38 The PCB Magazine • July 2017
Growth Ahead for Flexible Hybrid
Electronics Industry
According to Zion Research, "global demand
for the flexible electronics market was valued at
$5.13B in 2015 and is expected to generate rev-
enue of $16.5B by 2021, growing at a CAGR of
slightly above 21% between 2016 and 2021." Key
elements of the market, in the view of most ana-
lysts, include flex displays, sensors, batteries, and
memory.
Flex and Flex-Rigid Printed Circuits
Market Analysis
In the last few years, North America and Europe
have benefitted by the overflowing demand for
flex and flex-rigid printed circuits. In these regions,
aerospace and military have been the backbone of
their production of flex and flex-rigid printed with
maximum consumption.
Global PCB Market Expected to Reach
an Estimated $72.6 Billion by 2022
The future of the PCB market looks promising with
opportunities in the communication, computer/
peripheral, and automotive industries. The major
drivers of growth for this market are the strong
demand for smart phones and tablets along with
growing automation in industries, such as auto-
motive and aerospace & defense.
Walt Custer's Market Report
At the recent EIPC Conference, Walt Custer de-
livered his annual report detailing the trends he's
been seeing in the electronics industry for 2016
and into the first quarter of 2017. Barry Matties sat
down with Walt to discuss his findings, including
his forecast for the upcoming year. Also discussed
are Walt's prognosis for the market segments with
the most promise and those that cause him con-
cern.
Weiner's World—May 2017
China's central bank is effectively anchoring the
yuan to the dollar, a policy twist that has helped
stabilize the currency in a year of political transi-
tion and market jitters about China's economic
management.
EPTE Newsletter: Mixed Sales Data for
Taiwanese Circuit Board Industry
Taiwan is the production center for global con-
sumer electronics, and the circuit board produc-
tion in Taiwan is considered the barometer for the
electronics industry. Performance for most of the
major printed circuit manufacturers in Taiwan is
mixed; there are some bright signs, and there are
some areas that need improvement.
Flexible PCB Market Industry Trends
and Developments
Flexible printed circuit boards are widely used in
an array of electronic devices that have complex
circuitry. Besides efficient interconnectivity solu-
tions, flexible PCBs offer another benefit viz. re-
duced system maintenance. Compact in size, flex-
ible PCBs also reduce the entire costs of intercon-
nectivity solutions.
DKN Research Newsletter: JPCA Show
a Positive Sign for Industry
I recently attended the JPCA Show, the largest
trade show event for the printed circuit industry.
The size of the show was almost the same as last
year, but there were significant changes to prod-
uct lines from material suppliers. It seemed to me
there was an increase in attendance, and almost
everyone was there to get a glimpse of some new
technology trends.
Virtual Reality Market to be Worth
$48.5B by 2025
The global virtual reality (VR) market is expected
to reach $48.5 billion by 2025, according to a new
report conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. VR
technology based Gesture Tracking Devices (GTD)
devices find commercial applications in high-per-
formance computers and VR gaming applications.
IPC Releases PCB Industry Results
for April 2017
IPC announced today the April 2017 findings from
its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board
Statistical Program. Although sales continued below
last year's levels, orders were up and the PCB book-
to-bill ratio continued to climb, reaching 1.09.
Electronics Industry News
Market Highlights
