Weiner’s World

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Will the U.S. Department of Transportation's recommendation of mandatory vehicle-to-vehicle direct communication by short range wireless communications for all new cars and trucks to reduce accidents come to pass? If so, when? Is it the right method? Should the government recommend the method of linkage? Or, should it just recommend the connections? One pundit says, "Having a wireless network is just stupid due to the security risk. It is much better to have uni-directional communication. RADAR/LIDAR and cameras can do the job without the broadcasting requirement. If this moves forward it would drive auto manufacturers nuts!"

On the other hand, it should delight the PCB and electronic packaging manufacturers by providing a host of new items to make.

SEMICON China, the largest gathering of the semiconductor supply chain in China, and FPD China will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on March 14-16, 2017.

The event will feature six forums, including a new one for automotive applications, including: Self-parking, anticipatory braking, safety, communication, navigation, and entertainment.

More News on Automotive Electronics from Europe

Adaptive cruise control, potentially Forward Collision Warning and Auto Emergency Braking will support a doubling in annual demand for Radar units from 2015 up to 2021. 

Continental was the leading vendor of electronics for automotive Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in 2015, with an estimated market share of 18%, ahead of Bosch with 15%, Autoliv (14%), Magna (9%) and ZF/TRW (7%). Collectively the top ten vendors accounted for almost 90% of the ADAS market. The total addressable market for ADAS will more than double from just under $300 million/year today to nearly $700 million over the next five years. (Source BPA).

From Taiwan

In response to hikes in PCB pricing, DIY motherboard makers plan to keep prices unchanged for existing models but increase prices by about 5% for new models equipped with new Intel and AMD chipsets to be launched in January 2017.

PCB price hikes have increased costs for PC and smartphone vendors. Additionally, these vendors have faced price hikes for display panels, DRAM and hard disks arising from tight supplies. Consequently, these vendors have hiked sales prices for high-end models and plan to increase prices for all new models launched in first-quarter 2017. (Source: Digitimes)

IC substrate suppliers Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Nanya PCB both reported sales declines of 7.1% and 0.5%, respectively, for the month of November while Compeq Manufacturing’s sales reached a 12-month high of $150.9 million for the month.

Flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) makers Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are forecasting declines in sales for the first half of 2017 due to a decline in demand for Apple's iPhone 7. Flexium is said to be developing new FPCBs to work with OLED displays expected in the next round of iPhones in the Fall. 

Has a solution been found to the factory skilled/semi-skilled labor shortage?

Numbers of Japanese elders (65+) in the workforce are soaring according to the Wall Street Journal. A tight labor market prompts employers to increasingly turn to senior citizens for jobs that younger workers shun.

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