What Benefit Do IPC Standards Have For The Electronic Hardware Supply Chain?

For more than 50 years, IPC has developed industry standards for the production of electronic hardware. After having been long considered North American standards, IPC standards over the past two decades have spread globally. The question now is: what benefit do IPC standards have for the electronic hardware supply chain?

Providing answers to that question, several companies in Europe representing electronic design, CAD, bare board production, assembly and soldering explain how they use IPC standards in their daily business routines.

This first article covers electronic design/CAD company, GED GmbH, located 30 km southeast of Cologne in Germany.

First experience with IPC standards

GED offers PCB design and engineering and, through the assistance of external subcontractors, bare board, assembly and test services. Currently the company has 14 employees and CAD systems from six different layout vendors. With these resources, the company produces 160 new PCBs and 80 updates per year for rigid, flex, flex-rigid and HDI boards for customers in Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, France and the Czech Republic.

From its establishment in 1986 to the middle of the 1990s, the company used its customers’ internal standards from companies such as Siemens, Philips, Rheinmetall and Thyssen. This meant that a different standard was used for every customer. An example of this frustrating situation, says Hanno Platz, owner and managing director, “was when we received an inquiry from Hewlett Packard in Germany with an attachment of 100 pages of requirements for the PCB in question.” At that time, the staff did not know about IPC and its standards. In 1995, the company had a U.S. customer that demanded that the assembly and soldering of a back plane, developed and produced in Germany, be conducted at their U.S. premises according to IPC-A-610, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, Class 3 acceptance criteria.

Technology focused on standards

GED found IPC standards through FED, a local German organization with a long-time relationship with IPC, and bought first set of IPC standards. The back plane could now be designed and produced according to IPC standards. Having standards from different areas of the production chain that linked together was a new and positive experience for the company. The staff now regularly discusses how to use IPC standards in their own designs as well as in the purchasing process of bare boards plus assembling and soldering.

Currently, all employees have passed CID (Certified Interconnect Designer) and CID+ (Advanced Certified Interconnect Designer) and are familiar with nearly all IPC standards for electronic design and CAD. All of their order acknowledgments for designing a complete PCB include the following statement, “If nothing else has been agreed upon, PCBs will be manufactured according to IPC standards and its Class 2 acceptance criteria.”

At GED, designers also create PCB layouts. Today, most new PCBs are HDI (high density interconnected) with a high SI (signal integrity) level including high EMC (electromagnetic compatibility). IPC standards have an important influence on these complex boards. The company uses the following IPC standards in their design work:

• The IPC-2220 PCB design series for mechanical properties of track, isolation and PTH (plated-through holes)


• IPC-2223B, Sectional Design Standard for Flexible Printed Boards for flex-rigid PCBs and questions like adhesive type, placement of a flex layer into the rigid part and coverlay dimensions


• IPC-7351A, Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard for footprint (land) design, which is even more important than before because of lead-free processes, especially when components like CSPs (chip scale packages) and QFNs (quad flat no leads) are specified in the BOM list.


• IPC-A-610F, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies for acceptability of solder joints and assemblies


• IPC-2251, Design Guide for the Packaging of High Speed Electronic Circuits and IPC-2141A, Design Guide for High-Speed Controlled Impedance Circuit Boards.With the need to comply with EU Directive 2004/108/EC, and its requirements for high EMC on all PCBs placed in the EU market, SI has become more critical. These standards assist GED designers in selecting microstrip or stripline build up for impedance.

Tool with benefit

The company’s ISO 9002 certification states that Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN) and IPC standards serve as the foundation for quality work. IPC standards are required as a tool when the company uses external vendors for bare boards and assembly. For all potential suppliers in Europe, the staff conducts company visits that include an audit of the bare board supplier and their use of IPC standards, especially the IPC-6010 board manufacturing series and IPC-A-600H, Acceptability of Printed Boards. According to Platz, “After visiting hundreds of bare board suppliers, we’ve concluded that the majority of suppliers understand IPC standards but very few can make boards according to IPC Class 3 acceptance criteria. This is absolutely something that needs to improve.”

According to GED, IPC standards are the basis of electronic product quality and reliability. In the design process, technical parameters like choice of base material, pad sizes, spaces/traces and isolation distances between layer and component pitches are constant considerations. The use of IPC standards makes it much easier to find solutions. Without IPC standards, the alternative can involve high repair/touch up costs and lots of scrap but also an imperfect electronic product from a quality and reliability point of view. In some cases, this has been a very costly experience for the company’s customers that have not used IPC standards. Platz gives two examples:

Example 1: Working to improve EMC capabilities on a PCB, a designer placed via holes directly in surface mount pads. The result was years of solder and wetting problems with only an 80 to 90 percent yield and difficult repairs. The designer, by not following the standard, placed vias in a pad that was too tight. The profit loss over several years was estimated to be 50,000 to 60,000 Euros. The company was ultimately able to solve the problem by redesigning via hole placement that improved EMC properties.

Example 2: A complex 12-layer HDI board with BGA components on both sides needed to be manufactured using a lead-free process. After the transfer, yield went down to 50 percent. The reason: wrong design parameters and bad layer configurations were used and pads too small for via holes were created. With a higher lead-free solder temperature, many irreparable barrel cracks were created in via holes. The total loss due to the 50% yield in the lead-free process was more than 100,000 Euros.

For GED, IPC standards have been an invaluable tool over the past two decades. IPC standards not only save money, they also make it easier to communicate with bare board suppliers and assembly companies across the world. IPC standards can significantly reduce mistakes and improve end-product quality and reliability.

What Benefit Do IPC Standards Have For The Electronic Hardware Supply Chain?

What is New in IPC Standards A-610F-WAM1 & J-STD-001F-WAM1 ?

In order to keep up with industry demand, IPC has released amendments for J-STD-001F, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies, and IPC-A-610F, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies. For each standard, IPC-A-610F Amendment 1 and IPC J-STD-001F Amendment 1 represents a critical shift to deliver necessary updates to these already robust standards.

In order for a standard to be successful, it needs to grow and evolve with industry demand. To achieve this, IPC has released two new amendments that address evolving manufacturing requirements. The first amendment is for J-STD-001F, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies. This standard is recognized worldwide as the sole industry-consensus standard covering soldering materials and processes, including support for both traditional solder alloys and for lead-free manufacturing.

The second amendment is for IPC-A-610F, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies. This widely used standard is a must for all quality assurance and assembly departments. This standard illustrates industry-accepted workmanship criteria for electronics assemblies through detailed statements reflecting acceptable and defect conditions.

For each standard, IPC-A-610F Amendment 1 and IPC J-STD-001F Amendment 1 embodies a critical shift to deliver necessary updates to these already robust standards. Both amendments tackle a variety of issues manufactures are currently facing in the electronics industry.

Included with this is the reintroduction of the Space Shuttle symbol to show where there are different criteria in the J-STD-001FS, Space Applications Electronic Hardware Addendum to IPC J-STD-001F. Other topics range from vertical hole fill to BGA voiding, as well as the revision of Class 2 requirements for vertical solder fill on plated through holes with less than 14 leads to include requirements when there is a connected internal thermal plane. The amendments also work toeliminate requirements for BGA voiding for BGA components with noncollapsing balls.

IPC-A-610 Revision F with Amendment 1 and J-STD -001 Revision F with Amendment 1, where the Amendment 1 is incorporated into the document, are being released in this new format for customers who want the criteria presented in one document. To make it clear, the documents in this format are not redline documents and do not show where the changes were made from Revision F to the Amendment.

