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December 27, 1965 Electronics
 [Table of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics.
See articles from Electronics,
published 1930 - 1988. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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The final 1965 edition of
Electronics magazine produced reports on the status of electronics markets in Western
Europe and Russia. The opening statement proclaims "The boom continues." Increases
are predicted to cover all sectors of the electronics field: consumer,
communications, computers, instrumentation and industrial equipment.
Separate reports are included for
West Germany
(the Berlin Wall was still up then), the
United Kingdom,
France,
Denmark,
Austria,
Sweden,
Belgium,
Switzerland,
the Netherlands,
and Italy.
Russia, although
obviously not part of Europe, is also covered.
European Electronics
Market
 The boom continues
Electronics' first European forecast indicates uninterrupted growth in all nine countries
studied and in every major sector of the electronics field. Expenditures should total
$7.9 billion in 1966
Western Europe's electronics markets will continue to expand next year with West Germany,
Great Britain and France continuing as the biggest consumers, in that order.
Electronics' first European market survey indicates that sales will climb to $7.90
billion from $7.19 billion in 1965. Germany's booming economy will use $2.25 billion
of electronics equipment, up from $2.06 billion this year. Sales in Britain will total
$1.81 billion, compared with $1.66 billion this year; France will spend $1.66 billion
on electronics, up from $1.49 billion this year.
Increases will cover all sectors of the electronics field: consumer, communications,
computers, instrumentation and industrial equipment.
The consumer sector, although the second-largest and still growing, has cooled off
slightly. Consumer products are expected to account for $1.67 billion in sales next year,
up from $1.58 billion in 1965; but with the television market approaching saturation
and color tv still at least three years off, sales of tv sets are not increasing as rapidly
as in the past. The replacement market is not taking up all of the slack; however, sales
of phonographs, radios and tape recorders figure to continue the fast growth experienced
this year.
Industrial electronics, spurred by labor shortages and a demand for automation, continues
to gain rapidly. In Germany, for example, only 5% of the factories have automation approaching
that of American companies; this is expected to double in the next decade.
Also growing is the demand for computers. Sales are expected to exceed $1-billion
for the first time next year; in 1965, sales of computers and related equipment totaled
$923.8 million.
In communications, where European technology is pretty much keeping pace with that
of the United States, expanding government budgets assure continued growth. Britain,
for instance, spends $750 million a year on telecommunications. Electronic switching
for telephone systems is being tested in Britain, West Germany, France, Sweden and elsewhere.
Systems based on pulse-code modulation are due for delivery this year.
As in the United States the military market is uncertain. There are a few big contracts
in the works, however - the French Mirage 4 bomber and Sweden's Viggen multipurpose warplane,
to name two. Britain has been switching to American-made planes to reduce her defense
costs, but the British expect to continue to supply much of the electronic gear.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also continues to buy electronic equipment,
although its promise has not been fully realized.
West Germany is developing into a market for space electronics. Early this year the
Ministry for Scientific Research estimated that it would spend $500 million by 1970.
Posted October 2, 2018
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