IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has announced the release of Where in the World? A Regional Strategy Roadmap for Electronics Manufacturers. This study, conducted by BPA Consulting Ltd. exclusively for IPC, provides critical information about 30 countries and analysis of their relative advantages to electronics manufacturers, as well as the outlook for future development.
The countries were assessed as locations for possible investment in electronics manufacturing operations based on a comparison of relevant economic, social, legislative, educational, logistic and technical factors that influence the way in which these regions are developing. The study describes how key industry sectors are adopting and benefiting from the local characteristics of each region.
“Market opportunities around the world basically involve three factors: making things cheaply in high volume to supply existing markets; fabricating intelligence/technology-rich products for mature markets where rapid response and flexibility are at a premium; and the potential for substantial new markets as gross domestic product, GDP, per capita increases,” said Nick Pearne, director, BPA Consulting. He adds, “From the late '90s to the early years of this millennium China was an inexpensive area in which to grow production. This balance is now shifting as the Chinese economy develops and the second and third factors are coming into play. While it is true that North America, Europe and Japan remain the largest consumer markets worldwide, the populations of China and India and therefore the potential markets of these countries exceed those of the traditional wealthy economies several times over.”
The study, which includes detailed input from IPC, BPA and other contributors’ own experiences and data, also identifies the major assembly company operations located in each country and the technological and market “hot spots” throughout the world, and reviews on-shoring and off-shoring trends. The study provides analysis on how nations handle intellectual property and how overseas investments into each country indicate levels of confidence and enable industrial development. The report was designed to convey the majority of information graphically, offering a comparative, standard format to enable rapid assessment of the relative potential of the covered economies.
Where in the World? A Regional Strategy Roadmap for Electronics Manufacturers is available for sale to IPC members for $675 and to nonmembers for $900. For more information or to purchase the report, visit www.ipc.org/WHERE-14 or contact IPC's market research department at marketresearch@ipc.org. For information on all of IPC's market research programs, visit www.ipc.org/industrydata.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,500 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.