Electronics Industry Development

One of the ongoing challenges for the industry association has been the lack of understanding of the local electronics industry by the community and Government. The community has seen it in the context of domestic appliances/Dick Smith etc. with no idea of the strength of the high technology employed by our local companies. Government has considered it as an input to other industries rather than a major manufacturing industry in itself. The EIDA intends to change this view by both groups and intends to develop a strategy to achieve appropriate understanding and recognition for the industry and thus establish its value to the State’s economy.

To do this we need to establish a better knowledge of our industry in the context of technological development. That is to see directions which our industry could take in the short and longer terms.  Last year we completed a ‘qualitative’ survey of the industry to understand its opportunities and challenges. The major strengths reported were its core role in the State’s transition to our ‘knowledge-age’ future; the diverse capabilities and agile response of its strongly SME structure and the sustainability of the industry through the combination of its high technology design and low volume, customisable production.  The major weakness found was the lack of understanding of the Adelaide electronics industry by our Government and community. This year we are planning:

– to develop a capability database of the industry so that we can document and promote its capability within the industry and to our community and governments.

-to develop a strategy for the optimum directions for the industry and thus determine what future capabilities we need to support future electronically enabled industries to develop and thrive.

We propose to set up a group which will undertake these tasks. The outcome will be made available to Government for their economic planning.

The existing industry has several characteristics which make it very sustainable:

-It is diverse in its products

-It is wealth generating through its locally developed Intellectual Property, probably more than any other in the technology fields

-It is not a single product industry (e.g. automotive, wine)

-It does not depend on consumer demand

-80% of companies are SA based

-It consists of primarily SMEs

-It is a major enabler of other industry products, thus an essential component of our industry base

-Its small production volumes and technological complexity make copying difficult and unrewarding

This proposal will be discussed at the Annual General Meeting.