According to consulting firm and electronics expert Bill Jewell of Semiconductor Intelligence, global electronics production is showing an exceptionally high rate of growth– particularly in China. The E.U. has also witnessed an upturn and in the U.S., production in September showed an increase of over 4 % compared to last year and the year-to-date figure indicates the strongest growth in 11 years.

The year-to-date figure for production in China shows a 13.8 % growth compared with 10 % for a similar period last year. The new tiger economies such as Thailand and Vietnam are also well above 10 % while more developed Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea only achieved a more modest  2 and 3 %. This small upturn is however a ray of hope for Japan after many years in the doldrums.

While China produces well over 32 % of global electronics exports, the E.U. has become the world's largest importer of electronics at 23 %, ahead of China at 20 % and the US at 17 %.