Future Horizons Blog
Welcome to the Future Horizons blog, for all our latest updates on our work and the semiconductor industry in general. Don't forget to check back regularly!
Q2-09 Chip Market Shows 18 Percent Growth
Following hot on the heels of April’s 16 percent month-on-month sales growth, May grew a further 0.9 percent sequentially, putting June on track to break through the US$20 billion barrier, for the first time since the chip market collapsed last September.... Read morePosted in Future Horizons Global Semiconductor Monthly Report Discussions by Malcolm Penn
12-Jul-2009
Green Shoots or Desert
Whilst much of the current industry tittle-tattle focuses on the ‘green shoots of recovery’ debate (are there/aren’t there?) and/or the ‘shape of the downturn’ (V, U, W, sharp, stretched, extended, etc), we prefer to take a more sober look at the underlying trends.... Read morePosted in Future Horizons Global Semiconductor Monthly Report Discussions by Malcolm Penn
05-Jul-2009
Mobile Phones Suffer Temporary Setback In The Recession Recovery Expected Next Year
This financial recession has caused the first fall in mobile phone unit production since 2001 according to Future Horizons in the Semiconductor Application Market Report, released today. The resultant mobile phone slowdown is continuing into 2009 but is forecast to recover in 2010.... Read morePosted in Industry Related Comments by Gemma
20-May-2009
Comment From Future Horizons On The EU Intel Case
"Whatever the legal or factual merits of the case, the fact that Intel has now been found guilty of abusing its dominant market position and of anti-competitive practices by the competition authorities in Japan, Korea and now the EU speaks volumes. The message is clear and frankly common sense. With size and market supremacy comes increased professional responsibility.... Read morePosted in Industry Related Comments by Malcolm Penn
14-May-2009
Europe remains strong in the telecommunications sector says Future Horizons
One of Europe's main industrial strengths still lies in the radio communications part of the telecommunications sector, where it excels in basestation systems and mobile phone handset design, says Future Horizons in the European Fabless Semiconductor Report, released today. “This gives rise to a high demand for semiconductors within the European telecommunications sectors for mobile phone infrastructure and handsets,” said Alan Brown, Senior Industry Analyst at Future Horizons. “The result is even more demand for independent design-house skills, increasingly special technology requirements now moving on to 3G, mobile TV and Far Eastern mobile phone requirements.”... Read morePosted in Reports by Malcolm Penn
28-Apr-2009
Mobile Phones Suffer Temporary Setback In The Recession
This financial recession has caused the first fall in mobile phone unit production since 2001 according to Future Horizons in the Semiconductor Application Market Report, released today. The resultant mobile phone slowdown is continuing into 2009 but is forecast to recover in 2010.... Read morePosted in Reports by Alan Brown
28-Apr-2009
Recovery Expected In The Second Half Of 2009 After A Sharp Recession
Future Horizons is predicting a recovery in the second half of 2009 in the Annual Semiconductor Report that was released today. “There have so far been ten chip-market recessions and all but two have resulted in negative industry growth,” said Malcolm Penn, Chairman, founder and CEO of Future Horizons. “2009 will mark the industry’s eleventh recession; a further period on negative growth is inevitable at an estimated minus 28 percent, similar in magnitude to 2001.”... Read morePosted in Reports by Alan Brown
28-Apr-2009
Survive These Tough Times - Make Sure Your Staff Are Equipped With The Right Skills & Knowledge
Employees, staff, people, ‘THE WORKFORCE’ are most certainly the key to a company’s success. Ensuring they perform well and are happy within their work should not even be a question. Why Train? With the economic melt down in full swing there is an almighty temptation to scale back on training and staff development. BUT, smart companies know there is no better time to surge forward and leave competition wondering what happened. Take Southwest airlines for example, during the 2001-2003 recession they resisted the temptation to slash their training budget and instead increased it; while many other airlines went bankrupt, Southwest airlines not only survived but turned a profit. When Times Are Tough It Is More Important Than Ever To Invest In Staff Six Good Reasons To Invest In Staff Training & Development............ Read morePosted in IC Economics Seminar by Gemma
10-Feb-2009
Staff Training Is Just As Important During A Recession As When Times Are Good
Train And Gain With many countries in economic crises and some officially in a ‘recession’, organizations need to stay competitive. To gain that much needed competitive edge, it is essential, more than ever before, for organizations to ensure they have a competent, knowledgeable, adaptable and skilled workforce to see them through these tough times. STAFF TRAINING IS JUST AS IMPORTANT DURING A RECESSION AS WHEN TIMES ARE GOOD. In reponse to this Future Horizons have launched a new seminar, The Integrated Circuit Economics Seminar, which will take place on Tuesday 17 March 2009, Hilton London Olympia, London, UK. Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The IC Industry Economic Fundamentals... Read morePosted in IC Economics Seminar by Gemma
05-Feb-2009
Exploit The Recession - Knowledge and Speed Is All You Need
Today’s difficult environment requires companies more than ever keep moving with the times, to increase their knowledge and speed of execution, definitely not stop! Real market share gains are made in recessions not the good times. Exploit The Down Turn Before It Is Too Late: To a pessimist a ‘crises’ can only mean one thing, BAD NEWS, but to an optimist, it can bring OPPORTUNITY & SUCCESS. Luckily, Future Horizons takes the ‘glass half full’ approach to the economic crises and is ready to make sure the industry is in its best possible shape when the crisis finally ends. We should know … we’ve experienced them all bar the very first in 1961 which we missed by a year! To exploit the downturn only two simple ingredients are needed: 1) Knowledge 2) Speed... Read morePosted in Industry Forecast Seminar by Gemma
22-Jan-2009