|
Having been trained as an engineer, first in mining and then electronics, I decided to pursue
a future in technical journalism, leaving the electronics industry in Central Scotland for
the publishing world in London.
The company I joined in 1986 is the one I am with now, The IML Group. Although my first magazine
was Electronics Showcase, the first feature I wrote was for Electronics Manufacture & Test
– a quirky story about moulded PCBs. Just one of the many techniques over the years that have
not made the mainstream! After working through a number of other magazines – some in the
electronics industry and some not – I joined Electronics Manufacture & Test (EM&T) as
Editor in 1995 and have been there since. EM&T is a magazine for the UK and Ireland
electronics industry that started publication in 1982. I launched our first web site in
1999, which although a useful reference, was a ‘mirror image’ of the magazine rather than
an information source in its own right.
EM&T continues to be published for the UK and Ireland, but we extended the brand to reach
a global audience in May 2007. EMTWorldWide was launched as a combined e-newsletter and web
site package with a view to using the full potential the internet has to offer, both in terms
of an extensive reference and latest news. From a personal point of view it has presented
huge challenges, vast opportunities and much excitement.
Tim Fryer
|
Recent articles by Tim Fryer;
Chinese IP wins Olympic gold (04 August 2008)
I’m a sucker for the big project. While more balanced people baulk at billions spent on mega projects, I revel in the grandeur and pioneering spirit that drives them. And there are fewer bigger projects than the Olympics, which opens in Beijing this week....FULL STORY
Genuine solutions to the counterfeit problem (21 July 2008)
Looking at the stats from last week’s newsletter it came as no surprise that the top story was about counterfeit components – an issue that has rapidly become a major concern for electronics manufacturers....FULL STORY
$32bn bill for a talking point (14 July 2008)
A couple of items of correspondence this week have caused me to think further on subjects discussed in the past – the omnipresent lead-free and the luxury car....FULL STORY
Necessary – but not necessarily fun! (08 July 2008)
A survey in the UK has deemed some items as essential for modern day life (in the UK), while classing others as luxuries. Despite the obvious flaw, that we are all different and have different requirements, it is still an interesting report and it indicates what electronic goods form an essential part of modern day living....FULL STORY
Greens should not be so certain (30 June 2008)
Is there anything as irritating as someone who has enough self-belief to think that they are always right? That is how I felt last week when I saw that Greenpeace was making the news with its updated chart of environmental sinners in the electronics industry...FULL STORY
Long hot summer when Baby was born (23 June 2008)
It was the summer equinox last Saturday (June 21st) and that is a date not without its symbolic and historical interest this year....FULL STORY
Photovoltaics’ new destination on the roadmap (15 June 2008)
The iNEMI roadmap is the closest thing the industry has to an overview of coming trends in coming years. I was lucky enough to catch up with Jim McElroy, iNEMI’s CEO, to discuss what is taking centre stage in the 2009 roadmap....FULL STORY
From America’s grease to China’s bursting bubble (08 June 2008)
It is fascinating to stop and look around at what is happening in different countries. Not just the usual stuff like a new factory or a big trade show, but the sort of broader news that impacts on our industry without actually being about it....FULL STORY
Unfair fuel and the future (02 June 2008)
This is a first – everyone is in the same boat and we all have the same thing to complain about. The price of oil. In every other economic crisis in the past there has been winners and losers, but today – all around the globe – there seems to be mainly losers. Is this the end of ‘cheap fuel’ or just a cyclical blip, and what could be the long-term effect on our industry?...FULL STORY
Is your boss over the hill? (27 May 2008)
It should not come as any surprise that we are all getting older. But what may creep up on us is that so many of our senior managers are getting too old – all at the same time. This is both inconsiderate of them - and problematic for the rest of us....FULL STORY
Germany hosts industry's big event (19 May 2008)
SMT Nuremberg – one of the key events on the electronics industry calendar – is nearly upon us, so this week we are taking a good look at the show and its special features, and what it has to offer the potential visitor....FULL STORY
Stats show where the excitement lies! (12 May 2008)
Some people like statistics – it is the sort of mentality that sits well with such disciplines as supply chain management and lean manufacturing. I am not one of these people - but while statistics might not set my soul on fire, they do have their uses. As we, this week, celebrate a year since the first issue of EMTWorldWide was produced, I am using statistics to demonstrate what you have found fascinating this year. ...FULL STORY
NEW approaches to age old problems (01 May 2008)
When the team at National Electronics Week (NEW) approached me about writing a column for their newsletter I was, naturally, delighted. When they said it was to be about the UK test market, I was, surprisingly, still delighted....FULL STORY
US problems diminish, but Africa’s won’t go away. (21 April 2008)
