Fortunes of EMC market performance closely tied to enforcement of EU's EMC Directive

Citation

(1999), "Fortunes of EMC market performance closely tied to enforcement of EU's EMC Directive", Sensor Review, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1999.08719dab.004

Fortunes of EMC market performance closely tied to enforcement of EU's EMC Directive

Fortunes of EMC market performance closely tied to enforcement of EU's EMC Directive

Keyword: EMC

The European Union's EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) Directive of 1992 acted as a direct stimulus to the overall European EMC market, providing the framework of testing, compliance and approvals by which the industry is characterised.

According to a new study by Frost & Sullivan, the international marketing consulting company, many suppliers are waiting for the next impetus to be delivered by the public authorities in the shape of regulation enforcement.

Dr Mitul Mehta, IT research manager at Frost & Sullivan, comments: "Suppliers in the EMC industry are likely to be disappointed as governments have neither the funds nor the interest in pushing EMC issues. The continually growing volume of electronic equipment in use is compelling manufacturers to use their own initiative and take steps to ensure their products are immune from interference. In the telecoms market, the structure of approval arrangements exists and is held in place by market requirements for approved equipment."

The user community has taken on the EMC message rather more slowly. Industry has seen the cost implications of compliance and has been quite slow to perceive the merits of it. Slowly, perceptions are changing and the market is set to grow from its revenue level of US$1.82 billion in 1998 to US$2.59 billion by 2004.

The automotive sector will rank among the most interesting and dynamic segments in the EMC market during the forecast period. Over the next decade, an increasing number of devices will be introduced for automatic control of both vehicle and traffic. The EMC performance will be of paramount importance in this application. The major motor companies will be thoroughly testing such devices for reliability.

Frost & Sullivan's study expects communications to continue to be the major area for EMC business as more and more mobile phones and communication devices are brought into use.

At the present time, pre-compliance testing probably uses more resources than compliance testing. Whether this will continue to be the case is uncertain and will depend on the skills applied in design and adoption of the principle of "design for EMC".

Dr Mehta adds that the question of skills indicates another area requiring continuing attention - now and in the future. Design skills to optimise EMC are a specialist interest. Design engineers need to have training to understand the issues involved. In some countries, companies would regard this as an essential competence that their staff must have. In others, companies would regard it as a special requirement that would be procured as and when required from an external design resource.

The EMC components sector, comprising filters, chokes, inductors and certain connectors, dominates the product market, accounting for 38.8 per cent of total market revenues. This product sector is forecast to continue to provide the lion's share of revenues up to the end of the study's forecast period in 2004.

Formed conductive parts, test and measurement equipment and EMC services are the three next most significant product sectors. The market for formed conductive parts is growing quite strongly as new techniques are being taken up in the mobile phone business. Test and measurement equipment and EMC service markets face a less rosy future and are forecast to experience a period of stagnant growth. Both these sectors have come under strong competitive pressures in a sluggish market environment.

Dr Mehta continues: "Germany accounts for the largest revenue portion of the European EMC market, based on a far more rigorous attitude to EMC in this particular nation than elsewhere. The UK and France are broadly similar in their EMC market size and with similar levels of interest in dealing with enforcement. Scandinavia ranks in third position. Finland and Sweden are proactive in enforcement, the other countries less so."

"Digital technology and higher radio frequencies are the two main developments which have a direct impact on the whole issue of EMC. Digital technology requires switching. It may be the mechanical switching of a relay or the virtual changing of the state of a memory element. When an electrical circuit is turned on or off (switched), voltage transients are generated which are the source of interference", he adds.

The international aspects of EMC compliance have encouraged many organisations to arrange links with foreign partners ranging from informal association through to full acquisition and ownership.

This kind of activity is expected to continue with small and medium-sized companies and organisations with special skills, being linked with others on an international basis.

For further information, please contact Frost & Sullivan's Public Relations Department: Tel: +44 (0) 171 915 7824; Fax: +44 (0) 171 730 3343; e-mail: kristina.menzefricke@fs-europe.com