
DSP seminars focus on video applications
Abacus Polar is hosting two DSP seminars with Texas Instruments.
Latest Verilog standard released
IEEE 1364-2001, the Verilog hardware description language (HDL) standard, also known as Verilog-2001, was approved by the IEEE as a revised standard in March of this year.
For instance, mobile phones, once considered a luxury, are now becoming a commodity and converging with consumer electronics devices.
Mass production of these multifunction products requires highly sophisticated, flexible and high-speed manufacturing equipment.
In addition, the use of wireless technology in medical devices is growing rapidly, resulting in heightened demand for specialised SMT placement equipment.
Also, the increased complexity of printed circuit boards (PCB) due to the miniaturisation trend across multiple industries is further boosting demand levels.
With a large number of central and eastern European countries recently joining the European Union, the SMT placement equipment market is experiencing significant new growth opportunities.
Countries such as Romania, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Hungary are emerging as attractive low-cost manufacturing locations for the top global electronics manufacturing service (EMS) providers, all of whom have set up production facilities in the region.
This trend is expanding the demand for new SMT production equipment.
Despite such promising prospects, the cyclical nature of SMT equipment sales as well as the high cost associated with operation and maintenance can inhibit new equipment purchases.
Many SMT placement equipment manufacturers have experienced financial losses and inventory buildups with their product ranges in the past, not only due to the economic downturn, but also due to changing market requirements and the high price of new equipment.
"Since the economic downturn of 2001, price has become a major concern for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and EMS providers", notes Kumar.
"As a result, alternative business strategies focused on maintaining position rather than on increasing market share are being developed by manufacturers".
In addition to developing innovative new business strategies and significant corporate restructuring, manufacturers need to add extra value to their products.
The design of compelling customised, high quality, value-added services together with advanced technical features will limit further price declines and help manufacturers differentiate their products in this highly competitive marketplace.
• Frost and Sullivan: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
