Nose to the grindstone – and that is if we are lucky!
05 January 2009
Here we all are again. Refreshed, relaxed, recharged… but slightly apprehensive?
I offer my apologies to those who have not just had a ‘festive holiday’ and are therefore neither refreshed or recharged – but I am going on the theory that most people, from whatever geography or religious leaning, have had a winter break.
There has been a sort of ‘silly season’ over the past two weeks as both politicians and media have tried to keep interest up while doing as little actual work as possible. Here at EMTww we have been a bit more honest – we have been on holiday, we had nothing to say and so we didn’t publish a newsletter last week. Such an outlook is alien to those in public office as they fear that two weeks out of public glare will render them forgotten and forlorn. As a consequence they repeat soundbites about global recession, financial systems in collapse, manufacturing not so much going East as going nowhere, and all the other doom-laden prophesies that make them feel important and clever.
However, I think that they are wrong. If they have something genuinely new to say then by all means say it. If they do not have something new, and very little of what was in the news over Christmas (except the horrific situation unravelling once more in Gaza) was in fact news, then the media should concentrate on banal and heart-warming stories about babies being born on Christmas day, people kissing policemen on New Year’s Eve and all the rest of the rubbish which fills the gaps while we are doing the aforementioned recharging and relaxing.
As for what lies ahead I think we all need to cast aside the fear and adopt a more practical ‘siege’ approach. We need to see what the first few months of 2009 will bring and be prepared to see it through by developing more innovative products, more efficient production, new approaches to existing or new markets. Easier said than done of course because the leanness precipitated by the dot.com crash eight years ago is still very much prevalent throughout industry. There is not much fat to trim off. But in some ways this gives us the advantage over industries that have not been through such a reverse in living memory. Top of the heap in this respect is the financial industry that is dominating headlines at the moment. For this reason I really do believe that the misery forecasted is an over-reaction and that given a few months to settle down will not prove to be as disastrous as projected. Patience will be the key in 2009.
An aside on another topic, but continuing with the theme of looking ahead to the coming year, we are in the process of updating the ‘events’ section of the web site with numerous exhibitions, seminars, conferences and workshops. If you are looking to broaden your knowledge in 2009 at such an event then you can see the current list by clicking here. If you know of any events that we may have missed then please email the details to me at the usual address; tim.fryer@imlgroup.co.uk
An interesting event that will no doubt make the fringes of the mainstream media is the Consumer Electronics Show. This takes place next week in Las Vegas and is usually a good indicator of what is hot and what is not in the gadgets and computing world. I think a flag bearer both at the show and across the electronics industry in general this year will be digital televisions. A view supported by iSuppli, who predict that flat panel televisions will boost Latin-American sales. It will be interesting to see if other trends appear at the exhibition.
Here’s hoping for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009 for all in the electronics manufacturing industry.
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