With only just over 2 months to go of the year we thought it useful to update readers and customers on where resistor manufacturing is going in Australia and the trends we see from the local electronics manufacturing industry and the O.E.M. sector in Australia.
Custom Resistor Assembly Manufacture
We have received a large number of enquiries in 2015 for custom made wire wound resistors and power resistors. The O.E.M. sector in Australia is characterised by lower volume, ‘niche’ type manufacturing of electrical and electronic products. The sectors that remain strong in Australia include:
- Whitegoods
- Industrial Electronics
- Audio Engineering
- Lighting Control
- Gaming Industry
- Access Control
- Security
- Emergency Lighting
- Fire Protection
All of these sectors have a manufacturing presence in this country and remain users of a variety of custom made resistor assemblies. The required power ratings for the resistors we supply into these industries range from 2 watts up to 1000 watts. Manufacturers are looking for innovative ways to mount their resistors and we have designed a number of custom resistor mounting solutions and resistor terminations. The demand for rheostats remains strong, particularly from the industrial electronics sector where variable power control is a constant requirement and sometimes a simple, tried and tested solution like a 100 watt or 500 watt rheostat still proves to be the simplest and most cost effective solution to varying resistance with significant power rating.
Demise Of The Automotive Sector
Once a large to very large user of wire wound resistors and custom resistor assemblies in Australia, the automotive sector now is a very small player in the Australian electronics landscape. With well publicised closures (or pending closures) of Toyota, Holden and Ford the ‘feed in’ component manufacturers face very tough times ahead and are scrambling to look for alternative manufacturing opportunities. This sector employs over 100,000 people in Australia and government assistance is urgently required to ensure that this crucial manufacturing sector remains viable into the future.
Australian Resistor Manufacturing Update October 2015