Survey of design engineers highlights pressures

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 22, 2002

Research published this month highlights the huge impact which customer expectations are having on the work of the UK's electronic design engineers.

Research published this month highlights the huge impact which customer expectations are having on the work of the UK's electronic design engineers.

The study, commissioned by Farnell, marks a clear link between the rapid pace of technology changes and customer expectations.

This correlates directly with the dramatic shortening of product life cycles - the mobile phone industry for example places constant pressure on design departments to produce new models.

In the Farnell research report, "A survey of design engineers", three quarters of respondents expressed a belief that customers' expectations would have the greatest effect on markets and industry over the next two years.

The second largest market impact is predicted to come from component availability (69%).

Component design itself was named as a key driver for change by half the sample of respondents with obsolescence a growing and underlying issue.

These drivers for market and industry change were consequently observed as the critical issues which will effect the way design engineers will work in the future.

Pressure is being felt strongly by design engineers, with 62% predicting more and more complex design demands from the market and a similar number predicting shorter timeframes to produce designs.

This indicates a need to improve the level and volume of technical information available to design engineers to enable them to meet market demands.

A real emphasis was placed on the provision of technical support, relevant data and design tools (from books and project boards right through to programmers, in-circuit emulators etc).

Commenting on the research findings, Gary Nevison, Head of Product and Supplier Development, Premier Farnell Europe and Asia, remarks: "The relationship between customer expectation, component availability and life cycles has always existed but what this research reveals is the extent to which customer expectation is now leading what was once a considerably more balanced relationship.

The pressure exerted by high external demand on design engineers is clearly reflected in the design process and is resulting in a requirement for increased support.

Farnell is supporting design engineers with a growing portfolio of technologically advanced and innovative products that reflect consumer growth areas.

Through its e-commerce investment, Farnell can take such products to market quickly and easily via its website, with no need to wait for the next paper catalogue.

Farnell also continues to develop its technical support with services such as product information, accurate obsolescence reporting, application guides and design tools provided through a variety of channels for design engineers, as the pace of change in technology picks up and pressure on design engineers from consumers rises".

The research report surveyed 100 design engineers in the UK via telephone and was conducted independently by Metrica Research, on behalf of Farnell.

Over the past three years, Premier Farnell group has been implementing a major investment for growth programme, which has shifted the company's focus from a one-size-fits-all approach, to a service that is tailored for each individual customer.

As part of this investment, Farnell is focusing closely on design engineers, looking at the changes to their roles and the challenges they are facing, in order to develop and further tailor the services it provides to support them.