Technology foresight for RP electronics  industry identify technology champions

By Janet Rosalie Anne H. Polita
MediaCore, PCASTRD

The electronic industry is the country’s main export spark plug for the last five years generating over 60 percent of export receipts.  Government data in 2003 also showed that the industry produced more than 346,000 jobs in direct employment. 

Because of the continuing bright prospects of the electronics industry in the local and global landscape, a technology foresight project was undertaken for the country under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s Committee on Science and Technology. 

The Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development, the government’s lead agency for the development and utilization of national capability in electronics and advanced S&T fields mobilized its resources to support the project.

The University of the Philippines ’s Technology Management Center carried out the technology foresight project deigned to produce a roadmap towards the creation of technology champions in the electronics industry.

The initiative also intended to increase industry absorption of human resource and strengthen participation of local and multinational electronic enterprises that comprise the bulk of export powerhouses.

UP-TMC professor Glen Imbang said the roadmap highlights strategies

aimed at helping create a niche for the semiconductor industry in the global market.  “It focuses on strengthening the human resource capabilities in electronics.”

The Electronics Industries Association of the Philippines, Inc., Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, Inc., Board of Investments, Commission on Higher Education, University of the Philippines, Mapua Institute of Technology, and De La Salle University worked together to come up with strategies to push the electronics industry forward.

One strategy is to upgrade undergraduate curriculum and fast-track the graduate and post-graduate programs of universities.  “There is the need to establish electronics curriculum in order to create a critical mass of graduates for the electronics and related industries,” Imbang said.

This strategy recognizes the important role of highly skilled personnel in transforming the industry from assembly and production of primary products to total manufacturing of value-added products.

At present, the Advanced Research and Competency Development Institute develops highly-skilled personnel for the industry. ARCDI is

a non-stock, non-profit, self-sustaining foundation that provides local advanced training to electronics engineering professionals. It also provides laboratory services for semiconductor and electronics firms doing R&D projects.

Imbang said that with the increasing domination of China and competition from Vietnam , and Thailand , appropriate investments are essential to improve the knowledge and skills of Filipino human resource pool.

Another strategy is the creation of innovation centers for electronics. These centers would facilitate the provision of state-of-the art equipment to be used in scientific and electronics research activities.

Electronics Industry Scenario by 2015

With such strategies supported and adopted by the government and private sector, an optimistic scenario awaits the industry a decade from now, the report stated.

A sunny outlook is an increase in the number of scientists and engineers with PhD, MS, and BS degrees from world-class engineering education centers. This will ensure continuous supply in the industry’s high-level labor requirements.

Based on a SEIPI report, the country produces 100,000 engineering, information and communication technology, and

technical graduates annually.

Moreover, an improvement in higher education would help facilitate the transition from assembly and manufacturing to development in the electronics industry.  It is also anticipated that graduates would be tied up to training programs supported by entrepreneurs to satisfy industry’s needs.  Prototype test facilities are also being developed.

The report further revealed that a decade from now  ”the industry is well-equipped with the tools and knowledge of market identification.”  The country’s SMEs continue to increase and are geared towards developing their niche technologies.

Moreover, doors abroad are opened to admit Philippine-designed products.

These future scenarios can be achieved with government’s “promotional rather than regulatory policies.”  The report added that “government is expected to provide incentives in order to foster greater private sector involvement and participation in HRD development for electronics.”

The private sector, through the EIAPI, an organization engaged in original design manufacturing  or ODM of electronic products, has expressed support to the roadmap.

“We hope DOST, together with the Department of Trade and Industry, can help in orchestrating the activities and initiatives in this industry as highlighted in the report. The different players involved should also internalize the report.  This you will see, if activities highlighted in the report are included in their budget,” EIAPI President Victor Gruet said.

“EIAPI can help promote the growth of engineers in this area by continuing its role in the development of the original equipment manufacturer and original design manufacturer sub-sectors of the electronics industry together with other players in the industry,” he added. (S&T Media Service)