In both instances, the emphasis is on quality.  These IPC documents can be purchased from Electronics.ca Publications as a Printed Copy, or PDF download with single user, site user, or global user license:

A-610F-WAM1, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies Revision F with Amendment 1 (NEW FORMAT)

J-STD-001F-WAM1, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies Revision F with Amendment 1 (NEW FORMAT)

What is New in IPC Standards A-610F-WAM1 & J-STD-001F-WAM1 ?

Commercially Significant Market for Graphene Products to Develop Between 2015 and 2020

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled “Graphene: Technologies, Applications and Markets“. Although the nascent commercial market for graphene-based products currently is very small, between 2015 and 2025 the market should achieve unprecedented growth rates through technological advancements. New report reveals that increasing patent activity suggests technology trends are under way, ripening the market for explosive future growth.

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Graphene is a sheet of carbon atoms bound together with double electron bonds in a thin film only one atom thick. The atoms in graphene are arranged in a honeycomb-style lattice pattern, an arrangement that provides strength, flexibility and electrical conductivity. The basic structural element of several forms of carbon, including graphite, carbon nanotubes and fullerenes, graphene has opened up new horizons for high-energy particle physics research and electronic, optical and energy applications.

Potential electronics applications of graphene include ultra-small transistors, super-dense data storage, touchscreens and wearable electronics. In the energy field, potential applications include ultracapacitors to store and transmit electrical power as well as highly efficient solar cells.

Global Market for Graphene

BCC research group expects a commercially significant market for graphene products to develop between 2015 and 2020, when the market is projected to be worth more than $310.4 million. The graphene market should continue to grow rapidly after 2020, approaching $2 billion by 2025.

Graphene printed electronics currently account for virtually all of the (very small) commercial market for graphene technologies. By 2020, structural materials should lead the market (23.2% market share) followed by displays (16.9% market share), graphene capacitors (16.9% market share) and high-performance computing applications (10.5% market share). Capacitors are projected to account for the largest share (31.6%) of the market for graphene technologies by 2025.

One challenge of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the production of graphene is removing the graphene film from the metal substrate without contaminating it or ruining it. Several groups of researchers are working on solutions to this challenge. One of the most promising potential applications foreseen for this technology is the production of transparent electrodes for electronics screens.

In a field where many products and applications are still under development, an analysis of recent patents granted is a useful indicator of technology trends that will affect the graphene market in the mid-to-long term.

The number of U.S.patents granted for graphene-related inventions has been growing over the last 10 years, from four patents in 2005 to 309 in 2014 and 386 in just the first 10 months of 2015. Among the 355 patents issued for graphene applications, structural materials account for the largest number of patents identified. This trend is a clear indication of the growing interest in graphene.

Graphene: Technologies, Applications and Markets examines markets for graphene, with specific coverage of graphene technologies and applications. Analyses of global market drivers and trends, with data from 2014, estimates for 2015, and projections of CAGRs through 2020, and through 2025, are provided.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View the report: “Graphene: Technologies, Applications and Markets“.

Commercially Significant Market for Graphene Products to Develop Between 2015 and 2020

Thermal Management Technologies Market Report

According to a new report entitled “The Market for Thermal Management Technologies“, grow from about $10.7 billion in 2015 to nearly $11.2 billion in 2016 and $14.7 billion by 2021, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% between 2016 and 2021.

Thermal Management Technologies Report Provides:

• An overview of the global markets for thermal management technologies as well as hardware, software, interface products, and substrates.


• Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2015 and 2016, and projections of CAGRs through 2021.


• Discussion of individual materials, hardware, and software product segments in terms of market size and revenue trends.


• Forecasts for the most important applications by product.


• Examination of the competitive aspects of each product segment, along with several successful suppliers’ strategies in the market.


• A relevant patent analysis.


• Profiles of leading companies in the industry.

The report addresses the global market for thermal management products during the period from 2015 through 2021, including:

• Thermal management hardware


• Thermal management software


• Thermal management interface products


• Thermal management substrates

The report format includes the following major elements:

• Executive summary


• Thermal management industry overview


• Analysis of thermal management products: major segments, subsegments, technology trends, applications, world market estimates, and projections


• Presentation of industry structure: market shares and company profiles


• Patent analysis

The overall goal of this report is to provide an analysis of the most recent developments and current trends in the global thermal management marketplace.

Thermal Management Technologies Market Report

Surging Demand for CCTV and Video Surveillance Systems Drives the Electronic Security Systems Market

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS announces the availability of new market research studies which cover CCTV and Video Surveillance Systems, and comprehensive analysis of industry segments, trends, growth drivers, market share, size and demand forecasts on the Global Electronic Security Systems (ESS) market. The global market for Electronic Security Systems is projected to exceed US$80 billion by 2020, driven by the surging demand for CCTV and video surveillance systems and the critical need to restrict unauthorized entry and access amid escalating security concerns. 

Electronic Security Systems, CCTV and Video Surveillance Market

Electronic Security represents the use of technology and electronic devices for ensuring safety and security of human life, physical assets, and business operations by tracking and preventing unauthorized access to restricted premises, sensitive data, or high value assets. As key enablers of advanced electronic security, alarms, electronic access controls systems (EACS) and CCTV and Video surveillance systems have been well received by security conscious individuals, commercial establishments, and governments across the world. Rise in terrorist attacks, vandalism, campus violence, and the resulting need for personal safety, and security at public places such as transits, city centers, educational institutions, as well as borders have been driving the ESS market over the years. Other factors benefiting market growth include heightened levels of fear over security among individuals, stringent regulatory mandates, recovering new building constructions, and surging demand for technologically superior yet cost effective products.

Future growth in the market will be driven by societal changes, which will continue to trigger security threats like terrorist attacks, racism, and fascism. Also, the changing nature of crime in the form of online fraud, identity theft, internet related crimes, property theft, and vandalism will throw the spotlight on the need for advanced electronic security solutions such as digital CCTV, IP based video surveillance, remote-monitoring systems, and IP based access control systems. Falling prices; ever expanding product range; favourable legal, social and political perspectives; migration from analog to IP-based video surveillance; surging investments in government security projects; rapid proliferation of HD CCTVs, rising need to restrict unauthorized entry and access; integration of multiple technologies; expanding applications of biometrics EACS; and the power of cloud computing in enabling security software as a service, are also expected to benefit market expansion in a big way in the coming years.

As stated by the new market research report on Electronic Security Systems (ESS), the United States represents the largest market worldwide, followed closely by Europe. Rise in events of security infringement, significant upgrading and integration of highly advanced security systems by commercial and residential buildings, and rising government and enterprise focus on safeguarding human life, physical and digital assets, and infrastructure, represent key growth drivers in developed markets. Asia-Pacific ranks as the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 14% over the analysis period. Growing prominence of Asian countries as a manufacturing hub for electronic security systems, robust construction activity driven by healthy gains in GDP growth, rising disposable incomes of an expanding base of middle class population, and growing number of civil infrastructure projects, among others, represent key growth drivers in the region.

Key players covered in the report include ADT LLC, Allegion plc, ASSA ABLOY AB, Axis Communications AB, Bosch Security Systems, Changzhou Minking Electronics Co., Ltd., Fermax Electronica S.A.U., Global Security Solutions, Gunnebo AB, Hanwha Techwin, Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Honeywell International Inc., Huviron Co., Ltd., Identive Group, Inc., Johnson Controls, Inc., Kaba Group, Mobotix AG, Panasonic Corporation, Schneider Electric, SAFRAN Group, Sony Electronics, Inc., Swann Communications Pty. Ltd., Toshiba America, Inc., Tyco International Ltd., UTC Building and Industrial Systems, Yoko Technology Corp., and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., Ltd., among others.

