Stepper motors.

Advanced motion control solutions for automation, robotics, conveyor and packaging equipment that deliver the highly accurate movement control demanded by the latest generation of these industrial applications are available from EAO Ltd. Building on Sanyo Denki’s reputation for precision engineering, the new DB31 Series Stepper Motors are fully integrated motor-and-driver assemblies that deliver exceptional performance in a compact 56mm square form factor.

Accurate and reliable motion trajectory.
The latest addition to Sanyo Denki’s Sanmotion family of motion control solutions, the new DB31 Series systems feature a high‑performance stepper motor and driver that ensures precise, repeatable movement within the rated torque range, regardless of load! The motors are vibration‑tested between 10–2000Hz across all axes and feature protective functions such as main‑circuit voltage monitoring, fuse protection, and CPU fault detection.

The driver integrated with the stepper motor supports a range of standard operation commands including, positioning, continuous rotation and homing. Users can quickly configure key parameters such as position, speed, acceleration, and command selection, enabling fast commissioning and easy optimisation.

Technical Highlights.

• Input Voltage/Current: 24 VDC ±10%, 2 A
• Holding torque at initial conditions
• DB31F561S‑50: Min. Holding Torque: 0.14Nm, Size 56mm x 76mm
• DB31F562S-50: Min. Holding Torque: 0.24Nm, Size 56mm x 88mm
• Communication: RS‑485, 38400 bps, up to 16 axes
• I/O:
5 photocoupler inputs (limits, homing, rotation direction, E‑stop)
2 photocoupler outputs (operating and alarm signals)

Smooth movement with S‑Curve acceleration.
To reduce mechanical shock and improve motion smoothness, DB31 Series stepper motors offer two types of S‑curve acceleration/deceleration profiles: A gradual peak acceleration between 25–75% of the cycle that delivers up to 1.25× the acceleration of linear ramps, or an acceleration peak at the 50% midpoint that delivers up to 1.9× the acceleration of conventional linear profiles. The choice of two advanced acceleration modes helps to minimise vibration and stresses during speed transitions.

Space‑saving and wire‑saving design.
According to Robert Davies, Marketing Manager with EAO Ltd, integrating the stepper motor with the driver in a single unit both reduces system complexity and enhances reliability: “As DB31 Series Stepper Motors allow direct connection of limit sensors and homing signals enabling control of power and communication to be achieved with as few as five connections, reducing internal wiring and simplifying equipment design.”

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@ECSN_UK @SANYODENKI1001 #EAO #PAuto

Component leadership.

Dave Beck, Strategic Partnership Director EMEA with global ‘master’ distributor Waldom Electronics Corporation, has been appointed to the Leadership Group steering committee of the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn).

Dave Beck

Beck joined Waldom Electronics in 2024 following a sterling 20+ year career with Farnell Electronics, where he held senior management positions in procurement, supplier management, and operations. He is credited with strengthening supplier collaboration, enhancing customer engagement, and driving growth across international markets.

Announcing Beck’s appointment, ecsn Chairman Adam Fletcher, acknowledged Waldom’s unique position among manufacturer-authorised distributors of electronic components, where the company operates as a global ‘master’ distributor serving authorised distributors worldwide.

“As Waldom’s Strategic Partnership Director, Dave has a key role in developing and expanding relationships with distributors and supplier partners across the entire supply chain,” Fletcher said. “His extensive experience and insight will be a great asset to ecsn’s Leadership Group and the association’s wider membership.”

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@WaldomElectron1 #ecsn #Electrical #Safety

Leader in electronic components body.

The EMEA Distribution Sales Manager with the industrial division of Sensata Technologies, Pete Johnson, has accepted a seat on the Leadership Group of the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn). Sensata Technologies is a global supplier of high-performance sensors, electrical protection components and sensor-rich solutions,

Pete Johnson brings extensive commercial and technical experience in numerous market sectors including Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer, Industrial, Instrumentation, Marine, Motorsport, Rail, Renewables, Security & Transportation. He has built lasting relationships with customers in the OEM, ODM, CEM business channels, where his natural enthusiasm, determination and energy firmly established him as trusted partner.

