Health, Wealth and Happiness to Everyone
Author : Alistair Winning
06 January 2023
A Happy New Year from everyone at EPDT. The new year often brings change, and this one will be no different, not least at EPDT.
After almost 6 years, editor Mark Gradwell has now left the magazine to continue his career at one of the industry’s top marketing agencies. Everyone at the magazine wishes him well in his new role and would like to thank him for his hard work and dedication that has seen the magazine go from strength-to-strength during his time in charge. Since he will remain working in the electronics media, we also look forward to working with him in his new position, where we are sure he will be a great success.
I’ll be taking over as interim editor for the short term until a new permanent editor is appointed. Some long time readers may remember me as the editor of the magazine before Mark took over. It is actually my third spell here at EPDT, as I started my career here as a junior technical reporter in 1999. I look forward to bringing you the best news, products and technical articles over the next few months.
2022 was a really mixed year for the electronics industry, and 2023 already looks a bit more positive, at least going by analyst predictions. After the COVID-19 pandemic broke the global supply chain, governments and trade organisations around the world have designated electronics as an industry vital to their national interest, and have designated funds to bring the design and manufacture of electronics back onshore. This change should bring technology jobs back from the Far East and create more opportunities for us all. However, the factors that caused problems for the industry last year will still impact us this year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is still ongoing, and the adverse market conditions that it has helped to create will also affect the world’s economy this year as most countries are expecting to go into recession for at least part of the year. Luckily, the demand for electronics, especially for electric vehicles and renewables, is expected to remain strong. However, analysts and economists have often been wrong, so we will see how the year pans out in reality. I will do my best to keep you informed of those changes over the next few months.
In the meantime, thank you for your continued interest in the magazine, and I will hopefully have the opportunity to meet some of you at exhibitions around the UK. The first of those events will be next month as Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2023 opens its doors to the public at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre from 7th to 9th February. It is usually an interesting show to visit with exhibitors from around the country showing off their latest products. It is definitely worth a day or more of your time to keep up to date with the latest innovation from the UK and beyond. If you can’t make it, I will have all of the latest news from the event.