The research report provides a comprehensive review of market trends, issues, drivers, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic industry activities of global companies. The report provides market estimates and projections in value for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, and Rest of Asia-Pacific), Latin America (Brazil, and Rest of Latin America), and Rest of World. Product segments analyzed in the report include Alarms, Electronic Access Control Systems (EACS), CCTV and Video Surveillance Systems, and Others.

Details of  2 new reports, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site.

View Report Contents for:

• CCTV and Video Surveillance Systems – Global Strategic Business Report
  and


• Electronic Security Systems – Global Strategic Business Report

 

Surging Demand for CCTV and Video Surveillance Systems Drives the Electronic Security Systems Market

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Analysis

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS announces the availability of a new report entitled “Global Semiconductor Equipment: Markets, Market Shares, Market Forecasts“, extending The Information Network’s semiconductor manufacturing industry analysis. This report profiles key semiconductor equipment suppliers such as Applied Materials, Axcelis Technologies, KLA-Tencor, Lam Research, Mattson Technology, Nanometrics, Rudolph Technologies, Ultratech, Veeco, Aixtron, ASM International, ASML. Carl Zeiss, Camtek, EV Group, LPE, Mycronic, Nova Measuring Instruments, Oerlikon/Evatec, Semilab, Advantest, Canon, Canon Anelva, Daifuku, Ebara, Hermes Microvision, Hitachi High-Technologies, Hitachi Kokusai Electric, JEOL, Jusung Engineering, KC Tech, Lasertec, Murata Machinery, Nikon, Nippon Sanso, Nissin Ion Equipment, NuFlare Technology, Screen Semiconductor Solutions, Tokyo Electron, Tokyo Seimitsu, Topcon Technohouse, Toray Engineering, Ulvac, Ushio, Wonik IPS.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Analysis

According to this report, the front end equipment market, which grew 18.4% in 2014 based on revenues converted to dollars, the 2015 market will be essentially flat as shown in the table below.

Top 10 Semiconductor Front End Equipment Suppliers
	2013 (a)	2014 (a)	2015 (f)
	($B)	($B)	($B)
Applied Materials (AMAT)	5.46	6.33	6.61
ASML (ASML)	5.30	5.63	5.02
Tokyo Electron	3.06	4.66	4.74
Lam Research LRCX)	2.94	3.81	4.70
KLA-Tencor (KLAC)	2.14	2.18	1.95
Screen Semiconductor Solutions	1.22	1.13	0.94
Hitachi High-Technologies	0.80	0.94	0.80
Nikon	0.64	0.82	0.82
Hitachi Kokusai Electric	0.50	0.60	0.64
ASM International (ASMI)	0.46	0.56	0.58
Total	22.52	26.65	26.79
Change	18.4%	0.5%
Source: The Information Network

A number of technical and operational trends within the semiconductor manufacturing industry are strengthening the need for more effective advanced equipment solutions.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Trends:

• Development of Smaller Semiconductor Features. The development of smaller features, now as small as 20nm in production and 10nm in R&D, enables semiconductor manufacturers to produce larger numbers of circuits per wafer and to achieve higher circuit performance.

• Transition to 3D device structures. Foundries are adopting 3D FinFET transistors starting at 14/16 nm technology nodes to get improved performance and use less power in 1x technology nodes. Memory makers will move to 3D NAND and vertical structures for next generation NAND technology

• Transition to 3D Integration Technology. Three-dimensional (3D) integration of active devices, directly connecting multiple IC chips, offers many benefits, including power efficiency, performance enhancements, significant product miniaturization, and cost reduction. It provides an additional way to extend Moore’s law beyond spending ever-increasing efforts to shrink feature sizes. A critical element in enabling 3D integration is the Through-Silicon Via (TSV); TSV provides the high-bandwidth interconnection between stacked chips. The TSV process is beginning to enter production. In the case of TSV, since multiple chips are connected, the process has to achieve and maintain very high yield levels in order to be economically viable.

• Shortening of Technology Life Cycles. The technology life cycle of integrated circuits continues to shorten as semiconductor manufacturers strive to adopt new processes that allow a faster transition to smaller, faster and more complex devices. In the past, the technology life cycle was approximately three years; it is now only two years.

• New materials. Copper metal layers continue to be the key material for the back end of line for advanced integrated circuits in order to increase performance and reduce the cost of integrated circuits. The Industry is continuously searching directions to reduce the effective K of the low K materials and to reduce the barrier thickness and material types. These changes require new processing and metrology equipment and thus represents challenging developments for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. In addition, in order to overcome limitations in the continued shrink of transistor dimensions, leading edge integrated circuit manufacturers are introducing new materials in the transistor gate stack. The adoption of high-k dielectrics is a key element for gate control in the most advanced technology nodes of 28nm, 20nm and 14nm currently in production, while R&D work to implement the next gate control material being done with III-IV materials. These new materials, combined with metal layers, require new processing and metrology equipment and thus represent a challenging development for the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

• Increasing use of multi patterning lithography. The continuous need for scaling to meet reduced transistor costs combined with delays in EUV lithography is pushing the industry to develop alternative lithography techniques such as multi patterning, DSA and E-Beam. These alternative technology are increasing the Etch and CMP process steps and thus increasing the process control and metrology steps in these areas accordingly.

• Increase in Foundry Manufacturing. Asa result of the rising investment needed for semiconductor process development and production as well as the proliferation of different types of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing is increasingly being outsourced to large semiconductor contract manufacturers, or foundries. A foundry typically runs several different processes and makes hundreds to thousands of different semiconductor product types in one facility, making the maintenance of a constant high production yield and overall equipment efficiency more difficult to achieve. This trend of shifting to foundries for manufacturing needs has progressed even further during recent years.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry AnalysisDetails of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View Report Contents: “Global Semiconductor Equipment: Markets, Market Shares, Market Forecasts“.

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry Analysis

European EMS Market Analysis

2014 was a tough year for most EMS companies with revenues in Western Europe  declining by 3% while an increase of 3.4% in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and  Middle East/North Africa (MENA) helped the overall European market post growth of 0.5%. Although the market is expected to recover, growth is forecast to remain flat in 2015/2016 before gaining some traction in the later part of the forecast period.

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EMS revenues in Western Europe are forecast to reach Euro 11.16 billion in 2019, up from Euro 10.37 million in 2014, with the market increasingly focused on the Aerospace, Defence, Automotive, Medical, Control & Instrumentation, Industrial and Telecom  (ADAMCIT) segments of the market.

Source: RER , The European EMS Industry – A Strategic Study of the European EMS Industry 2014-2019

The transfer of production to manufacturing facilities in  CEE/MENA to reduce costs and  the increasing demand by OEMs for EMS to offer local manufacturing in key global markets will dampen growth in Western Europe during the period to 2019.

The reverse applies to CEE/MENA where growth will be boosted by the transfer of production from Western Europe and in particular, lower volume high mix products in the ADAMCIT segments. This is expected to be offset in part by the migration of higher volume products in the consumer, computing and communications, or 3C, segment to Asia as the major global EMS companies come under increasing pricing pressure.  Assuming that the leading global EMS providers remain committed to retaining a major manufacturing presence in the region revenues are forecast to reach Euro 16.21 billion by 2019, up from Euro 15.15 billion in 2014

Major EMS Players

Although made up of over 1,000 companies, the industry is dominated by a small number of Global players with the Top 3 – Foxconn, Flextronics and Jabil – accounting for around 44.5% of revenues in 2014, with nearly 90% from plants in CEE focused on  the 3C segment.

Approaching 75% of the total sales (Euro 19.1 billion) are achieved by the leading 50 companies or 5% of the total number. We are expecting that there will be further consolidation across the industry due to the downward price pressure, slow economic growth and requirement to broaden and deepen the design, development and aftercare services to customers.

This comprehensive report provides:

• A detailed market analysis to 2019 for Western Europe, CEE and North Africa in a single report.


