Compliance & Precision News Round-Up - Issue 48

This issue covers:

Visit LUX Live for latest in lighting equipment test solutions
T&M export growth leads to Seaward award
Power electronics market to top 200 billion by 2018…
…and a healthy future for contract electronics manufacturing
EU review of Ecodesign standby power modes

Visit LUX Live for latest in lighting equipment test solutions

Specialist instrumentation for the electrical safety and compliance testing of all types of lighting equipment will be the focus of Seaward’s presence at this year’s Lux Live show.

Among the products on display on the Seaward stand (number D 35) will be the HAL LED, an advanced end of line multi-function test instrument designed to meet the compliance test requirements of all lighting industry product standards and safety testing regulations.

The automatic tester provides a power/leakage, AC/DC hipot (flash/dielectric strength), insulation and ground/earth bond test capability to ensure products are safety tested during design and manufacture. In particular, a high resolution power measurement of 200mW provides improved control of power output tests for enhanced functional testing of LEDs.

Also showing at Lux Live will be the SafeTest Luminaire (STM/L), a semi-automatic bench top tester for lower throughput lighting manufacturers and service or repair centres. The tester performs all fundamental safety tests required to meet lighting industry test standards and includes a test results downloading capability.

Completing the Seaward line up at Lux Live is the Sentinel 501 hipot tester which is particularly appropriate for laboratory-based electrical safety testing. The Sentinel 501 provides a versatile test resource for all lighting equipment manufacturers who wish to perform pre-compliance approval testing of lighting product.

See the HAL series in action

T&M export growth leads to Seaward award

Seaward’s growing success in international T&M instrumentation markets has been recognised with a prestigious business award.

In the 2015 UK Insider Made in the North East awards to acknowledge the top performing manufacturing businesses in the region, Seaward was rewarded with first place in the export category.

While the company, continues to perform strongly in UK markets, the award was made in response to the company’s expanding overseas focus. Export sales now account for around 50% of the company’s turnover and grew by 20% in the last year.

Andrew Upton, Seaward Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to have received this award and it reflects highly on the efforts and commitment of everyone involved in the business.

“We’ve always had a strong overseas market presence and the much improved performance in the last few years reflects our success in adopting a much more strategic approach to our export business.”

The Insider judges were particularly impressed with the fact that increased exports have led to an increase in the Seaward workforce, as well as the overseas expansion of operations with offices now established in Florida and Malaysia.

Power electronics market to top 200 billion by 2018…

The power electronics market – made up of devices, components and applications that control motors, provide energy savings and convert currents – is expected to grow rapidly over the coming years.

In a recent market report entitled ‘Powering Ahead: developments in power electronics mean a prospective bonanza for smart players the strategy’, the study explores the current power electronic market – in terms of its performance as well as the key economic factors expected to drive future growth in the industry as a whole.

By 2018 it is forecast that the sector will be worth $217 billion, up from $146 billion in 2012. The market’s growth is backed by demand from the electrification of cars, industrial 4.0 transformation and environmental regulation.

The study foresees that the whole power electronics market will grow an average 7% annually to a total market value of about $217 billion by 2018. During this time, margins are also expected to remain healthy, at between 15-20%.

…and a healthy future for contract electronics manufacturing

A market report also anticipates healthy growth in the global contract electronics manufacturing sector.

The BCC Research report analyses the sector and includes forecasts through to 2021. It says that the world market for electronics contract manufacturing (ECM) services should total $515.6 billion in 2015, reach nearly $561.2 billion by 2016, and $845.8 billion by 2021, a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6% from 2016-2021.

The study goes on to say that computers and telecommunications as a segment should total $296.4 billion in 2015 and $323.1 billion in 2016. The market should grow to $485.8 billion by 2021, with a CAGR of 8.5% through 2021.

The consumer and industrial segment is anticipated to increase grow from $157 billion in 2015 to $171 billion in 2016. This segment is further expected to reach $261.9 billion by 2021, registering a CAGR of 8.9% from 2016 to 2021.

EU review of Ecodesign standby power modes

The UK appliance manufacturers’ trade body, AMDEA, reports that the European Commission has launched a review study of the horizontal regulation on Ecodesign requirements for electric power consumption on standby/off and networked standby modes.

The study is looking at Regulation 1275/2008 and its four amendments, including the most recent which incorporated network standby and coffee machines. Work started in the summer and is due to finish in June 2016.

Some of the aspects that may be considered are another assessment of the scope; data collection on sales volumes, state of technology, energy consumption, potential for future energy savings, costs of implementing any future technologies; and potential misunderstandings for market surveillance.

Full details are available at a dedicated ecostandby website at www.ecostandbyreview.eu/