Announcing the new appointment ecsn Chairman Adam Fletcher said that Johnson’s 42 years in the electronics industry, spanning sales, product/project management and marketing across multiple market sectors, would prove an invaluable asset to the association’s Leadership Group and via its members, to the entire ecsn membership.

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@Sensata #ecsn #Electrical #Safety

Component body's leader group new member.

Adam Fletcher, Chairman of the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn*), has welcomed Simon Meadmore to a seat on the association’s Leadership Group steering committee. Meadmore will be representing long-term ecsn member RS Components and will be offering over 30 years of experience in the electronic component industry to other members of the Leadership Group and via them, to the wider ecsn membership.

Simon Meadmore

Simon Meadmore began his career as a junior purchasing assistant at Circatech Ltd, an EMS provider based in Hereford, before progressing up the ladder and joining Pace Micro Technology. His five-year tenure with Pace concluded as Senior Buyer - Memory Products. Meadmore entered the world of electronic components distribution in 2004 when he joined Farnell, where for twenty years he enjoyed considerable success at the head of a number of company’s product divisions. Meadmore joined RS in May 2024 to lead the company’s EMEA Semiconductor and Passive category.

Meadmore is married to Jo and the couple are residents of Otley in West Yorkshire where they enjoy frequent walks to experience nature in the Otley’s Chevin park.

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*ecsn is an industry body dedicated to promoting positive collaboration throughout Britain’s electronic components industry.

@ECSN_UK @WeAreRSGroup #Electronics

Electronic components market upswing in Ireland & Britain but problems between Britain & EU need attention.

The latest audited Britain & Ireland authorised distributor (afdec) statistical data has been released.  

Adam Fletcher, Chairman of the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn) welcomed the uptake in Bookings and Billings activity reported by his members in March ’21, as customers realign their order book in-line with extending manufacturer lead-times. Total Monthly Billings (Net Sales Invoiced less Credits) in March ’21 increased by 35% when compared to the previous month and by 11% when compared to the same month 2020.  Overall Bookings (Net Sales Entered) increasing by 38% when compared to February ‘21 and by 59% over the same month last year. The Sales by Month “three month moving average” for all electronic components suggests modest growth into the first half of the year, albeit lower than historical norms due to the current economic situation.

At 1.47:1 the Book-to-Bill (B2B) ratio in March ‘21 remained elevated over the preceding month, driven by the very strong Bookings growth (see graphic) but Fletcher believes that that Q1’21 figures are being skewed by customer order placement activity. He cautioned that “probably around 80% of the growth is merely a reflection of extending manufacturer lead-times and customers’ response to tighter supply”.

Aubrey Dunford, an ecsn Market Analyst comments: “The Book-to-Bill data is very much in line with our expectations given the well-publicised capacity issues in the global electronic components supply network, especially in semiconductors. However, history has taught us that more important is the underlying demand which is more difficult to see.”

The association’s members have seen little improvement in the “vague” forecasting their customers in the combined region (Britain & Ireland) have been able to deliver in the last few years, but in the meantime they continue to manage their inventory investment carefully based on their best estimates of the real underlying customer demand: “Anecdotal indications do point to real underlying growth of circa 10% in the current year but I think it’s unlikely that 2021 will see our members’ performance return to the historical trend of strong Billings growth in the first half of the year”,  said Fletcher .

In conclusion Fletcher added that “Country of Origin” rules continue to pose problems for British companies exporting components from the Britain into the European Union: “Governments must get a grip on this issue or risk seriously disadvantaging authorised distributors who do not have EU based operations to support their customers based outside the UK and vice versa”.

@ECSN_UK #PAuto #Electronics #Brexit

Components supply forecast without crystal ball!

“I’m certain that stability will return, but I will need a crystal ball to predict just when…!” - Adam Fletcher

Adam Fletcher - Chair ecsn

At the end of each year the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn) provides a provisional twelve month Forecast for the year in prospect. The forecast issued by the association in December 2019 reflected the ‘reasonable’ confidence expressed by ecsn members for the first half of the year but the association chose to limit its predictions for the second half of the year to ‘best guidance’, due to the lack of customer visibility in the electronic components market coupled with ongoing geo-political uncertainties. The association is now able to firm up this ‘best guidance’ and has today confirmed its forecast to the end of the year, together with the provisional release of the results for H1 2020.

