A survey of broadcast equipment vendors finds more than half with a sense of confidence toward business in the coming quarter.
The survey was conducted by the IABM, an international trade association that represents manufacturers and suppliers of products and services to the broadcasting and electronic media industries.
Looking to the coming 12-month period, confidence has also increased over the previous quarter with 68 percent stating a rise compared to 60 percent previously. As with the last survey, confidence is predicated on the rollout of HDTV, impending live events, and new product launches.
As to new equipment orders, the overall outlook remains positive with 45 percent saying that order volumes were either better than expected or much better than expected. Only two percent reported a deterioration in orders. This is a significant rise from the 34 percent who said the same in the last quarter.
Skills and staff, manufacturing capacity and supply chain issues are the key factors limiting members’ ability to fulfill orders. However, in this quarter it is manufacturing capacity that takes precedence over skills and staff issues.
While 40 percent of respondents said that they now have more employees than they did in the previous quarter, the majority stated that the number of employees remained the same. No respondents expect staffing levels to decline over the next quarter. In terms of R&D, 95 percent said that expenditures remained either constant or was higher than a year ago.
For more information, visit www.theiabm.org.
