British distributors expect modest growth later in the year, even though growth in the Britain and Ireland electronic components markets remains lacklustre, according to the May market statistics released by the Electronic Components Supply Network (ECSN), the professional community for the electronic component supply chain.

Adam Fletcher

Adam Fletcher, Chairman of the ECSN, commented, “Anticipated growth in the second quarter does not appear to have materialised, which has led to a slight increase in inventory. Our distributor members are expecting a modest increase in growth in the second half of the year, which appears to be realistic since no significant events or increased demand drivers are currently visible.” He believes that a very similar pattern is being played out in electronic components markets world-wide.

The full ecsn market statistics are available to all members. They show a slight decline in the Book-to-Bill ratio and in overall bookings compared to April 2014 and also to May 2013. Semiconductors increased slightly over the period, passives declined slightly, emech was flat and component assemblies declined.