According to ecsn chairman Adam Fletcher, the outcome for the electronic components market in the first half of 2020 revealed a decline of (10%) when compared to the same period last year. The association’s forecast for the second half of the year suggests that the market decline will slow and reveal a 2H’20 decline in the range (9%)-to-(3%), with a mid-point decline of (6%). The mid-year forecast released today by ecsn predicts that the British & Irish electronic components market will conclude 2020 showing a full year decline in the range (10%)-to-(6%), with a mid-point of (8%) decline on the previous year.

“The sharp decline in growth in 2020 is primarily the result of a global economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not a forecastable event in 2019”, said Aubrey Dunford, ecsn Market Analyst. “However, the ongoing trade war between China and the US had already reduced demand in Q4’19 and enabled customers to de-stock based on increased availability due to tumbling component lead-times and because of their weakening customer order book”. 

The ‘Book to Bill’ ratio which was positive in Q1’20 but declined slightly in Q2’20 but the polynomial trend suggests that the B2B ratio is likely to remain positive into the 2H’20: “Customers who had been destocking in Q4’19 increased their in-house inventory and order cover in Q1’20 as manufacturer lead-times for components started to increase and with it, the potential risk of product shortages due to the population lock-down and China’s closure of much of its manufacturing industry” Dunford continued. “Fortunately, the supply situation has eased considerably in Q2 ’20, partly aided by lower global demand for electronic components”.

Continuing Limited Visibility…
ecsn’s afdec members’ visibility in the electronic components market remains very limited due to the almost total absence of clear guidance from their customers, and there is understandably a wide and diverse range of opinions on the likely outcome for 2020: “It’s always our aim to provide the electronic components markets, our members’ customers and investors with a balanced and evidence-based forecast and our forecast for the second half of the year reflects careful analysis of our members’ statistical data, reports from industry analysts and empirical data from a wide range of sources”, said Adam Fletcher. “Looking further ahead we believe that 2021 is likely to be a year of low growth and modest recovery for the electronic components markets. Stronger real growth will probably not return until 2022, however the range of member and industry analyst opinions about when and what the rate of the growth will be remains very diverse”.

That said, Fletcher remains confident that the trajectory for the electronic components markets in the mid-term is up and to the right: “If we assume that the final outcome for 2020 is a sales revenue decline of (9%) when compared to the previous year, then the performance of the electronic components market and the wider electronic industry will have been fairly remarkable given the dreadful economic environment in which we are all currently operating”. He remains confident that stronger underlying growth will return although the odd ‘bump’ along the way will be inevitable: “I predicted that any growth would adopt a hockey-stick shaped curve towards the end of 2020 and into 2021 and in my opinion the curve has now simply shifted by a further 18 to 24 months, due primarily to COVID-19 but also to the US China Trade War delaying the inevitable 5G roll-out but also reflecting weakness in the automotive market - which was set to return to growth in 2020 but has now been delayed by 12 months, the impact on the commercial avionics sector is likely to continue well in to 2023, and slower than anticipated growth in IOT applications: In the cloud computing and military markets growth remains strong, while PC / laptops, medical and industrial markets are set to continue modest growth rates”.

Looking even further ahead, Fletcher is confident that the electronic components markets will return to growth over the next few years but at a rate lower than the global average rather than at the top of the growth curve. He believes that stronger international economic growth, the impact of mega mergers and acquisitions and continued underinvestment in capacity for the manufacture complex electronic components will once again drive extended lead-times and shortages of some electronic components: “The pendulum of supply and demand continues to swing very erratically and will continue to cause a ‘stop-start’ effect on our industry”, Fletcher concluded. “Until the entire electronics industry starts to really collaborate effectively and share its business intelligence throughout the supply network, we will all be at risk from these extreme market oscillations. I’m certain that stability will return, but I will need a crystal ball to predict just when…!”

@ECSN_UK #Electronics #PAuto 

Component industry leader passes.

