OPINION: THE PHOTONICS100
Photonics’ biggest challenge in 2024? Supply chain, supply chain, supply chain
Restrictions and delays in critical photonics raw materials were cited as the biggest threat over the next 12 months by a majority of this year’s Photonics100 cohort
A
year ago, we asked the first Photonics100 to identify the biggest
headwinds facing the sector and the message was clear: supply chain issues. Sadly, that message is now even louder: restrictions and delays in critical photonics raw materials were cited as the biggest threat over the next 12 months by a majority of this year’s cohort. In many ways, 2024 does
not look like being any easier than 2023. Industries are still reeling from the after-effects of trade restrictions caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war, but now face the added burden of inflation rises and physically compromised trade routes – Houthi rebel drone attacks in the Red Sea are causing container ships to avoid the Suez Canal and drought in the Panama Canal region is affecting shipping, with Reuters predicting that daily transits would fall to about 18 a day in February 2024, down from 35 in normal circumstances. So does asking our collected Photonics100 2024 honourees
to name the biggest challenges in the year ahead amount to madness? Well, no, as the second part of this year’s question sought the opinions of the Photonics100 on what can be done to mitigate these issues. Among their suggested solutions were diversifying suppliers, investing in R&D, making more efficient use of materials, and there are certainly those hopeful that additional fab capacity coming online in the next 12-18 months and the effects of legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act will help. Read on for more in their own words on the biggest challenges or threats to photonics in the next 12 months.
Ventsislav Valev, Head of Department of Physics & Research Fellow of the Royal Society, University of Bath: “The biggest challenge is probably from supply chain disruptions. This problem has been accentuated by the war in Ukraine, the increased political polarisation among countries and the increasing
“Industries need to embrace energy- efficient technologies and plan for reuse of key resources”
Ventsislav Valev, Head of Department of Physics, University of Bath 8 Electro Optics February 2024
trade tensions. It is further compounded by sustainability issues, competition for resources, environmental impact and increasing economic uncertainty. The solution is to foster collaborations between partners, to diversify supply and reduce dependence on limited forms of energy and resources. For this purpose, industries need to embrace energy-efficient technologies and plan for reuse of key resources, after recycling. It is also important to invest in cutting-edge research and development to keep technologically competitive.” Garrett Cole, Manager, Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions, Thorlabs: “Supply chain issues continue to be the most daunting to deal with, even as we transition out of the pandemic. Specific to the work of my group, the long lead times we are experiencing in the supply of base materials negatively impacts both our commercial production and R&D efforts. Pre-pandemic, typical lead times for super- polished optical substrates was manageable at very roughly 4-6 weeks, or potentially 8-10 weeks for complex requests. In contrast, we are now facing waits at the 4-6 month level. This has led to lost sales and has severely slowed the pace of our research and development efforts. I see improvements on the horizon with a stabilising supply of high-quality synthetic
Garrett Cole, Manager, Thorlabs Crystalline Solutions, Thorlabs
fused silica and lightened loads at various vendors, but it is still quite frustrating to wait many months for items that had historically taken weeks to procure.” Judith Su, Associate
Professor, The University of Arizona: “Post-COVID supply chain issues, both in terms of material and people, will continue to pose challenges to the industry. The photonics industry heavily relies on a global supply chain for various components and materials. Disruptions in the supply chain, such as those caused by geopolitical tensions, or pandemics like Covid-19, has led to delays in production and increased costs. To overcome this, one needs diversification of suppliers, local sourcing of critical components, and strategic stockpiles.” Tobias Buchmann, PostDoc,
Technical University of Denmark: “Global restrictions due to wars, sanctions, tariffs, and import/export restrictions will be felt by the industry. Several critical materials for the industry are sourced from a few places, which may prove to be a bottleneck and could slow advancement in the field.”
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