• A breakdown of the market by major sector.


• An in-depth analysis and comment on the key market trends impacting the European EMS Industry.


• A ranking and detailed profiles of the Top 20 EMS providers in Europe.


• An overview of electronic production and EMS manufacturing in the major countries and regions including a ranking of the leading companies and profiles of the major players.


• A directory by country of the EMS manufacturing locations with addresses, contact numbers, websites.

An appendix with the estimated sales turnover for 2014 of the Top 50 European EMS providers and the Top 50 European EMS companies based on global revenues and a list of the prevailing and historical currency exchange rates.

The European EMS Industry report allows you to track these developments in a single cost-effective study providing both detailed market and company analysis. The eleventh edition of the European EMS industry report, published by Reed Electronics Research, highlights the issues impacting the European EMS industry.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site: The European EMS Industry – A Strategic Study of the European EMS Industry 2014-2019.

 

European EMS Market Analysis

200 Million Smart Home Safety and Security Devices by 2020

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS announces the availability of a new report entitled “Smart Home Safety & Security – A Market Dynamics Report”.  According to this report, competition is intensifying for smart home service providers. This market research report covers the global IP security/smart home market as well as smart home safety and security products and services in the managed services, retail and professional installer channels. 

“Cloud-based open platforms are disrupting and creating new opportunities for smart home services,” said Mareca Hatler ON World’s research director. “Consumers are demanding greater choices as well as lower costs and smart home service providers are responding through strategic alliances and open source initiatives.”

ON World’s recently completed survey with 1,000 U.S. adults found that 30% are likely to adopt a smart home system within three years. Over half would like to have at least two integrated smart home applications and 60% of these would like three or more integrated applications. For half the respondents, safety and security is the primary reason they would adopt a smart home system.

Consumers are most satisfied with smart garage door openers, motion sensors and door locks, according to ON World’s evaluation of 170 smart home safety and security products with 20,000 product reviews. Some of the fastest growing product segments include video doorbells, smart smoke detectors and multi-purpose motion sensors.

Open source initiatives such as the AllSeen Alliance, OIC and mozaiq operations aim to accelerate smart home IoT product development and ensure interoperability across applications and transport layers. The AllSeen Alliance has grown rapidly over the past two years with over 100 members including smart home software, hardware and platform market leaders and innovators such as AT&T, Cisco, D-Link, Icontrol Networks, Legrand, LG, Honeywell, Iris by Lowe’s, Microsoft, Muzzley and Technicolor.

By 2020, there will be 200 million Internet connected wireless smart home security and safety products installed worldwide. At this time, 53% will be sold through managed services providers down from three quarters this year as sales through the retail/DIY channel will increase faster.

“Smart Home Safety & Security – A Market Dynamics Report” covers the global IP security/smart home market including safety, security, HVAC/energy, lighting controls and others as well as 12 smart home safety and security product segments for the managed services, retail/DIY and professional installer channels. It includes the results from a survey with 1,000 U.S. consumers; an evaluation of 170 products and 20,000 reviews; a competitive analysis; and 6-year global forecasts for installed systems and devices, revenues for equipment, software and services, and annual unit shipments by market, product segment and technology.

Smart Home Safety & Security – A Market Dynamics Report

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site.  View Report Contents: “Smart Home Safety & Security – A Market Dynamics Report”.

200 Million Smart Home Safety and Security Devices by 2020

Internet of Things Solutions, Business Opportunities, and IoT Forecasts 2015-2020

IoT Solutions, Business Opportunities and New Markets

The Internet of Things (IoT) is poised to fundamentally transform M2M communications, global IT support systems, and business processes in virtually every industry vertical. IoT will significantly impact wireless (short range and macro networks), network signaling, authentication, and data management systems. Embedded systems will also be at the cornerstone for IoT deployment, especially within Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. Data generated through sensors embedded in various things/objects will generate massive amounts of unstructured (big) data on real-time basis that holds the promise for intelligence and insights

for dramatically improved decision processes.

Accordingly, there is an emerging significant business opportunity for Cloud Service Providers and Big Data Analytics within IoT.  There is an increasingly urgent need for end-to-end security for IoT systems and services as we anticipate that their intrusions will become increasingly impactful leading to the potential for operational disruption, industrial espionage, damage to enterprise assets, and even potential physical harm to human beings.

This research offering is the most comprehensive available covering business drivers, technologies, leading companies and solutions, applications, services, market segments, and future outlook for IoT.

Forecasts are provided for 2015 to 2020 for major IoT focus areas including:

* Big Data in IoT

* Security in IoT

* Smart Cities and IoT

* IoT and Data as a Service

* IoT and Embedded Systems

* IoT and the Industrial Internet

This research bundle is value-priced as the sum total of each report purchased individually would be significantly more expensive. This report bundle purchase includes time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you’re addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.

Target Audience:

* Security companies

* Internet of Things companies

* Wireless device manufacturers

* Wearable technology suppliers

* Digital signal processor providers

* Telephony infrastructure providers

* Computer and semiconductor companies

* Embedded hardware, software and OS providers

* Mobile/wireless network operators and service providers

* Next generation application developers and content providers

* Consumer electronics merchandisers and application providers

Table of Contents:


This research package includes the following reports:

1. Data as a Service (DaaS) Market and Forecasts 2015 – 2020


2. Wireless IoT Wide Area Network (WAN) Technologies and Solutions


3. M2M, IoT, Sensors, and Connected World: Market and Forecast 2015 – 2020


4. Connected Home and IoT: Market Opportunities and Forecasts 2015 – 2020


5. M2M/IoT, Cloud, Big Data and Analytics: Market Dynamics and Opportunities


6. Connected Vehicles: Market and Forecast for LTE and Telematics Applications 2015 – 2020


7. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): Key Trends, Opportunities and Market Forecasts 2015 – 2020


8. Big Data in Internet of  Things (IoT): Key Trends, Opportunities and Market Forecasts 2015 – 2020


9. The IoT Software Market and OEM Ecosystem: Opportunities, Challenges, and Forecast 2015 – 2020


10. The IoT Hardware Market and OEM Ecosystem: Opportunities, Challenges, and Forecast 2015 – 2020


11. Internet of Things (IoT) and  Wireless Networks: Technologies, Business Drivers, and Market Outlook


12. Security and Privacy in the Internet of Things (IoT): Challenges, Market Opportunities and Forecast  2015 – 2020


13. Smart City Business Drivers,  Technologies, Companies, and Solutions: Global Outlook and Forecasts 2015 – 2020


14.  Internet of  Things (IoT) Leaders: ARM, Broadcom, Cisco, Freescale, Google, Intel, McAfee, Oracle, PTC, Qualcomm, Samsung


15. Embedded Infrastructure and Devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) Ecosystem: Next Generation Embedded System Hardware, Software, Tools, and OSs 2015 – 2020

Internet of Things Solutions, Business Opportunities, and IoT Forecasts 2015 – 2020

Published in December 2015

1,860 pages.

Single-user License:  $ 12,995 USD

Team License (Up to 5 Users):   $ 15,995 USD

Company-wide License:   $ 19,995 USD

For more information and ordering please contact Electronics.ca Publications.

Internet of Things Solutions, Business Opportunities, and IoT Forecasts 2015-2020

U.S.A. Electronic Security Product Demand to Exceed $16 Billion in 2019

Demand for electronic security products in the US is projected to rise 7.0 percent annually through 2019 to $16.2 billion.

Strengthening new construction expenditures following the recession-impacted 2009-14 period will drive gains. A heightened perceived risk of crime due to widespread media coverage will also support gains, even as the actual number of crimes has declined in recent years. Technological advances will promote sales gains in all segments, both by providing a boost to value demand via the incorporation of value-added features and by increasing market penetration.