The Leadership Group of the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn) was saddened to learn of the death of George English, founder of G. English Electronics Ltd. (GELEC). George died  on 1st July 2020 at the age of 85 after a short illness and will be sadly missed by his wife Elizabeth and children Susan, David and Tracy, and his six grandchildren.

George Ernest English, 1935 - 2020

Paying tribute to an industry stalwart, Adam Fletcher ecsn chairman said that George English will be fondly remembered by colleagues throughout the electronic components distribution industry: “Prior to his retirement in 1999 George was a keen contributor to AFDEC (the Association of Franchised Distributors of Electronic Components) and the company he founded has remained an active member of the association and its successor ECSN for over thirty-two years”.

George Ernest English was born in London in 1935. In 1951 he joined the British Royal Navy as an engineering artificer where he quickly developed the interest in electrical/electronic engineering that was to become his lifelong passion. He served with the Navy in S.E. Asia for many years, but it was during a spell ashore in Glasgow that he met Elizabeth, his future wife. The couple married in1960.

At the end of his exemplary Naval service, George and Elizabeth returned to Britain where George was able to put his technical skills to good use as a customer support engineer with AEI Cables, before moving to McMurdo in Portsmouth and eventually to Distronic, the Harlow based distributor of electronic components.

George struck out for himself in April 1975 when he founded G. English Electronics Ltd., initially to buy and sell surplus electronic components. The company prospered and George was able to amass sufficient financial resources to attract the interest of well-established manufacturers of electronic components and fund the purchase of a working inventory of desirable parts. G. English Electronics Ltd. became a franchised distributor of electronic components in early1978.

Most of his service with the Royal Navy was spent in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea, where he developed a keen understanding of Far Eastern cultures, knowledge he was later able put to good use when negotiating franchise distribution agreements with reliable manufacturers of competitively priced components in these regions. Many of the business relationships and supply lines George secured during his frequent trips to S.E. Asia are still in place today. He remains widely regarded as the man who showed others the way to source electronic components from Asia and how to profile an effective British stock holding of imported parts.

The company that George founded is now in its 45th year and continues as a family owned business with George’s son David at the helm. Today, GELEC has a subsidiary in China and a distribution centre in Hong Kong.

Those seeking to honour George’s memory are invited to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society, either on-line or by sending a cheque c/o Francis Chappell & Sons (Funeral Directors), 27 London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1AR.

#ECSN #GELEC #Electronics

Component market forcasts growth though uncertainty reigns!

“Overall result will be flat to plus 2.5% but Brexit can and probably will change everything”.       Nigel Watts, Ismosys.

A Forecast just released by the manufacturers’ authorised distributor (afdec) group within the Electronic Components Supply Network (ecsn) predicts that the Britain & Ireland electronic component market will grow in the range 3.4%-to-8.5% in 2019, achieving a mid-point of 5.9%. Compiled from individual returns from the association’s member companies the Forecast further revealed that the market is likely to have grown by 9.2% in 2018, and Distribution's share of the TAM (Total Available Market) in Britain will have grown to about 41%, encouraging the consensus opinion that the recovery in the high-tech manufacturing sector of the economy will remain strong and despite the many uncertainties, is likely to outperform the macroeconomic environment.

Aubrey Dunford

Aubrey Dunford, ecsn Market Analyst commenced his presentation of the association's 2019 Forecast by announcing that the UK / Ireland electronic components market results for the current year (2018) will conclude at the higher end of the guidance range provided by the association in December last year. According to Dunford, the market grew strongly throughout 2018 and should show a growth of about 9% over 2017 compared to the forecast, which predicted a growth range of 6.5% to 10.5%: "Every quarter of this year saw sales growth when compared to the same quarter in 2017,”said Dunford. “Growth was not quite as strong as had been expected in the first half of the year but has continued to show stronger than predicted growth in the second half”. The ‘Book to Bill’ ratio remained above unity throughout the first half of 2018 but has softened somewhat in recent months: “The level of billings remained high in the second half, so we must expect that the growth rate will slow a little as we enter 2019, but our members are forecasting a further four quarters of growth at least”.

ecsn/afdec believes that the outlook for 2019 is positive with growth continuing, although the rate of growth might dip especially in the second quarter, but the association expects growth will pick up again during the second half: “The global electronics market is set on an expansion path with automotive systems and new mobile standards such as 5G leading the way, but these will all need a huge investment in infrastructure which is where UK companies can really make a mark”, Dunford said. ecsn/afdec members remain confident that there are opportunities for further growth in 2019, despite numerous factors that simply cannot be predicted with any certainly, not least Brexit and continuing trade wars, even if at present they seem to be abating. He concluded, “whatever the final outcome of our Government’s negotiations with the EU we are certain that UK companies will be preparing to participate fully in that growth”.

