As this is the last issue of Electronics Sourcing Europe for 2024, I thought it was the ideal opportunity to share my thoughts on the strengths and opportunities underpinning European manufacturing as we shift into gear for 2025.
As expected, strengths remain technological innovation and global leadership in sectors including automotive, industrial automation and medical devices. European countries are continuing to invest in research and development, while regional policies such as the EU Green Deal are helping target investments at renewables, efficiency and environmentally conscious electronics: all of which align with global R&D efforts.
Europe also benefits from a skilled engineering workforce and strong training ethic, both of which contribute to quality manufacturing environments. This is running in parallel with a regulatory environment which is promoting, amongst other things, digital transformation. Thus, it is no surprise that this year’s Electronica theme is the ‘all electric society’.
Ongoing opportunities centre around reshoring and nearshoring trends, driven by concerns over geopolitical risks and the memory of supply chain disruptions of recent years. From a technical perspective, the expansion of 5G networks and proliferation of IoT devices offer significant growth potential in telecommunications,industrial automation and smart home sectors. My guess is that 2025 will see these technologies supercharged as the benefits of AI at the edge really start to strike home.
Finally, keep an eye on the opportunities offered by collaborative initiatives, such as Horizon Europe, which offer European manufacturers the chance to boost their global competitiveness by grouping around R&D initiatives.
See you in 2025.