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Uncertainty over Sustained Growth in End-User Application Markets Calls for Regular Adjustments in Resource Allocation Historically, the electronics and semiconductor industry has been plagued with recurring periods of excess in supply, which has often had a severe, negative effect on the demand for test equipment, systems, and services. While the current growth in the semiconductor industry is primarily driven by demand for consumer electronics chip sets, there is degree of uncertainty over the sustainability of this growth. Likewise, the markets for new generation electronic products could be subject to similar market variations and automatic testing equipment (ATE) companies need to anticipate demand fluctuations and respond by readjusting productive resources accordingly. This Frost & Sullivan research service is a competitive analysis of the world ATE services markets. It lists key market and technological trends and provides a consolidated market forecasts for this market. It further studies key end-user application segments and provides forecasts across/application engineering and after-sales support services, and geographic regions. A Large Globally Installed Base of ATE Equipment Drives Revenue Growth Printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers are adopting higher levels of integration to achieve better component density. The use of advanced packaging techniques such as chip scale packaging (CSP) and system in package (SIP) have resulted in revision and improvement of strategies for testing newer components. Since, large manufacturers of ATE systems have a considerable installed base of their systems worldwide, the introduction of new technology has necessitated upgrades and this has given a boost to after-sales support service revenue. In addition, the increasing capacity utilization levels at fabrication plants in Asia have led to growth in the ATE systems for semiconductor testing. Increasingly, ATE end users are showing reluctance toward active involvement in the testing process. "This could prove beneficial for ATE service providers because the end users are willing to pay a higher price when they require a complete solution," notes the analyst of this research. "By providing a fast ATE time-to-market, installation, and set-up requiring minimal operational skill sets accompanied by continued service and support, vendors can command better prices." Adoption of 2.5G and 3G Services in the Wireless Communications Market Is Likely to Drive Future Demand The growing subscription for 2.5G services such as general packet radio service (GPRS) and code division multiple access (CDMA) are expected to whet the appetite for advanced features delivered by 3G services. While this could generate huge market demand for 3G services in the years ahead, wireless network operators with 3G universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) spectrum licenses are expected to invest in deploying their networks at the earliest to recover investment costs. The introduction of 3G services is likely to drive demand for newer semiconductor packaging technologies. This, in turn may increase the requirement for newer ATE systems coupled with application engineering support services. The shift of manufacturing facilities from the North America and Europe is likely to require ATE vendors to ensure the global presence of their products and support services. While test solutions move from hardware to software strategies, the concept of Web-based support is catching on fast as an economically feasible service solution. "The immediate cause for growth in the ATE services markets in 2003 and 2004 was the uptake in the semiconductor industry that lead to increased revenue in the application engineering support services," says the analyst. "Applications in electronic functional testing and the telecommunications arena are expected to provide a stable market revenue over the next few years." |
