NEWS
Welcome to the June issue of Electronics Today D
espite my short time on this title, I’ve had some great feedback and I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can over the next few months. This issue of Electronics Today is jam packed with articles, across a number of different topics. Jen Mullen, emerging technology solutions lead at Keysight Technologies, says that despite the rising focus on AI, public understanding of AI remains rooted more in science fiction than reality. Contrary to popular belief and software marketing, which may tout AI as a
product’s primary function, it is likely only one subset of a small function that may use an AI algorithm. This has given rise to a widely held assumption that AI is a complex, intelligent – nearly sentient – “magic bullet” that can solve challenges in any imaginable scenario.
However, AI is much more approachable than popular culture would have us believe. In the simplest terms, AI can best be described as “math with direction”. I hope that you find this issue informative.
UK manufacturers lift 2023 outlook, boosted by aircraft and electronics
Make UK has revised up its outlook for this year, thanks to strong demand for aircraft and electronics, but said it still expects production to fall over the year as a whole.
Reuters reported that Make UK expects factory output to fall 0.3% this year compared with a 3.3% contraction
expected three months earlier, and kept unchanged its forecast for 0.8% growth in 2024.
James Brougham, senior economist at Make UK, said: “Manufacturers are seeing a gradually improving picture, but the word ‘gradually’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting.”
The improved but still sluggish outlook chimes with the picture for the broader economy, which has avoided a widely forecast recession and which Make UK expects will grow 0.4% this year and 1.3% in 2024. Manufacturers reported modest order growth and plan a marked step-up in hiring. Aerospace had been boosted by a resumption of travel and aircraft orders after the COVID-19 pandemic, while demand for electronics partly reflected businesses’ desire to counter labour shortages.
Supply-chain pressures remain an issue for medium-sized firms. Editor
sking@datateam.co.uk
Agile Electronics appointed authorised reseller for BLOCK PCC DIN-Rail power supplies
Agile Electronics, specialists in supply chain solutions, electronic kitting and turnkey manufacturing, is now an authorised reseller for BLOCK Power Compact Champ (PCC) DIN-Rail power supplies. The new single-phase PCC series is a market-leading technically and economically superior product featuring a light weight, space saving slim-design, excellent communication capabilities and maximum power reserves for optimum system reliability, while being highly cost-effective.
Available with power ratings from 5 A - 40 A the PCC series offers maximum system availability and is robust and flexible, meeting the needs of a wide range of applications such as industrial, automation, instrumentation, test and measurement, smart buildings and industry 4.0.
Sarah Eddowes, director of Agile Electronics, said: “We are very pleased to have been appointed as an authorised reseller for the new BLOCK PCC DIN-Rail Power Supply series. “We can now sell these industrial power products to our customers as part of our kitting service.”
Mouser Electronics named 2022 Distributor of the Year by Bel
Mouser Electronics, Inc., a leading distributor, has been named 2022 Distributor of the Year, North America, by Bel.
Bel, a leading global manufacturer of products that power, protect and connect electronic circuits, recognised Mouser for the distributor’s overall sales growth, POS growth, customer count growth, and overall support and engagement. Dan Bernstein, chief executive, Bel Fuse Inc. said: “It is with great pleasure that I award Glenn Smith and the Mouser team, Bel’s Distributor of the Year. This award acknowledges their efforts in exceeding’s sales, POS, and customer count growth while providing the highest level of engagement and support for 2022. “Over the decades, we have truly appreciated Mouser’s hard work, dedication and passion for
4 JUNE 2023 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
our product portfolio. To the Mouser team, thank you for being a great partner and your successes this past year. It is much appreciated.” Mr Smith said that Mouser greatly appreciates this recognition from Bel.
“Bel is a valued manufacturer partner, and we share a common goal of delivering best-in-class service and products to our customers,” he said.
Simo King
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