The recession that refuses to bite, the arms trade that hasn’t delivered, and environmental actions to back up the fine words. That’s a lot to be getting on with for one week, so where to start…....FULL STORY
KISS goodbye to the long tyranny of solder? (14 April 2008)
Lead-free solder? How about NO Solder at all? Simplicity is an overlooked virtue in modern life, and nowhere more so than in electronics manufacturing. In fact one company has developed a new process that, it claims, could change the whole electronics assembly process....FULL STORY
Brash move works for Apex (07 April 2008)
Las Vegas proved that the electronics manufacturing market has nothing to worry about. Not last week’s Apex exhibition, but the place itself. The senses are bombarded with a relentless assault that no other city on Earth could match, even if it wanted to. ...FULL STORY
Flight of peace or the mobile menace? (31 March 2008)
I’ll be honest, this is one of those weeks when I have written this leader a few days in advance so that the joys of APEX (and Las Vegas) are left unhindered by the requirements of the ‘day job’. So if the electronics industry has collapsed in the past three days then my apologies for apparently not considering it newsworthy in this column....FULL STORY
Viva Las APEX! (25 March 2008)
There are not too many events any more that demand global attention, but APEX is certainly one of them, and now the big day when it opens its doors in Las Vegas is only a week away. So, when the chips are down, is it worth the visit?...FULL STORY
PXI – ten years of progress (18 March 2008)
PXI started as a good idea, gained acceptance in a relatively short space of time, and has now established itself as a key test methodology. This is a special issue of EMTWorldWide, produced in association with the PXI Systems Alliance, to provide an update on progress, ten years after the first specifications were laid down. I hope it is of interest. ...FULL STORY
Beware the self-fulfilling prophecy (17 March 2008)
The global meltdown is on and we all may as well pack up and go home. Led by America, every economy is in slowdown and belts are being tightened across the globe. That is what the headlines are saying. But, I believe that if we do slip into recession (locally, nationally or internationally) then we only have ourselves to blame....FULL STORY
What’s on the Bucket List (09 March 2008)
The Bucket List is a fabulous idea for a film, as it has relevance for every one of us, and increasing relevance as we get older. But if the electronics industry as a whole had a Bucket List, what would be on it?...FULL STORY
Dear Diary…today I went nowhere (03 March 2008)
Don’t worry, I’m not going to share with you my thoughts about what where my neighbours park their cars or my children’s achievements and misdemeanours, or any such inconsequential waffle (inconsequential to you – vitally important to me!). Instead I have a few thoughts about the diary of the average engineer. ...FULL STORY
Caroline goes application specific. (24 February 2008)
Inbox clutter - a bane of modern life. If you are reading this then I assume that you are one of the ever-growing band of readers who have identified some value in EMTWorldWide’s weekly offering, but even I have to acknowledge that on certain days, reading this newsletters will not be top of the must-do list. So why should I welcome further competition for your attention?...FULL STORY
Heat is on for an engineered future (18 February 2008)
A group of extremely clever people recently got together and decided what problems needed to be solved to improve mankind’s lot over the next 50 years. They came up with a list of 14 main headlines but there was one that, for me, shone far brighter than the others - harnessing solar energy....FULL STORY
RoHS rumbles on … on Super Tuesday (10 February 2008)
What is the difference between American politics and EMTWorldWide? In America there is only one Super Tuesday every four years – at EMTWorldWide there is a Super Tuesday every week! (except in the very Far East where they don’t see us until Wednesday). Strangely enough I just made that up and had better press the button now or a sense of dignity will force me to take it out. ...FULL STORY
Strategy, not size, determines growth (03 February 2008)
Acquisitions and mergers have always been a part of how any industry evolves. Every business within that industry will largely be defined by its attitude towards growth. But where is it all leading to?...FULL STORY
Breathing space for RoHS running out (28 January 2008)
The European Commission planned that lead should be phased out of electronics by banning it from non-critical equipment first, with a long-term view of eliminating it from all electronics once lead-free technology had been proven safe. The deadline for that second tranche is now only two years away and the jury is still out as to if the technology can be trusted....FULL STORY
Mobile madness hits the father from hell (20 January 2008)
If we produce a billion mobile phones a year, some would say that this is due to market forces, others might suggest that it is too many for a saturated market, while another group might suggest that this is too many because they are devices with unproven safety. And despite the physical difficulties this would involve, I have a foot in all three camps….....FULL STORY
Consumers win – DVD loses (13 January 2008)
Did the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) tell us anything? Did it reveal the ‘killer app’ that was going to show the electronics industry the way forward for the next decade? Well it might have done – but it passed me by if it did....FULL STORY
