Their research found that electric vehicles, the Internet of Things, AI, 3D printing and the medical sector dominated in terms of key sectors going forward.. However, the range of industries the electronics sector touches is a varied one and includes the likes of cleantech as well as oceanography.
As part of its survey ByteSnap also asked engineers about the issue of product longevity and found, somewhat surprisingly, that the industry in the UK is focused on producing high-value electronics with long product life cycles.
Only 16% of companies surveyed reported their product lifecycles were 2 years or less, 10% gave their product lifecycles as 5-10 years, while 45% said it was over 10 years.
These figures were marked considering the pace of technological innovation electronics design companies must adapt to, and the on-going issue of obsolescence.
So, if more companies are designing with longevity in mind designers are going to have to closely scrutinise the lifecycle of component parts to make sure they too will be available long-term. They will also have to better understand how emerging technologies will change the products of the future.
If UK industry focuses on electronics products and components with longer lifecycles, however, the UK could be well placed to steal a march on the global industry.
