Can the electronics industry meet ESCO’s ambitions?

There was a flurry of activity following the report's launch, including the establishment of the ESCO Council, headed by Warren East, the appointment of Sarah Macken as the chief executive and the renaming of the organisation as Electronic Systems Community. And yet… Presenting the organisation's first annual report, East admitted progress had been slower than anticipated. "But we're aiming to accelerate in year two and increase the effectiveness of council," he noted. Is it unrealistic to expect rapid progress when it comes to refocusing the electronics industry? After all, the industry has long been regarded - even by those in it - as fragmented, invisible, inward looking and being poor at networking. Talking to New Electronics earlier in 2014, Macken asserted: "Getting the ESCO Report together over the last couple of years has been a cohesive process. Now we have working groups and workstreams who are getting on with things." East is, as you would expect, optimistic. "We're aiming to accelerate in year two and to increase the effectiveness of the council. But it's important to note that the ESCO Council will not create the business or the jobs - that will be down to industry itself developing opportunities and exploiting them and, if the ESCO report is to be believed, those opportunities are out there. The question is whether the industry is up to the task.