Modern solutions for telecommunications and mobility, automation of production, new models of supply chain organization, semiconductors sector, current challenges for education and labor market – these issues became the topic of the latest report of Invest in Pomerania. The publication “Focus on: Electronics Sector in Pomerania” gives voice to companies from the region, which present current trends shaping today’s electronics sector.
The report was prepared by the Invest in Pomerania team in cooperation with key companies operating in the broadly defined electronics sector: Flex, Lacroix Electronics, Aptiv, Intel, Radmor. Randstad, an international employment agency, was responsible for topics related to the labour market.
“The creation of the report was preceded by an extensive analysis of collected global data on the electronics sector. However, the greatest value of the report is the experience of leading companies from the region who shared their knowledge and perspectives for the future. In total, we conducted nearly 7 hours of interviews, for which we would like to thank our partners. Focus on Electronics Sector is not the first report in the “Focus on” series. Last year we conducted an extensive analysis of the automotive sector and we are already planning the next edition. I hope that through these activities we will strongly emphasize the importance of industrial sectors in our region and its potential for future investments” – says Monika Wójcik, Senior Project Manager at Invest in Pomerania, the coordinator of the report
Specifics of electronics production in Poland and Pomerania
In terms of trade, the volume of Polish imports of electronic products has slightly exceeded exports for years. In 2020, this difference further widened, due to increased sales of consumer electronics, which was a natural effect of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. In turn, the products that Poland successfully exports remain primarily consumer electronics and household appliances, telecommunications equipment and electrical wiring.
In Pomerania electronics manufacturing has for years remained one of the key industries both in terms of employment and export activity. In the context of foreign investment, over the last decades, the production of consumer appliances (especially consumer electronics and white goods) has developed primarily. Pomerania, on the other hand, has developed production directed at and integrated with various industries, including artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, and especially telecommunications and automotive industries. Companies have a very flexible approach to the products they offer – depending on market demand, they tailor production to specific industries.
Human resources – the basis for the development of the electronics industry
The electronics sector in Poland employs a total of 175.5 thousand people. In Pomerania there are 14.5 thousand people working in the industry, 12 thousand of which are employed in the production of computer, electronic and optical solutions, which is the best result in the whole country and constitutes as much as 1/5 of all people employed in the industry in Poland. Naturally, the key role in the supply of talent to the market is played by the educational system. The university that meets the needs of the sector to the greatest extent is the Gdansk University of Technology. It offers as many as 13 faculties, where about 5.4 thousand students study the specialties desired by the electronics industry. Companies, in turn, in order to further increase the possibility of acquiring staff, are willing to engage in educational projects. The report presents many examples of such involvement, including patronage classes, joint work on curriculum development, student internships, competitions for best students.
New technologies, current trends
The increasing electronification of all aspects of human activity naturally stimulates new areas of activity for companies, especially in terms of data aggregation and processing:
– the global artificial intelligence (AI) market will grow from $51.27 billion (in 2021) to $309.6 billion by 2026;
– by 2025, the volume of data generated by the Internet of Things will increase by as much as 55%;
Manufacturing models are also evolving:
– increasingly precise production processes require progressive robotization. The electronics sector accounts for as much as 29% of global robot installation in industrial production, overtaking the automotive sector;
– Due to climate change, the absolute priority for electronics companies is to achieve climate neutrality within the next few years. Large-scale PPAs are being signed and new investments are being made in green energy facilities for use in industrial processes;
Semiconductors
The report also describes the semiconductor manufacturing sector in detail. On the one hand, it shows the structure of the sector stretched between technology owners, chip factories and equipment suppliers; on the other hand, it presents geographical dependencies in the context of silicon wafer production, of which as much as 63% is held by Taiwan, 18% by Korea, and 6% by China.
The real reasons for the crisis in the semiconductor market are also presented, which was caused primarily by a significant increase in demand for chips by the telecom and computer sectors in 2020 (as a result of pandemics and lockdowns). Finally, the topic of building a semiconductor factory in Pomerania was also raised, and the Randstad company prepared a simulation of employment for such a project.
More opinions, data and statements from companies’ representatives can be found in the report “Focus on: Electronics Sector in Pomerania”
Media contact:
Mikołaj Trunin | Deputy Director in Invest in Pomerania
e-mail: mikolaj.trunin@investinpomerania.pl
Monika Wójcik | Industrial Sectors Promotion Senior Project Manager in Invest in Pomerania
e-mail: monika.wojcik@investinpomerania.pl