These and other trends are presented in the new study Electronic Security Products. This study represents a unique combination of the research skills and resources of The Freedonia Group and the security industry insight of the Security Industry Association (SIA) and its members.

Demand for video surveillance products and systems designed for use in security-related settings will advance 8.2 percent annually, the fastest growth of the five primary electronic security product categories. In 2014, there were approximately 35 million total video surveillance security cameras installed and in use in the United States. That number will continue to expand for the foreseeable future as market penetration increases and as locations add more cameras to their existing surveillance systems.

Access control systems will see strong gains as smart card-based systems gain traction over less secure technologies such as proximity and magnetic stripe cards. Access control systems that integrate increasingly advanced layers of credentials, such as mobile phones and biometrics, will support further gains. Rising consumer familiarity with biometric systems, driven by the use of biometric technologies in identification applications, will help promote demand for the small but rapidly growing biometric access control segment. Improvements in reliability and efficiency of biometric devices, coupled with falling prices, will further aid adoption.

Interoperability as well as innovations in mobile monitoring will boost demand for alarms, which accounted for the largest share of sales in 2014. “The increasing array of plug-and-play electronic security devices that are self-monitored will expand the potential market base of consumers willing to purchase supplemental security measures,” notes analyst Katherine Brink. “These smart products are controlled and accessed via mobile devices, aiding security equipment sales as interest in smart home automation systems also rises.” The alarm segment will further benefit from innovations in personal emergency response service (PERS) alarms.

US ELECTRONIC SECURITY PRODUCT DEMAND (million dollars)
% Annual Growth
Item	2009	2014	2019	2009- 2014	2014- 2019
Security Product Demand	9445	11550	16200	4.1	7.0
Alarms	2725	3375	4750	4.4	7.1
Access Controls	2850	3145	4470	2.0	7.3
Video Surveillance	2135	3075	4555	7.6	8.2
Contraband Detection	1140	1355	1675	3.5	4.3
Electronic Article Surveillance	426	400	485	-1.3	3.9
Other	169	200	265	3.4	5.8

Source: Freedonia Electronic Security Products study

(published 11/2015, 424 pages) is available from Electronics.ca Publications.

 

U.S.A. Electronic Security Product Demand to Exceed $16 Billion in 2019

Key Nano-technologies and Markets 2015-2016

Nanotechnology and nanomaterials are key enablers for a whole new generation of products and processes. New products with enhanced properties are coming onto the market from a broad range of players in consumer electronics, packaging, healthcare and coatings.

The Nanotech Review 2015-2016 is a comprehensive guide to materials, markets and products in nanotech over the past 12 months, from January 2015 to January 2016. This publication details leading developments within the industry during this period.

2015 witnessed numerous major advances enabled by nanotechnology in consumer electronics, medicine and coatings technology. Quantum Dot TVs have made a huge market impact and global funding and commercialization of graphene has continued to grow.

The Nanotech Review focuses on the leading nanomaterials under development, with coverage on quantum dots, nanocoatings, graphene, nanocellulose and new 2-D nanomaterials. There are contributions from leading nanotech companies, alliowing readers a unique market insight into these exceptional materials.

This publication provides a comprehensive review the state of the nanotech sector at present, it’s development, and future prospects. Strategic analysis of the key global markets nanotech will impact is the core theme.

Our expert team and industry contributors bring you fascinating, authoritative articles, illustrated with stunning images on nanotech in markets from oil & gas to biomedicine & healthcare.

Key Nano-technologies and Markets

Key Nanomaterials Markets

• Nanomaterials in the Li-ion battery market


• Quantum Dot TVs


• Graphene in flexible displays


• Graphene in 3D printing


• Graphene in biomedicine


• Graphene in coatings


• Nanomaterials in the Wound Management Market


• Nanotech in Food Packaging


• Nanotech in Anti-counterfeit Applications


• Nanomaterials in Threat Detection and Prevention


• Anti-reflective nanocoatings

Key Nanomaterials

• Quantum Dots


• Graphene conductive inks


• Graphene transparent films


• 2D Nanomaterials beyond graphene

Key Industry Developments in the last 12 months

• Graphene industry developments


• Nanomedicine industry developments


• Nanomaterials regulation


• Carbon nanotubes industry developments


• Nanowires industry developments


• Quantum dots industry developments


• Nanocoatings industry developments


• Nanoenergy industry developments


• Nanocellulose industry developments

Learn more about nanotechnology and nanomaterials market and publications that provide informed perspective and relevant analysis of emergent technologies.

 

Key Nano-technologies and Markets 2015-2016

Industrial Robots: -- Markets Reach $48.9 Billion By 2021

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS announces the availability of a new study “Industrial Robots: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021”. Robots in general are poised to change every aspect of modern life. Robots are poised to change everything, what we eat, how we eat it, what we drive, how we drive it, what we manufacture, how we manufacture it, and the military, how we defend ourselves.

Robot technology is based on platforms that leverage sensors, controllers, software modules, cameras, visualization, and locomotors deploying machines for control of all repeatable process. Industrialization is after all the repetition of some task to create process. Robots take this a step further to create automation of process with the ability to move the units.

Robots are promising to improve yields in every industry. Robots make crops safer by eliminating or virtually eliminating herbicides. Downstream processing system solutions and robots achieve automation of process. Robots meet stringent hygiene and safety regulations, work tirelessly 24 hours a day, and relieve human workers of physically arduous tasks. Robots contribute to the freshness, variety and quality of food. Projects are ongoing. Projects are ongoing.

What could be tastier than a fresh picked strawberry, fully ripe, full of juicy appetence, exquisite in every way? Plant factories, grow lights, vertical farming appliances, and robots that make them possible are poised to change the economics of food growing. Robots in general are poised to change every aspect of modern life. Robots are poised to change everything, what we eat, how we eat it, what we drive, how we drive it, what we manufacture, how we manufacture it, and the military, how we defend ourselves.

Robots are set to bring a new industrial revolution more important than anything seen before. Industrial robots perform repetitive tasks efficiently, they do not eat, they do not make mistakes, they do not get tired, they do what they are told, they work 24 hours per day 7 days a week. Manufacturing plants are frequently long aisles of nothing but robots, no human in sight.

Beyond industrial robots that repeat actions, more intelligent robots loaded with sensors are able to automate process using processors and cameras to control action. Use of microprocessors provides a measure of intelligent control over the activity of the robot based on input from the sensors and the cameras.

Tablet apps are congruent technology for all robots, adding platform functionality and providing basic platform controls. There is the potential for standardization so the robotic platforms are congruent, but that has not happened yet. Companies with a presence in tablet markets are poised to benefit enormously from the growth of robot markets. The app software provides a universal mechanism that will permit flexible response to changing market conditions.

According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the the study, “The opportunity to participate in robotic markets is compelling. This new market is evolving as new automated process based on breakthroughs and innovation in technology is expressed in robotic platforms. Microprocessor technology, optics, cameras, nanotechnology, new materials, thin film batteries, and sensors are among the technologies being put to use in innovative ways in robots. The ability to apply any technology from any company is phenomenal.”

Consideration of Robot Market Forecasts indicates that markets at $53 billion will reach $171.7 billion by 2020. Growth comes as every industry achieves efficiency by automating process robotically. Robots are unique because they can perform multiple steps without human intervention and they can adapt to different conditions and different types of devices to be manipulated. The sensors and the cameras in the robots make them flexible.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View the report:  “Industrial Robots: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021“.