Gadgets to overcome the ‘crunch’ (07 January 2008)
Well I am sure for some 2007 was dull and for others exciting. For some it will have been disastrous and for some it will have been a huge success. Maybe some will look back on it as a year of missed opportunities, while others will admit they got the breaks. But at the beginning of 2007 did we know whether our year would be full of positives or negatives?...FULL STORY
New beginnings in a bland year (16 December 2007)
The last issue of the year. Holiday time. Possibly a relief to both readers and the team here at EMTWorldWide that your regular Tuesday fix will not land in your inbox again until January 8th, as most people (I hope) will have better things to be doing on December 25th and January 1st. If you don’t, or these dates have no religious or cultural significance to you, then please excuse the break while we recharge our batteries....FULL STORY
'Breakfast at bedtime’ is not saving the planet! (10 December 2007)
We have an excellent contribution from Anand Sethi about how we gallop around the globe in cavalier fashion without a second thought to the environmental impact we are having. In light of this I have abandoned my original plans to talk about IP protection and have picked up on his argument and taken it down a different path – irrespective of the damage we are doing, is travel as important as we think it is? ...FULL STORY
Support turns poll upside down (03 December 2007)
You are going to buy a machine, a component placement machine for the sake of argument, but you don’t know where to start. In your mind you have an idea of what you want it to do, how much you want to pay for it and so on, but what is going to be the single most important consideration when selecting your machine? ...FULL STORY
Paste dispensing and the bad tempered dog (27 November 2007)
The dream of the ‘lights out’ factory was never going to work, somebody once told me. A ‘lights out’ facility being one where everything was fully automated and requiring no manual intervention would never work because it would always require, at the very least, one man and his dog. ...FULL STORY
Back to reality (19 November 2007)
Well was it all worth it? All the talk. All the hype. And now Productronica has been and gone and its back to ‘plain clathes and porridge’. (*see below). ...FULL STORY
Productronica gets underway (09 November 2007)
There is no point in denying it, as you read this I am in Munich along with most of the industry’s suppliers for Productronica, ready to enjoy the rarefied atmosphere of 12 packed exhibition halls for the rest of the week. ...FULL STORY
CD changer – or a new car? (04 November 2007)
In Western Europe we have not only a proud tradition in automotive electronics, it has also been one of the areas that has remained robust amid the stampede to oursource and offshore over the past decade. The same is true in America – maybe our ‘developed’ nations are so fond of our cars that we can’t let them go elsewhere....FULL STORY
What is our ‘e-legacy’ going to be? (30 October 2007)
What are we doing it all for? A classic question pondered in quieter moments by philosophers, hippies….just about anyone capable of cognitive thought in fact. But these quieter moments so often get swept aside by the considerable demands of daily life. ...FULL STORY
Read the latest news…..on the latest laptop (22 October 2007)
This issue is a milestone. The first quarter century (of issues – not years) are now behind us and we are gaining more readers by the week. And this week, in conjunction with our partners at Productronica and as part of our build up to the big event next month, this newsletter is being delivered to thousands of extra inboxes around Europe and beyond. ...FULL STORY
Gearing up for the global gathering (12 October 2007)
This issue of EMTWorldWide is a special one for us as, for the first time since our launch, we have dedicated it to a single event. That event is Productronica, and we have worked closely with the organisers to bring you all the latest information about next month's show, including practical visitor information as well technological highlights! ...FULL STORY
TV turn-off as consumers take care (08 October 2007)
A few weeks back I complained in this column (see When banks go wrong) that the financial sector created an artificial environment that we all have to suffer the consequences of. And the latest example of that features in one of our main news stories this week...FULL STORY
It never rains but it pours (01 October 2007)
I must admit I was getting a bit nervous during the summer months about the amount of information that appeared to be being generated by the electronics manufacturing industry. Not so much in terms of news, but just the number of new products for the industry. We all know that the surface mount process is now a mature one – but so mature that there is no innovation?...FULL STORY
Circus comes to town (24 September 2007)
This week sees the launch of a new event for the electronics manufacturing community – but I am not going to give the name just yet. The event is an indication of how the industry is adapting to meet the combined needs of suppliers and customers –and this week will determine the success of the latest blueprint. If it works I think many people, particularly on the supplier side of the business, may reassess their approach to exhibitions....FULL STORY
Discovering the moon’s secrets – but why? (17 September 2007)
