In 2012, the value of world trade in electrical and electronic goods was $1.83 trillion, making it the second largest trade category after fuels and oils. Electrical and electronics firms must overcome key challenges to make the most of global opportunities – identifying and conforming to global requirements in a changing regulatory environment, optimizing product development, assessing suppliers and auditing their factories, and monitoring quality throughout the supply chain.  Increasingly, it is the producer’s responsibility to see a product through to the end of its useful life.

Asia dominates the global electrical and electronic industry on both the supply and the demand side. However the rise of this region has been more at the expense of the USA than Europe, where the German sector is the largest with some 840,000 employees and around 80% of its output being capital goods. Prior to the 2008 recession, the Germany industry saw a long term growth rate of 3% per annum but with the recovery, the growth rate for 2012 and 2013 is estimated at 1.5% with growth in emerging markets compensating for problems in the Eurozone.

An innovative supply chain is the key to global competitiveness in this sector with suppliers capable of world class levels of QCD, capability in new product development and introduction and the ability to ramp up rapidly and reliably to high volumes.

Industry Forum’ electronics industry business consultants have over a decade of experience supporting blue chip organisations within this sector, both in the UK and Globally. Industry Forum has supported the development and introduction of global systems within clients, coached and developed internal resource to ensure sustainability and supported front line delivery of invasive lean or TPM programmes.