 

 

Industrial Robots: -- Markets Reach $48.9 Billion By 2021

World PCB Production in 2014 Estimated at $60.2 Billion

The world market for printed circuit boards (PCBs) reached an estimated $60.2 billion in value in 2014, growing just 0.7 percent in real terms, according to IPC’s World PCB Production Report for the Year 2014. Production growth in China, Thailand and Vietnam compensated for declining PCB production in most other regions. Developed by a team of the world’s leading PCB industry analysts, the annual study is the definitive source of PCB production data, indicating the volumes and types of PCBs being made in the world’s major producing countries.

The report contains estimates of 2014 PCB production value by nine product categories and by 30 countries or sub-regions. Four categories of rigid PCBs, three categories of flexible circuits, and IC substrates are covered. The standard multilayer rigid PCB values are further segmented by those having microvia structures and those with non-microvia structures. The report also includes updates on metal-core PCBs, as well as regional trends and historical data on regional shifts in PCB production.

The data show that the worldwide rigid PCB market grew modestly in 2014, while flexible circuit growth was flat. Regional trends are also examined, including China’s slowing production growth and the spectacular growth in the PCB industries of Thailand and Vietnam.

“PCB production is an international business and the landscape continues to change,” says Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Companies based in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, are responsible for more than two-thirds of world PCB production. These and other companies around the world are powering the impressive growth of PCB production in southeast Asia.”

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View Report Contents: World Printed Circuit Borads Production Report for the Year 2014.

 

 

 

World PCB Production in 2014 Estimated at $60.2 Billion

Industrial Robots: -- Markets Reach $48.9 Billion By 2021

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS announces the availability of a new study “Industrial Robots: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021”. Robots in general are poised to change every aspect of modern life. Robots are poised to change everything, what we eat, how we eat it, what we drive, how we drive it, what we manufacture, how we manufacture it, and the military, how we defend ourselves.

Robot technology is based on platforms that leverage sensors, controllers, software modules, cameras, visualization, and locomotors deploying machines for control of all repeatable process. Industrialization is after all the repetition of some task to create process. Robots take this a step further to create automation of process with the ability to move the units.

Robots are promising to improve yields in every industry. Robots make crops safer by eliminating or virtually eliminating herbicides. Downstream processing system solutions and robots achieve automation of process. Robots meet stringent hygiene and safety regulations, work tirelessly 24 hours a day, and relieve human workers of physically arduous tasks. Robots contribute to the freshness, variety and quality of food. Projects are ongoing. Projects are ongoing.

What could be tastier than a fresh picked strawberry, fully ripe, full of juicy appetence, exquisite in every way? Plant factories, grow lights, vertical farming appliances, and robots that make them possible are poised to change the economics of food growing. Robots in general are poised to change every aspect of modern life. Robots are poised to change everything, what we eat, how we eat it, what we drive, how we drive it, what we manufacture, how we manufacture it, and the military, how we defend ourselves.

Robots are set to bring a new industrial revolution more important than anything seen before. Industrial robots perform repetitive tasks efficiently, they do not eat, they do not make mistakes, they do not get tired, they do what they are told, they work 24 hours per day 7 days a week. Manufacturing plants are frequently long aisles of nothing but robots, no human in sight.

Beyond industrial robots that repeat actions, more intelligent robots loaded with sensors are able to automate process using processors and cameras to control action. Use of microprocessors provides a measure of intelligent control over the activity of the robot based on input from the sensors and the cameras.

Tablet apps are congruent technology for all robots, adding platform functionality and providing basic platform controls. There is the potential for standardization so the robotic platforms are congruent, but that has not happened yet. Companies with a presence in tablet markets are poised to benefit enormously from the growth of robot markets. The app software provides a universal mechanism that will permit flexible response to changing market conditions.

According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the the study, “The opportunity to participate in robotic markets is compelling. This new market is evolving as new automated process based on breakthroughs and innovation in technology is expressed in robotic platforms. Microprocessor technology, optics, cameras, nanotechnology, new materials, thin film batteries, and sensors are among the technologies being put to use in innovative ways in robots. The ability to apply any technology from any company is phenomenal.”

Consideration of Robot Market Forecasts indicates that markets at $53 billion will reach $171.7 billion by 2020. Growth comes as every industry achieves efficiency by automating process robotically. Robots are unique because they can perform multiple steps without human intervention and they can adapt to different conditions and different types of devices to be manipulated. The sensors and the cameras in the robots make them flexible.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View the report:  “Industrial Robots: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2015 to 2021“.

 

 

Industrial Robots: -- Markets Reach $48.9 Billion By 2021

ZigBee Standards Will Be Used in Over 80% of 802.15.4 Chipset Shipments in 2020

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled “ZigBee Lights Up the Internet of Things: A Market Dynamics Report“.  New research finds that annual shipments of IEEE 802.15.4 chipsets nearly doubled last year and will increase by 550% over the next five years. In 2020, ZigBee standards will be used in 8 out of 10 of the 802.15.4 chipset shipments.

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“ZigBee has always provided flexibility for developers and now ZigBee is rapidly becoming the consumer technology of choice for emerging smart home products,” says Mareca Hatler, ON World’s research director. “This trend is expected to accelerate as ZigBee 3.0 unifies its application profiles and the Thread Group provides a standards based IP addressable wireless mesh network layer.”

Annual unit shipments for ZigBee/802.15.4 nearly doubled last year and will increase by 550% over the next five years. In addition to ZigBee PRO, the most widely adopted wireless mesh network protocol, the ZigBee Alliance also certifies ZigBee RF4CE devices for simple, ultra-low power remote controls and the ZigBee Alliance is also working on a new specification for outdoor wireless mesh networking using IEEE 802.15.4g and 6LoWPAN.

The Thread specification that is scheduled to be released this July will simplify and streamline the creation of smart home IoT products and services. Through a collaboration with the ZigBee Alliance, the Thread Group benefits from over a decade of development of application profiles and ZigBee 3.0 in particular. ZigBee 3.0 is scheduled to be completed this year and will unify commonly used ZigBee profiles such as ZigBee Light Link, ZigBee Home Automation, ZigBee Health Care and others into a single application profile suite, significantly streamlining product development and interoperability among vendors.

Applications for the IoT continue to expand with a growing number of IoT cloud providers such as Ayla Networks, Arrayent, GreenWave Systems, Helium, Kitu Systems, SmartThings (Samsung) and Wink (Quirky) that have recently raised $500 million in venture or equity investments.

By 2020, this new study projects that over 80% of IEEE 802.15.4 annual shipments will use a ZigBee standard. However, ZigBee is facing intensifying competition from low power variants of WiFi and Bluetooth Smart that are gaining tremendous momentum currently from the mobile, IT and consumer electronics industries. Within the next five years, the study projects that annual wireless sensor network chipset shipments will exceed 2 billion.

This report analyzes the evolving market forces, technology advances and competitive dynamics for 22 unique ZigBee markets and provides 5-year forecasts for 802.15.4/ZigBee and competing alternatives including WiFi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, EnOcean and others. It also includes key findings from a recently completed survey with 1,000+ consumers and an extensive analysis of hundreds of ZigBee/802.15.4 products and services.

ZigBee Lights Up the Internet of Things

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site.  View the report: “ZigBee Lights Up the Internet of Things: A Market Dynamics Report“.

 

ZigBee Standards Will Be Used in Over 80% of 802.15.4 Chipset Shipments in 2020

PCB Industry Results for September 2015

North American PCB Sales Growth Continues

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the September findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales growth continued in September and the book-to-bill ratio fell back to a more normal but still positive 1.05.

Total North American PCB shipments increased 3.3 percent in September 2015 compared to September 2014. Year-to-date shipment growth finally reached positive territory at 0.3 percent, after struggling to overcome negative sales growth rates seen earlier this year. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments were up 12.1 percent.

PCB bookings decreased 2.0 percent compared to September 2014, reducing year-to-date order growth to 5.2 percent. Orders were down 7.4 percent in September compared to the previous month.