Japan launched its first mission to the moon a few days ago in a quest to learn more about the moon and its origins. There is even talk of a space race with China and India due to launch their lunar probes within the next year – and you can be sure that whatever anyone else does in terms of space exploration the Americans will do bigger and better in the future. But there remains the question of why? Stick with me because I think I know the answer....FULL STORY
Twenty five years – a combined view (10 September 2007)
I have just returned from sunning myself in hotter climates, and in my absence Becky Ash, Assistant Editor, took a look at the combined views of our SMART Group visions of the next 25 years. The last part of this series is on the web site now and comes from Sue Knight. Becky’s take on the series follows:...FULL STORY
It’s just not up to standard (04 September 2007)
There is a difference between standards and legislation. In a perfect world we would have globally recognised legislation that revolved around globally recognised standards. Sadly I don’t think this would ever be achievable. ...FULL STORY
China - under siege or under-appreciated? (28 August 2007)
Last week China was under fire for the quality of its manufacturing, this week it is the centre of attention for more positive reasons....FULL STORY
When banks go wrong (20 August 2007)
There is no question that capitalism sharpens the business instincts of every industry and every successful company within it. But when taken too far it turns stable financial foundations into quicksand that even healthy companies can sink into. In the electronics industry we have seen it before – are we about to see it happen again?...FULL STORY
Silver anniversary for engineering marriage (13 August 2007)
Not so much a marriage as a union - and the lucky couple are the production and test engineer. Barely on speaking terms a quarter of a century ago, and certainly not co-operating as we would expect today, the relationship has evolved over the 25 years - sometimes with a bit of help from its (publishing) friends ...FULL STORY
Time to get in a spin (07 August 2007)
Our lead news story this week is concerned with the development of ‘spintronics’ – a revolution in electronics (in every sense!) The conference where the world’s leading ‘spinners’ are discussing their craft is going on as this newsletter arrives in your inbox, so I have not been able to garner any further information, but I will endeavour to do so in the coming weeks and report back to you....FULL STORY
Arms trade is no defence (30 July 2007)
Someone once told me that a 20 year old who was not a socialist had no heart and a 40 year old that was not a capitalist had no brain. ...FULL STORY
Who are you – engineer, manager or businessman? (24 July 2007)
One of the latest features we have posted on the site (‘Buying Skills for the process engineer’ Click here) discusses the engineer’s role in buying new equipment. It set me thinking about what else the engineer is expected to do – and the answer is often ‘just about everything!’...FULL STORY
Creative engineers found alive and well….. (17 July 2007)
While the production engineer has a straight-forward process to replicate, the test engineer (admittedly these days often the same person) has a host of strategies that he can buy into. Is it in formulating and implementing these strategies that true engineering creativity now lies?...FULL STORY
Ten years since Hong Kong took over China! (10 July 2007)
Have I got this the wrong way round? Tim Fryer argues that China is becoming more like Hong Kong rather than the other way round...FULL STORY
When is safe not safe? (03 July 2007)
When it is environmentally safe is the answer – or at least a possible answer. Further to my comments last week about the implementation of the WEEE Directive, I received the opinions of Graham Naisbitt, which I urge you to read (Click here), reminding us that last Sunday was the first anniversary of the introduction of the ROHS Directive. ...FULL STORY
Do WEEE understand? (22 June 2007)
No WEEE do not, in many cases would be my impression. And the reasons we are not are either that WEEE is not understood, or that it is not taken seriously. Either way, if the regulations are not adhered to then the company could be penalised and the products taken off the market....FULL STORY
It started with a Big Idea (18 June 2007)
For several weeks now I have been filling up your inboxes with the EMTww newsletter – a combination of news, latest products and original comment. Both the style and the content is deliberately different from other news vehicles in the electronics market, but yet it still is, unquestionably, ANOTHER news vehicle in the electronics market. So why do it? ...FULL STORY
Big five become the huge two! (05 June 2007)
Two of the biggest names in the EMS sector are coming together to form a $30bn company, leaving the top table in the EMS sector dominated by two companies....FULL STORY
The smell of a burning motor. Again. (04 June 2007)
Here’s a thought for you – how many suppliers do you, as an individual, feel you have a ‘partnership’ with? I don’t mean in your corporate role buying placement machines or solder paste or flying probe testers – I mean you as an individual. A consumer. ...FULL STORY
Nobody said the West was bad! (29 May 2007)
Let me be clear, the state of the electronics manufacturing industry in Europe and America is not bad, although that was obviously the impression that some readers got from my comment last week – and I thank all of those who did respond with their views....FULL STORY
|
|
|
|
|