CIE 40th Anniversary
Examples of campaigns run by ecsn and afdec over the years.
made by some organisations in good times were often lost when bad times returned. These and many other factors led to many components manufacturers and distributors merging their organisations to reduce costs and increase volume manufactured for very similar reasons that publishers merged titles and operations.
1990s and 2000s: The Internet The introduction of electronic trading between organisations, initially via electronic data interchange (EDI) was then followed by the Internet revolution, which radically altered
www.cieonline.co.uk
the structure of all markets. It was often said that “the end was in sight” for the print industry because information would be made freely available digitally and everyone would read magazines, newspapers and even books on-screen. Not much has changed regarding the content creation of publications however, which continue to demand intellectual input and the editorial judgement that places content appropriately before the target readership. It’s this expertise that subscribers to a publication are really purchasing and it’s this that will ensure publications like CIE will continue to succeed. Readers are a discerning bunch and, in my opinion, will always follow good content and knowledgeable opinions, which publishers have always been able to monetise, although balancing the books today is much more nuanced and complex than in the past.
It’s no surprise that the electronic components market also quickly embraced the Internet’s promise of “everything available, to anyone, anywhere...” But the reality is that whilst the speed of communication and the availability of information has increased dramatically, digital technology by itself provides little by way of knowledge. Component manufacturers and their authorised distributors were quick to produce websites that showcased the products on offer and enabled customers to place and track
their orders, but the vital knowledge that enabled designers and engineers to get the most out of the new technology had either to be already known to them or quickly learnt. Authorised distributors moved quickly to share their knowledge and experience across a wide range of specific industry or product applications in the trade media, via on-line tutorials and conferences but more importantly, by increasing individual face-to-face meetings with their existing and prospective customers.
Today and going forward In both the publishing and electronic components industries mergers and acquisitions continue in the ongoing search for greater effectiveness and profitability. I predict that artificial intelligence (AI) will gradually add more ‘layers’ of knowledge to the Internet in years to come that will
impact both the publishing and electronic components markets but I’m very confident that both industries will continue to remain highly dependent on skills, judgement, evolutionary creativity and most importantly the engagement and interaction of many real people for their ongoing successful operation. The ‘member managed not-for-profit’ organisation that Roy Atterbury founded in 1970 and now called ecsn has been and continues to be, guided by executives and thought leaders across the electronic components industry. It’s only by ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ that our association and the entire electronic components supply network have been – and continue to be – so successful. I encourage all organisations to increase support for their partners both up and down their supply networks to maximise the potential opportunities for all.
“…Promoting Positive Collaboration Throughout the Electronic Components Supply Network to Benefit Members and the Economy…”
Components in Electronics
December/January 2024 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71