“The North American PCB industry continues to see modest but positive sales growth, the result of strong order growth in most months of 2015. Orders contracted in September bringing the book-to-bill ratio down from a 5-year high in August to a more moderate level,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The book-to-bill ratio remains positive for the 12th consecutive month,” she added, “which is a strong indicator of positive sales growth in the fourth quarter of this year and into next year.”

Detailed Data Available

The next edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report, containing detailed September data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be available within the next week. The monthly report presents detailed findings on rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales and orders, including separate rigid and flex book-to-bill ratios, military and medical market growth, demand for prototypes, and other timely data.

Interpreting the Data

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid PCB and flexible circuit manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio at the end of each month. Statistics for the current month are available in the last week of the following month.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site.  View Report Contents: IPC’s North American PCB Market Report. Electronics.ca Publications is an IPC member and authorized distributor of IPC industry standards, workforce training products, and market research reports.

 

PCB Industry Results for September 2015

How Negative Interest Rates of Central Banks are Collapsing Global Economy?

The origin of negative interest rate of central banks lies in the neutral rate identified by Knut Wicksell almost a century ago. Negative interest rates meant that the rate of interest required to bring an economy back to full employment with a stable inflation, which could be even negative. The real job creators in any free market economy are not only producers but also consumers. Hence, both producers and consumers have to prosper for a robust economic growth.

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On macroeconomic level, there is a huge income inequality in global economy because of the reluctance of their central banks to follow a monetary policy which would usher a true free market economy. The Fed has also printed several trillion dollars in its ambitious Quantitative Easing (QE) program after 2008 stock market crash. As a result, the economy stabilized in 2009 and began to grow in 2010. However, real wages of Americans fell, while the corporate profits sky-rocketed. How did that happen? Because, the entire increase in government spending from rising budget deficit went into the coffers of already wealthy producers. This is how Goldman Sachs alone could give bonuses of over $20 billion to its executives in 2009, while millions of ordinary Americans were still being laid off from their jobs. While the consumer debt actually fell, the government spending and hence its debt actually rose so much that executives received hefty extra compensation.

Due to absence of a free market economy where wages keep pace with productivity, the central banks have to print dollars just to sustain deficits in respective economies. The trade deficits of the US are a result of offshoring of manufacturing Low Labor Cost (LLCs) Asian countries to increase the corporate profits of US based MNCs. With a lost domestic manufacturing in developed economies to countries in Asia, the citizens in developed countries are relegated to low paying service sector jobs. Hence, the real wages of majority of citizens in the U.S. have actually decreased with rising trade deficits. These trade deficits however have benefited the external share holders of corporations who have reaped huge profits from the rising share prices resulting from a practice of offshoring.

The growing economic disparity has also reduced the ability of low wage earning citizens to pay a fair share of their taxes. Additionally, the tax cuts that are offered to corporations have added further to national budget deficits. Now, the growing trade and budget deficits can be sustained only by means of printing more currency. With their monetary policies, the central banks like Federal Reserve (Fed) or European Central Bank (ECB) prints more money to bring down the rate of interest, and lower interest rates induces people to increase their borrowing or it increases consumer debt. As the wages fall with rising productivity resulting from technological progress, the wage-productivity gap keeps rising so fast that even the government has to raise its own spending and debt constantly to sustain an economic demand from the growing gap between wages and productivity. In this way, even the national debt keeps rising because of increased government spending.

Hence, Central banks keep printing more and more money and all the printed money keeps entering into the pockets of already wealthy individuals and corporations but such policies do not help boost domestic consumer purchasing power in economy. Hence, the real economic demand keeps stagnating and even falling in some cases. Since, wages contribute to economic demand and productivity contributes to an economic supply, wage-productivity gap contributes to demand-supply gap.

The Fed’s benchmark interest rates are already close to zero percent and just to keep the value of the dollar high in order to be able to export more goods to the U.S., the ECB entered into negative interest territory in June 2014. This unprecedented step of imposing a negative interest rate on banks for their deposits is in effect charging lenders to park money with the banks. Additionally, the monetary policies of central banks let wages trail productivity resulting in a lack of economic demand. This causes all the money that is not put into the bank accounts to not get invested into the economy due to a poor economic demand. In fact, negative interest rates are causing money to get stashed underneath mattresses, thereby steadily shrinking of the consumer credit in the economy.

When Fed hiked its benchmark interest rate by only 0.25 percent in early 2016, there was a net inflow of funds from developing economies into the U.S. This move has strengthened USD as compared to its other trading partners. The Asian trading partners like Japan are also following an unconventional monetary policy and Japanese central banks are moving into a negative interest rate territory just to maintain a net trade surplus with the U.S. Hence, any reluctance by the Fed to hike its benchmark interest rate is undone by a decision of US trading partners to enter into a negative interest rate territory.

A rising value of US dollar from all these policies is not good for the US economy as U.S. is unable to export its goods to other countries due to high value of USD. Hence, US trade deficits are steadily rising and could rise further if the Fed hikes its interest rates further in 2016. Rising USD combined with falling US exports are crashing the profits of US MNCs. All of this causes an inability of the U.S. to be able to balance its budget in order to retain its AAA rating. The corporate bonds can no longer retain an excellent credit rating when corporate profits keep crashing because of falling consumer demand in the economy.

A net inflow of capital from developing economies into the U.S. has also triggered a panic in the developing economies as they are dependent on the capital arriving from developed economies. The US based MNCs have neglected consumer demand in US economy, in search of a better RoI from Asian economies and this is crashing MNC profits in both developing as well as developed economies. Everything depends on the ability of the U.S. to service its sovereign debt which would no longer retain its AAA rating as corporate profits start crashing. The end result of all this would be exactly like what has happened with the housing market crash of 2008, but this time the crisis will be much more severe than the housing market meltdown. Once the U.S. defaults on its debt, the global economy would collapse like a ‘Fire Cracker’.

This article is a sequel to Apek Mulay’s two published articles on LinkedIn viz:

1. Negative interest rates of central banks could burst debt bubble like a fire cracker? (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140605212609-11893233-negative-interest-rates-of-central-banks-could-burst-debt-bubble-like-a-fire-cracker?trk=mp-reader-card) published on 5^th June 2014 when Negative Interest rates went into effect in Europe.


2. Negative Interest Rates of Banks – Part 2 (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/negative-interest-rates-banks-part-2-apekshit-mulay-apek-?trk=mp-reader-card)

Author’ Bio –

Apek Mulay is Business and Technology Consultant at Mulay’s Consultancy Services. He is also a senior analyst and macroeconomist in US Semiconductor Industry. He is author of book Mass Capitalism: A Blueprint for Economic Revival. Mulay has also authored another book Sustaining Moore’s Law: Uncertainty leading to a Certainty of IoT Revolution with Morgan & Claypool publishers. He pursued undergraduate studies in Electronics Engineering (EE) at the University of Mumbai in India and has completed master’s degree in EE at Texas Tech University, Lubbock. Mulay authored a patent “Surface Imaging with Materials Identified by Colors” during his employment in Advanced CMOS technology development team at Texas Instruments Inc. He has also chaired technical sessions at International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis (ISTFA) for consecutive years. USCIS approved his US permanent residency under the category of foreign nationals with extraordinary abilities in science and technologies even though he did not pursue a PhD degree in engineering or economics. He has been cited as an ‘Engineer-cum-Economist’ by superstar economist Professor Ravi Batra in his 2015 Volume ‘End Unemployment Now: How to Eliminate Poverty, Debt and Joblessness despite Congress’. He has appeared on National Radio shows, made Cover Story for Industry Magazines, authors articles for newspapers as well as several reputed blogs & industry publications, as well as has been invited on several Television shows ( because of his accurate macroeconomic forecasts ) for his ideas about Mass Capitalism. He is also an investing partner in an ecommerce business Calcuttahandicraft.in which he started to envision his ideas about Mass Capitalism. www.ApekMulay.com.

www.apekmulay.com

 

 

How Negative Interest Rates of Central Banks are Collapsing Global Economy?