DTAM Growth per quarter 2013-2019 incl forecast

Continuing growth
At the end of 2017 ecsn/afdec reported six quarters of ‘quarter-on-same-quarter-the-previous-year’ growth, which at the time was the longest period of sustained growth seen since 2000: “We’ve now achieved ten quarters of continuous growth and are forecasting that we’ll achieve fifteen quarters of growth by the end of 2019, a performance unseen since we started collecting the data way back in 1984”, Dunford observed. The growth period started in early 2016 but really accelerated during 2017 and has continued in each quarter of 2018: “It is now clear that there are a number of factors behind the upswing, among which the upturn in the global electronics markets predominates. The seed change in electronics markets has enabled more competitive pricing of manufactured goods in export markets now that the use of electronic systems has finally come into economic use enabled by the IOT and inexpensive WiFi connections, which together are transforming control systems the world over”.

According to Dunford British companies find themselves in an ideal position to capitalise on the opportunities presented, most of which are within the market sector served by authorised distributors. He acknowledges that this Global growth has also caused lead times to extend on some product lines, especially in the more commodity product areas, which does threaten to limit some of the growth in the first half of 2019, but manufacturers are beginning to expand production: “It is clear that customers who work in close co-operation with authorised distributors are able to meet their production requirements even although overall availability is becoming restricted.”

According to Managing Director Peter Hannon Harting UK saw continued good positive growth in 2018, which he says was underpinned by Projects and new investment in product ranges: “We enter 2019 with a record order book, however we see early signs of softening in the general UK market. Brexit uncertainties will be another factor in determining how 2019 will actually turnout”

Commenting on the 2019 Forecast ecsn / afdec chairman Adam Fletcher welcomed the continued growth in the global economy and the likely consistent growth in the global electronic components market, which he believes will surge as 5G is rolled out: “The trajectory for the electronic components markets continues to be up and to the right and underlying growth has become the new normal but growth will probably not be linear and we must anticipate the odd bump along the way. I’ve been predicting that the growth curve will adopt a hockey-stick shape towards the end of 2019 and into 2020, causing further supply network problems as components manufacturers scramble to keep up with the increased demand”. He believes that growth in the UK, Europe and US will lag behind China and Asia-Pac economies who will be the primary beneficiaries of the 5G roll out and the increased demand for handsets: “I’m confident that UK electronic components markets will continue to grow over the next few years but at a rate lower than the global average rather than at the top of the growth. That said, I fear that we may to be negatively impacted by long lead-times and shortages of some components.” Fletcher added.

Fletcher believes that merger and acquisition activity in the electronic components markets will slow in 2019 but that this will be replaced by increased activity in collaboration, cross-licensing, joint ventures that accelerate market access and strategic investment in order to secure capacity or access to technology: “Manufacturers are desperately filling the gaps in their product portfolios to address the emerging technology needs in high growth markets, including 5G infrastructure, industry 4.0 and automotive, but they continue to be conservative in adding manufacturing capacity to meet demand in these new markets", Fletcher concluded.

Ismosys Managing Director Nigel Watts believes that 2019 will be all about Brexit for the UK: “Will we, won’t we? Uncertainty reigns”. Putting Brexit to one side he fears that the industry may have an uncertain Q1 based on continuing MLCC extended lead times and the tariff threat, although that has subsided somewhat recently. That said, Watts agrees that the underlying trend is up and he expects 2H ‘19 to be strong, recovering any reversals in 1H: “Overall result will be flat to plus 2.5% but Brexit can and probably will change everything”.

#ECSN #PAuto @HARTING_Group #Breatimeacht #Brexit