INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLE


of ancient microbial life. Smiths Interconnect provides the Mars Perseverance Rover with cPCI 2mm connectors, addressing NASA’s need for a high reliability connector solution. “Rigorous testing was performed at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory for extreme environmental conditions, including thermal excursions, corrosive atmospheres, excessive shock and vibration, contact engagement/ separation cycling, and other key NASA requirements.”


William Heath, commercial director, OMC (UK): “Paradoxically, we saw a big dip in demand in the medical sector, but for end devices not directly related to treating respiratory diseases, e.g. MRI scanners and other equipment, because the whole focus was on ventilators and other ICU equipment. We have seen a major recovery in that sector since the turn of the year. “Other sectors such as mass


that have been launched over the past year. As a business Xilinx has remained resilient, despite unprecedented global challenges. Xilinx generates almost 20 percent of its sales in Europe and in the fourth quarter of the 2020 financial year, Xilinx's sales in the region increased sequentially, even though this quarter was particularly affected by Coronavirus. While there was a decline in our automotive business due to the pandemic, this problem has only been temporary and we’re seeing the automotive industry continue to quickly recover. We have a very diversified customer base, so when one market declines others can pick up and compensate, or even overcompensate. “


What industrial sectors or applications are you currently seeing most recovery and or growth?


Roy Phillips, MD of Intelliconnect: “The recovery for us, is slow but, we believe, picking up momentum. Generally all sectors are giving positive feedback and there are good signs that export business is on the rise, particularly US and Far-Eastern markets. The Cryogenics market, driven largely by Quantum Computing experienced a slow down last year but as some economies, notably USA and UK start to ease lockdown and working restrictions then we expect a significant surge in spending in this area. “Similarly increased confidence and government stimulus in terms of capital spending should have the effect of boosting Sales in medical, defence and industrial markets. Specifically in defence, several delayed key UK projects are coming to fruition in the next quarter and signs are good that some export projects are re- surfacing. Medical equipment markets have


12 MAY 2021 | ELECTRONICS TODAY


suffered from the focus of ridding the world of Covid and as the world slowly returns to ‘normal’, we should start seeing some traction in these areas towards the end of the year. Possibly the most painful and frustrating effect of Covid has been our inability to travel, particularly to the United States and consequently being unable to attend Tradeshows and hindering our ability to develop our US business. We expect that we will see major growth in the USA in the second half of this year as (hopefully) travel restrictions are eased.”


Eric Lakin, VP, Smiths Interconnect: “We are seeing noticeable growth in the semiconductor test business, as customers increase capacity for the production of graphics chips and other microprocessors to support demand for laptops, data centres and games consoles. The increasing acceleration of the digital age is creating a huge demand for new consumer/ commercial electronics to incorporate expanding functional needs into reduced space in a cost-effective manner. This has resulted in a huge growth in Wafer Level Packages and Known Good Dies. “To address this demand, Smiths Interconnect has recently launched an advanced WLCSP test solution, Volta 180 Series, that expands its Volta product line to include the compact 180um pitch, allowing for a higher number of chips to be tested on each wafer.


“There was also growth in the space market segment from specific projects and satellite programmes. Smiths Interconnect has supported several important NASA programmes with its products and technologies. Among those is the Mars Perseverance Rover, which recently landed safely on Mars to begin the search for traces


transportation are being slower to recover, as few countries are viewing new trains and subway networks as a priority. Most of that is export market for us so it’s hard to say what the recovery timescales are likely to be. Due to the wider economic impact of the pandemic, we expect government budgets globally to be tight for some years. Nonetheless we are maintaining the skills and supply of raw materials to service those industries and stand ready to ramp up production of relevant products again when required.


“Another sector strongly hit was laboratory research equipment and instrumentation, unless directly related to COVID research. We observed companies putting research plans on hold to concentrate on keeping existing supply chains flowing. Electronics on the whole seems to be recovering well when looking at the broader picture. We have a subsidiary supplying the hospitality trade and can see first-hand how badly affected that sector has been.


“Even though things are looking positive, there are many caveats - new virus strains, how long vaccine protection lasts and many other considerations. The wider fallout of the pandemic, both economically and geo- politically is also to be yet be seen.”


Steve Rawlins, CEO, Anglia Components: “The big markets for electronic components seem to be recovering this year, including automotive electronics, 5G and healthcare. Healthcare is obviously booming and demand for 5G is kicking in. There’s also growth in access control, smart buildings, and other areas which contribute to public safety and well-being.”


Brendan Farley, MD, Xilinx EMEA: “Globally, we expect overall semiconductor sales to increase this year. In Europe specifically, there are a few areas that offer Xilinx good growth opportunities, and 5G continues to be one of those key areas.”


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