Internet of Things Spending by Vertical Market

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new IDC report entitled “Worldwide Internet of Things Spending by Vertical Market 2015–2018 Forecast“, which defines the IT opportunity for  all vertical markets that comprise  the burgeoning Internet of Things market. The new report segments the IoT market as well as provides a forecast that illustrates which vertical industries show the greatest market opportunity over the next several years.

As the Internet of Things IoT market starts to coalesce in both concept and solution offering, IDC recommends vendors take the next step and look at this huge IT opportunity in a more realistic and valuable framework. As exciting as the overall opportunity for the IoT market currently exists, understanding the vertical ramifications is paramount. All of the greatest IoT IT opportunities — from the connected home, smart meters, the connected car, and smart grid to personal wellness and connected health — are driven from a vertical market perspective.

The Internet of Things market must be understood in terms of vertical markets because the value of IoT is based on individual use cases across all markets. Successful sales and marketing efforts by vendors will be based on understanding the most lucrative verticals that offer current growth and future potential and then creating solutions for specific use cases that address industry-specific business processes.

IDC defines the Internet of Things concept as a wired or wireless network connecting devices, or “things,” that is characterized by autonomous provisioning, management, and monitoring. IoT already impacts our everyday life down to the smallest processes. The vertical opportunity that arises from IoT is already in play, but only if the need for vertical expertise is recognized and offered. Realizing the existence of vertical opportunity is the first step to understanding the impact — and therefore market opportunity that exists — for IT vendors. In addition:

• IDC has looked at the components, processes, and IT support for IoT and expects the technology and services revenue to expand from $4.8 trillion in 2012 to $7.3 trillion by 2017 at an 8.8% CAGR, with the greatest opportunity initially in the consumer, discrete manufacturing, and government vertical industries.


• The IoT/M2M market is growing quickly, but the development of this market will not be consistent across all vertical markets. Industries that already “understand” IoT will see the most immediate growth, such as industrial production/automotive, transportation, and energy/utilities. However, all verticals will reflect great opportunity.


• IoT is a derivative market containing many elements, including horizontal IT components as well as vertical and industry-specific IT elements. It is these vertical components where IT vendors will have to distinguish themselves to address industry-specific IoT needs.


• IoT opens up many IT vendors to the consumer market, providing B2B2C services to connect and run homes and automobiles — all the places that electronic devices will have a networking capability.

According to the report, the first step to understand how vendors can position themselves will be to understand the components of the IoT/M2M IT ecosphere. Because this is a derivative market, there are many opportunities for vendors to offer parts or product suites that cover the needed IoT IT set. And vendors will have incentive to do so due to rapid growth which will occur as industries see the convenience, productivity, and efficiency that IoT brings to business processes. Accordingly, while horizontal-focused IT vendors will look to offer IoT solutions that appeal to many industries, there will also be impetus to offer vertical-focused solutions that make IoT tangible for both industries applications (M2M) and consumer needs (B2B2C).

The IoT market will greatly impact and offer the potential for vertical-aligned businesses to improve both performance and profitability. The IoT solutions space will expand exponentially and will offer every business endless IoT-focused solutions. The initial strategy of businesses should be to avoid choosing IoT-based solutions that will solve only immediate concerns and lack ‘staying power.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications’ web site. View the report: “”Worldwide Internet of Things Spending by Vertical Market 2015–2018 Forecast“

Internet of Things Spending by Vertical Market

European Manufacturing Spotlight: Trends, Innovations, and Growth

IPC President and CEO John Mitchell discusses the growth of the European manufacturing industry and how IPC supports IPC members through standards, education and advocacy efforts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N07iGd5zbsI

To achieve a high quality end product and maintain a competitive position in the marketplace, you need to infuse quality throughout the manufacturing process.

Did you know there is an IPC standard associated with nearly every step of printed circuit board production and assembly?  From design and purchasing to assembly and acceptance, Electronics.ca Publications offers IPC Standards to help you assure superior quality, reliability and consistency in the electronic assemblies that go into your product. Download IPC Standards Spec Tree – PDF file.

As with the manufacturing process — which uses a step-by-step approach – IPC standards also build upon one another. To achieve your desired results, it’s important to implement the appropriate IPC standards associated with each step of production.

IPC Standards are available from Electronics.ca Publications in English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and other languages. IPC-Richtlinien in deutscher Übersetzung Les normes IPC en Français  Adquirir estándares de IPC  IPC 行业标准 (in Chinese) IPC から IPC ELECTRONICS.CA 標準を購入

Download IPC Standards Spec Tree – PDF File

Why Use IPC Standards in Your Manufacturing Process?

• Gain Control Over End Product Quality and Reliability — Quality and reliability are the cornerstones of competing in the marketplace and critical to your company’s reputation and profitability. By implementing IPC standards throughout the manufacturing process, you help ensure better performance, longer life and compliance with lead-free regulations.


• Improve Communication with Suppliers and Employees — IPC standards are the standards that your competitors, suppliers and EMS providers use. Working from an established IPC standard helps all of you to “speak the same language” — the language of the global electronic industry. In addition, using IPC standards eliminates confusion for employees, because they know they need to perform to an established industry standard.


• Help Contain Costs — Ensuring that your design and the bare boards you purchase comply with IPC standards allows you to produce electronic assemblies that meet stringent quality tests down the line, minimizing costly delays, rework and scrap.

The Most Popular IPC Documents are available from Electronics.ca Publications in PDF Format

Download IPC Standards

IPC A-610F – Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies
IPC-A-610 is the most widely used electronics assembly standard in the world. A must for all quality assurance and assembly departments.

IPC J-STD-001F – Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies
J-STD-001 Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies has emerged as the preeminent authority for electronics assembly manufacturing. The standard describes materials, methods and verification criteria for producing high quality soldered interconnections. The standard emphasizes process control and sets industry-consensus requirements for a broad range of electronic products. This revision now includes support for lead free manufacturing.

IPC A-620B – Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies
Revision B is now available for the only industry-consensus standard for Requirements and Acceptance of Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.

IPC-DRM-PTH-E
Now updated to Revision D of the latest IPC-A-610E and J-STD-001E – our Training & Reference Guide illustrates critical acceptance criteria for the evaluation of through-hole solder connections.

IPC-DRM-SMT-E
Useful as a training aid in the classroom or on the shop floor, DRM-SMT-E contains computer generated color illustrations of Chip component, Gull Wing and J-Lead solder joints.

IPC-J-STD-033C
J-STD-033 Provides Surface Mount Device manufacturers and users with standardized methods for handling, packing, shipping and use of moisture/reflow sensitive SMDs.

IPC-J-STD-020D-1
IPC-J-STD-020D-1 standard identifies the classification levels of nonhermetic solid state surface mount devices that are sensitive to moisture-induced stress.

J-STD-075

J-STD-075 provides test methods to classify worst-case thermal process limitations for electronic components. Classification is referenced to common industry wave and reflow solder profiles including lead-free processing.

IPC Collections:

IPC-C-103 – Electronics Assembly Standards Collection

IPC-C-1000 Essential Document Collection for Board Design, Assembly and Manufacture

IPC-C-108 Cleaning Guides and Handbooks Collection

Through Electronics.ca you can order IPC standards for printed circuit board design and manufacturing and electronics assembly, including handbooks, guidelines and IPC training videos.

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